Badgers take pride in another runner-up finish at 3A
NAMPA, Idaho – Second for a second consecutive year. It has a nice ring to it, as far as Bonners Ferry High wrestling coach Conrad Garner is concerned.
Behind one state champion and seven state placers, Bonners Ferry finished runner-up for a second straight year to Weiser in the State 3A tournament Saturday at the Idaho Center.
Weiser had three state champs and eight placers to finish with 176 1/2 points, 22 1/2 ahead of the Badgers. Snake River was third with 147 1/2 .
It’ll take Garner a while before he can tell anybody about it. That’s probably good news for the students in his science classes.
“It’ll probably take 10 days for my voice to return,” Garner somehow uttered, through what sounded like gravel being rubbed between hands.
It’ll probably take 10 days for the ear-to-ear grin to leave his face, too.
Three Badgers wrestled for state titles, but junior Adam Hall was the lone individual champion.
Hall, who has won 77 straight since a loss in the state finals as a freshman, barely broke a sweat in scoring a 17-2 technical fall over Ryan Miller of Priest River at 145 pounds.
The always-moving Badger needed a pin to break the school’s single-season record for pins. But Miller wasn’t about to be turned to his back for any length of time. Miller avoided a pin last week in the district final when Hall scored a 14-2 major decision.
“I thought I had a chance when I had him on the edge of the mat,” Hall said. “But I was out of bounds and I knew if I tried to get his shoulders down he’d be ruled out of bounds. The record is something I can work on next year.”
Miller was pinned twice by Hall in earlier matches.
At the start of the year, Hall appeared as if he’d wrestle at 152. But he decided to drop to 145 on New Year’s Eve.
“I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could cut weight,” Hall said. “If I’d been in college this year, I would have had to wrestle at 141.”
Hall’s decision meant Miller and everyone else in the state at 145 was competing for second.
Miller, a senior, was as happy as a champion afterward.
“It’s the first time I’ve placed at state,” Miller said. “My goal was to not get pinned. It was tough because that kid has a tight grip. Second isn’t bad. I’m really happy.”
Badgers David Hayes (130) and Travis Stolley (171) lost heartbreakers. Race Bowman of Snake River topped Hayes in a wild final 13-11, while Joey Silva of Kimberly tripped Stolley 6-5.
“It was an outstanding effort by our back-door kids,” Garner said.
Jerad Madsen of Kellogg is one of the feel-good stories of state. Madsen captured gold with a 7-4 win over Cason Bowen of Middleton at 112.
Madsen, who broke his ankle a day before a season-opening match in early December, had to have emergency surgery. His doctor put in a plate and six screws.
Madsen’s surgeon said his season was over. Madsen had other plans.
Against his doctor’s wishes, Madsen got a release to return to practice a week before district. Madsen had hoped to compete at 103. But his late return meant he didn’t have enough time to cut weight.
“We thought it ought to be about wrestling and not about cutting weight,” said Madsen’s coach, Terry Jolley. “The kid has an unbelievable amount of courage.”
Madsen rolled his ankle and heard it snap in the fateful practice.
Other area placers were: Kyle Payne, St. Maries, third, 119; Adam Benda, St. Maries, fifth, 130; Ken Swift, Bonners Ferry, fifth, 140; Ken Koehler, BF, fourth, 152; Don Dinning, BF, third, 189; Isaac Meyers, Priest River, fifth, 189; Ben Turner, BF, fourth, 215; and Dusty Brede, St. Maries, sixth, heavyweight.
2A
Jake Will got to the title match, but then met his match in two-time state champ Jared Leuzinger of Challis, which won the team title.
Leuzinger pinned the senior from Wallace in 3:53.
“He didn’t scramble well enough,” Wallace coach Bob Schreiber said. “Going from sixth last year to second this year is a great accomplishment. He has nothing to be ashamed of.”
Wallace had one other placer: Cody Karst took fourth at 152.