EV, Mead win to set up showdown

East Valley and Mead won Wednesday preliminaries before tonight’s match between once-beaten Greater Spokane League wrestling teams.

The Knights (6-1) swept past Shadle Park (3-4) 54-10 and Panthers (5-1) defeated North Central (1-5) 61-6. The pair compete at EV at 7 p.m.

At Shadle Park, EV won 11 of 14 matches, three of them close. Keith Babington edged Justin Trevino 5-3 at 112 pounds, Andrew Keller won 8-7 over Derek Entz at 125 and Gabe Rodriguez held off Brenden Tarr 2-1 at 130. The Highlanders’ Thomas Harris trailed Sean Biltoft 4-2 late at 135, was awarded a stall point and scored a reversal at the buzzer to win 5-4.

At North Central, Mead won 13 of 14 matches – seven by pin – for a 61-6 victory. In the night’s final match Dalton Cavasier got an overtime takedown for a 6-4 win. Earlier in the night, Joey Farley edged David Stratton 2-1 at 189. Steve Taylor had NC’s win, by pin at 285.

Other GSL matches: Ferris (4-4) won the final 10 matches in a 62-9 win over visiting Rogers (0-7). The teams split the first four and were tied 9-9 before Brandon Riehle and Scott Davis started the Saxons on their way with two of the team’s seven pins. Ferris’ Aram Ambartsumyan and Chris Douglas waged a back-and-forth match at 103 before Ambartsumyan pulled off the 10-8 decision. … Host Central Valley (7-1) won nine straight matches between 103 and 145 pounds to defeat Lewis and Clark (1-5) 54-12. The Bears’ Braden Davis made a first-round takedown and third-period escape stand up for a 3-0 win at 119 over Scott Hatfield. Tyler Simmet and LC’s Nolan Manion were in a competitive match until Simmet’s pin midway through the third period at 145. … Mt. Spokane (4-3) won all but two matches against host Gonzaga Prep (0-7). The Wildcats got off to a 28-0 lead, including Matt Littrel’s 7-4 win at 160. Both Bullpups wins came by pin, John Lampert at 215 and Kris Whitfield with 40 seconds left at 171 while leading by just two points.

Great Northern League: Riverside (4-1) remained among the league leaders with its 68-3 romp at home over West Valley (1-4). In the night’s feature at 130, Riverside’s Justin Hodge escaped in the third round and added a takedown to beat Quinn Gannon 6-3.