East Valley cruises past Clarkston in semifinal
The suspense of their Greater Spokane League wrestling championship semifinal had long been drained by the time Clarkston two-time state finalist Jason Fairley and East Valley state placer Bryce Fisher met in an anticipated 145-pound showdown Wednesday.
But then, both semifinals proved anticlimactic. The American Division champion EV Knights (8-0) reeled off seven straight wins and a 33-0 lead during its 54-6 romp past the visiting Bantams (6-2).
Central Valley (5-3) conceded the other finals berth to National Division champ University (8-0), losing 51-17 at U-Hi in a match made up of No. 2 varsity and junior varsity competitors from the schools.
That left the suspense to the final contests of the season that positioned the remainder of GSL teams from fifth through 14 places. In them, the American Division asserted its dominance, winning on the road.
Set for Saturday at CV is a match between CV and Clarkston for third and fourth starting at 5 p.m., and a repeat of last year’s final between EV and U-Hi set for 7.
The lanky Fairley, his team trailing 48-3 at the time, edged Fisher 3-1. It wasn’t for lack of effort by EV’s junior, who took the match to his foe, but couldn’t finish his takedowns.
“He’s one of those guys who comes around to the side, and I need to adjust to that,” Fisher said. “I have to finish my shots. I can’t give those up.”
Was he surprised at the ease of EV’s triumph, which included wins in 12 of 14 matches? A little.
“We’re a young team and have been scrapping through,” he said. “Every match is a battle.”
Clarkston coach Dan Randles agreed his team did not wrestle to its capabilities.
“It kind of all started this morning when our 112-pounder (Matt Babino) didn’t make weight,” he said.
EV had three pins and the 112-pound forfeit, plus three decisions for its big early lead.
The Knights added two more pins while winning five of the night’s final six matches.
“Our kids wrestled well,” EV coach Craig Hanson said. “Other schools were having mid-week finals and ours are over. We were fresher this week.”
U-Hi had seven pins, including four straight between 171 and 275, during its victory.
Elsewhere in the GSL, in the match for fifth and sixth, Mead (6-2) beat Lewis and Clark (5-3) 41-30. The Tigers jumped to a 30-0 lead with six straight wins between 112 and 145. Mead won the rest. Ryan Peck started it with a pin, Mike Magee put the Panthers ahead in the next-to-last match to clinch victory. … Ferris (1-7) won its first dual match of the season, 48-23 at Gonzaga Prep (1-7). Dylan Morgan (112), Tyson Rhiele (119), Charlie Dahmen (140) and Billy Mulkin (152) all had pins for Ferris. … Cheney (3-5) beat West Valley (1-7) in the night’s last match, including an 8-5 win by Mitch Eggett over Tyler Brischle. Grady Early had an upset win at 103 for Cheney. … Mt. Spokane (4-4) won twice by pin, Matt Schafer at 215 and Bryce Malone at 275, and once by forfeit to rally past North Central (3-5) 40-37. … Shadle Park (4-4) won 52-14 at Rogers (1-7). The Highlanders took a 32-0 lead before Mike Holloman of Rogers beat Paul Burdulis 6-1 in a repeat of their regional match last year.