NC wrestling team qualifies 7 to regionals
North Central coach Mike Ranieri couldn’t say enough about his wrestling team, which last weekend finished second with 186.5 points behind East Valley’s 352 in the 3A subregional tournament.
Not only because the Indians have seven wrestlers who will compete this weekend in regionals, but also because some of his other wrestlers had their best efforts of the season.
“Many of our wrestlers overachieved this year,” Ranieri said. “Guys like Aaron Patenaude, Jamie Tamura and Dan Seibert wrestled very well. Anthony Voelker (who finished sixth) wrestled the best he has all season.”
The Indians had two champions among three finalists in a meet that included five Greater Spokane League schools and seven from the Mid-Valley League in south central Washington.
Derek Brown, who last week announced he was playing football at Eastern Washington University, pinned four straight opponents, needing just 7:25 of a potential 24 minutes of 189-pound competition.
Mike Clute, who earlier this year beat Mead 4A district champion Neil Didier and lost in two overtimes to Central Valley’s Camren Ebat, won by pin, technical fall and two decisions to win at 152 pounds.
Patenaude won two of three matches by pin, finishing second at 160.
Last year NC finished third in the 4A district meet. This year the team went 5-4 in the GSL to go with the strong subregional effort.
“We had 18 kids in here, and everybody but two won matches,” said Ranieri. “This team does more with less than most teams around the league.”
Holloman comes through
Because of Rogers’ winless Greater Spokane League dual match season, Pirate junior Mike Holloman wrestled under the radar.
But he was on his game last weekend to become one of 10 North Side finalists during the GSL District 8 Tournament.
Holloman wrestled five league matches and was the Rogers M2 Mallet tournament champion at 145 pounds. He competed in three matches at 152, where he was for districts, and another at 160, compiling a 7-2 league record.
During last weekend’s tournament, Holloman rolled into the championship match with a pin, 14-2 decision and stunning 17-7 win over top-seeded Ebat from Central Valley.
Though he lost 7-2 to Didier, Holloman is one of three Pirates and among 20 North Side wrestlers competing in this weekend’s Region 4 tournament at University High.
Mead’s Didier was one of three Panthers district champions. Mead finished third with 224 points, behind U-Hi’s 462 and Central Valley’s 235.5, and qualified seven wrestlers to regionals.
Didier won by pin and 6-1 over Shadle Park’s Paul Burdulis, one of three Highlanders to earn a date in the regional tournament.
The Panthers also won at 189 pounds, where Scott McKenney beat Mt. Spokane top-seed Matt Schaffer for the title, and at 215, where Paul Senescal pinned three straight foes, including Wildcat Bryce Malone. Mead sophomore Mike Magee was second at 275.
Mt. Spokane was fourth in district with 165.5 points and six regional qualifiers. Five reached the finals; Schaffer, Malone, Noah Hatton at 140, Matt Pea at 145 and Jake Reynolds at 171. All placed second.