Hawks’ Palaniuk takes agony with glory
POCATELLO, Idaho – As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Lakeland’s Brandon Palaniuk held a 14-3 lead over Calvin Vivier of Mountain Home.
Nothing could have prepared Palaniuk for what happened next.
The whistle sounded, signaling that time was up and Palaniuk was the State 4A champion at 135 pounds.
But the sound of the whistle was overshadowed by another – a sickening pop as Palaniuk’s forearm snapped as the wrestlers hit the floor.
Coaches and trainers gathered around as Palaniuk remained on the mat, writhing in pain. But before he would get on the medical cart and head to the hospital, Palaniuk, as is tradition in wrestling, stood and faced the crowd as the referee raised his good arm and declared him the champion.
“He was more worried about not winning than he was about his arm,” Lakeland coach Rob Edelblute said. “When I assured him he was a state champion, he we just fine.”
In addition to Palaniuk, the Hawks had three others earn medals on the tournament’s final day. Kyle McCrite (112), Zach Horsley (125) and Scott Underdahl (160) joined their teammate on the medal stand, capping a strong three-day showing by Lakeland.
“We didn’t get a trophy, but I think we wrestled well,” Edelblute said of his team’s fifth-place finish. “We have a young team, but we were right in the running until the end. Hopefully, we can use this as a learning experience.”
The Sandpoint Bulldogs finished strongly as well, with six wrestlers bringing home hardware.
Chad Spade finished as the 4A champ at 125, filling in admirably for injured teammate and defending champion Joey Fio.
“I’m just so excited right now,” said Spade, who had never placed at the state meet before. “It’s an honor to win this. I am glad I can say that I won it for Joey.”
Despite the injury, Fio was one of five other Bulldogs to place in the top six, joining Timmy Pepperdine (103), Alec Ward (112), Kyle Meschko (145) and Sheldon Cramer (215).
“I am really happy for Chad,” Sandpoint coach Mike Randles said. “This win is just huge for him. He’s such a great kid, and nobody deserves it more.”
Minico won the 4A team championship with 225.5 points.
In 5A, Coeur d’Alene had six medalists, led by state champion Jeremy Zabel at 152. Zabel, who was a fourth seed coming into the tournament, knocked off second-seeded Colin Washburn of Borah to win the title.
Also earning medals were Greg Lee at 103, Isaak Lawlor at 125, Randy Jerald at 135, Jesse Nielson at 145 and Ian Turner at 189.
Lewiston ended a somewhat disappointing tournament with five medalists but no champions.
The Bengals had two wrestlers in the finals, but Trevor Williams was unable to go because of a concussion he suffered in Friday’s semifinal. Heavyweight Mark Skogrand lost a close one to Mike Warden of Idaho Falls.
“We finished a little lower than we wanted to, but we’re still young,” Lewiston coach Rob Maurer said. “We have a young team, and a lot of these guys will be back next year. Hopefully, we learn from this.”
Lake City didn’t have anyone make it to the finals, but three Timberwolves came home with medals.
Freshman Arick Ackerman medaled at 103, while seniors Carson Work (152) and Mike Vickhammer (275) capped their Timberwolves careers with consolation medals.
Idaho Falls won the 5A team competition with 204 points.