Tri-State wrestling finals hint of things to come

Saturday night’s Tri-State finals were a portent of things to come this wrestling season, not only from the team outcome – a 1-2-3 finish by three Washington 4A powers – but in the 135- and 160-pound finals.

In the former, two-time Idaho state champions and now Inland Empire League rivals Casey George of Lewiston and Braden Mowry from Coeur d’Alene squared off for the first time officially in a contest decided in George’s favor in the final 15 seconds.

Defending Washington state champs and Greater Spokane League foes Jake Mason from University and Jordan Rogers of Mead battled in a one-point thriller – advantage Mason – at 160 at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gymnasium.

They represented four of 19 schools who had at least one of the 28 weight-class finalists. GSL teams filled a quarter of them, while Deer Park, Riverside and Republic, with meet outstanding wrestler Scotty Bacon, added three more. Area Idaho schools had four wrestlers vying for championships. Of the 14 title matches, six were decided by two or fewer points.

Lake Stevens won its second straight team title and fifth overall, scoring 191 points, but was looking over its shoulder at two other teams, U-Hi (170) and Tahoma (165.5) before it ended.

“We’ll wrestle them again and again and have a lot of work to do,” Vikings coach Brent Barnes said. “U-Hi had a great showing and Tahoma had four finalists. They’ll be formidable (at state).”

Republic’s Bacon, a Tri-State winner at 135 last year, finished second in State B because he bumped up two weights to help with the Tigers’ team title. Now a legitimate 145-pounder, he won by quick pin twice and technical fall Friday to reach the semifinals. After gaining the title bout he dominated Moscow’s Eric Frisbey 8-2.

“Last year I was 37-1 and got caught in the finals,” Bacon said. “I started to work harder.”

Despite attending one of the state’s smaller high schools, Bacon said he’s comfortable competing against athletes from bigger schools because he wrestles them year round.

Trailing 3-2, Lewiston’s George feigned an attack. Mowry bit and – off-balance – got caught in the waning seconds with a five-point throw and 7-3 loss.

George’s title last year was at 119 pounds.

“I grew quite a bit,” George said. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be in the same weight all year, so this was a pretty good preview.”

The Mason-Rogers match also was, unless Rogers drops down a weight.

Mason, a senior, won state at 160 for the Titans last year. Rogers, champion last year at 140 as a freshman, is up 20 pounds in class. That and age differential usually translates to a strength disadvantage.

“Jordan’s really tough,” Mason said. “He’s only a sophomore and I feel like my age and the fact I’m more developed was the difference.”

Mason got an early takedown, winning a scramble with his head snaps and went on to a 3-2 victory for his second straight Tri-State title.

He was one of three Titans finalists and the GSL’s only winner. Teammates Ryan Zumwalt lost to Lake Stevens’ Josh Villani 3-2 in a 152-pound grinder and Jake Laden lost at 285.

CV’s Jarod Maynes got down 4-0 early and lost 5-3 to Lake Stevens’ Josh Heinzer, a two-time state champion and now twice a Tri-State winner. Ferris’ Brandon Riehle injury defaulted at 140 after spraining his ankle in the semifinals. Mead’s Jake Trotter gave up a third-period reversal to top-seeded Konner Knudtsen and lost 4-3 at 215 in a match between state favorites. Knudtsen was one of Tahoma’s three individual champions.

At 285, Deer Park’s Shawn Burton topped Laden 5-1. Uncommonly quick and agile for a big man, Burton attacked early for one takedown and countered from a sprawl for another late.

“I watched (Laden) and knew he wasn’t half bad. I knew it would be a tough match,” Burton said. “Moving and taking a guy down has been instilled in my mind and I’ve made myself faster.”

James Ost (Post Falls, 125) lost 2-1 on a second-period reversal and Brenton Beard (Riverside 130) became just the Rams’ second Tri-State finalist.

Lake Stevens’ team title was a product of numerous pins on Friday that staked the team to a 20-point lead, Barnes said.

“That was probably the difference,” he said. “I knew we could be in the hunt for a title, but didn’t know we’d wrestle this well. Villani was a great surprise. His match against U-Hi was huge.”