Vikings poised for top-notch wrestling season
Whole league seen as strong, especially Lewiston, Post Falls
Coeur d’Alene has the makings of its best wrestling team in school history.
There’s just one small hurdle facing the Vikings: They reside in perhaps the toughest league in the state.
Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls have the numbers to challenge for state trophies. The top four teams earn trophies at state. No other league in the state has as many teams in trophy contention.
“(The Southern Idaho Conference) has the most teams, but if you put our three teams in that league we’d all be at the top, in the top four for sure,” CdA coach Jeff Moffat said.
The Vikings return nine state qualifiers. They are senior Andrew Palmer (103 pounds), sophomore Kenny Staub (119), junior Braden Mowry (125), junior Sam Howard (125), sophomore Jake Graham (130), junior Christian Putman (135), sophomore Colin Comack (140), sophomore Johnny Peregrina (145) and junior Kevin Moore (152).
Others Moffat expects to challenge for state berths are sophomore Kyle Siegwarth (112), freshman Garrett Demers (135/140), junior Alex Murren (140), junior Jake Norris (160), senior Alex Krapas (171), sophomore Caleb Davis (189), sophomore Thomas Tucker (215), sophomore Drew Moreno (heavyweight) and junior Ben Nemeck (hwt).
Mowry captured a state title at 112 last year and is seeking a second straight title. Palmer was third at 103 and Staub was fifth at the same weight. Putman took fifth at 130. Norris transferred from Kellogg where he took fifth at 160 in the 3A state meet.
Moffat believes all of his starters and a handful of backups are capable of earning state medals.
“We’re young and unproven in the upper weights,” Moffat said. “We’re really going to be tough from 103 to 160. The upper weights haven’t been on the mat enough in varsity matches, but they’ll get better.”
The Vikings took fourth at state last year. Lewiston finished third.
“I think we’ve got another shot at a state trophy,” Moffat said. “We’re a legitimate top four team if we stay healthy and improve throughout the year.”
Finishing fourth was a pleasant surprise, Moffat said.
“Coming into last year we didn’t know that we could get a state trophy,” Moffat said. “They just got better as the year went along.”
The Viks want to place higher this year.
“We have some lofty goals we want to accomplish,” Moffat said. “The bar has been set high for these guys.”
The top four at each weight qualify for state.
“Lewiston is probably the best team in the state,” Moffat said. “Post Falls has a good lineup. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Sandpoint
Mike Randles returns as head coach after he resigned a year ago. Kirk Hartzell, the coach last year, resigned because he wasn’t guaranteed a teaching job this year.
“I came back because I didn’t want them to settle for just anybody as the coach,” Randles said. “I didn’t want to see the program take a dive.”
Randles could coach more than one season.
“In the perfect world it would be for just one year,” he said. “But I haven’t put a timeline on it. I want them to find the right person to take over.”
Sandpoint returns six state qualifiers. They are sophomore Garrett Belgarde (103), senior Jacob Porter (119), senior Colter Sigmon (125), senior Sid Winter (135), junior Leonard Fister (152) and senior Terry Taylor (215).
Winter is the lone returning state placer. He took fifth last year.
Other wrestlers Randles is high on are sophomore Kyle Ciszmar (112) and senior Will Bellafontaine (140), a transfer from Louisiana.
“We have some kids that if they wrestle to their potential could do well at state,” Randles said.
Lake City
The Timberwolves return one state qualifier – their lone state qualifier last year – in senior Arik Ackerman (125).
Corey Owen takes over as head coach. He’s from the famous Owen family coaching tree.
Owen has his hands full trying to build a program that has yet to establish itself in the school’s 15-year history.
Junior Marcus Banducci (119), sophomore Bryan Griswold (152), senior Dan Hall (160), senior Kody McDonald (152/160) and junior Chris Schenk (189/215) hope to challenge for state berths.
The majority of the T-Wolves are sophomores and freshmen.
“They’re really young, but they’re athletic,” Owen said.
Owen was a two-time state champ at Sentinel in Missoula. He’s excited about building a program at LC.
“I’m really impressed with my young kids,” Owen said. “All they know is what we’ve been teaching them.”