Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

University rallies to defeat Mead in GSL wrestling

Mead’s Hunter King prepares to bring down University’s Kavan Nielsen during an 11-0 major decision in the match at 132 pounds on Thursday. (Tyler Tjomsland)

At first, the University Titans’ effort Thursday was a shadow of what one typically expects from them.

Then there were the Titans who rattled off four pins, a technical fall and decision in the night’s last six matches.

U-Hi overcame a seemingly insurmountable 25-6 deficit after eight of 14 bouts against visiting Mead to pull away for a 38-25 decision in handing the Panthers their first Greater Spokane League wrestling loss.

They both are 3-1 at the holiday break behind unbeaten Central Valley (4-0).

The next league matches are set for Jan. 6 and 7.

“We lost a couple matches I wish we would have won,” Titans coach Don Owen said of the early deficit. “(And) I knew there were probably five or six matches I didn’t know whether we’d win or lose.”

As it turned out, the ones he wasn’t sure about became wins that made up for the ones he expected but didn’t get. One was the match at 182 pounds, in which Dylan Rabideaux held a one-point lead with 5 seconds left. But on the referee’s whistle, Beau Fickle secured a reverse as time expired to put the Panthers up by 19 points.

U-Hi didn’t lose again. Heavyweights Tyler Rickle, Clayton Fincher and Tate Orndorff cut the deficit to a point with pins. In a 106 match between freshmen, Terrill Sanders’ first-period takedown stood up amid Mead fans’ calls for stall points against him.

But senior veterans Cam Swanson at 113 and Mikey Garrison at 120 rendered them moot with a technical fall and pin.

In the early going, the Panthers looked better conditioned and were the aggressors. Even in their two losses during the first eight matches, their foes were hanging on at the end.

Hunter King (132) won handily, 11-0. Daeri Alderman ran roughshod over U-Hi veteran Zach Martins, winning by pin with 1 second left in the second round in a pivotal match.

Then, the tide turned.

“It was all or nothing, huh?” Mead coach Phil McLean said afterward. “When we started that way, I knew we better have a big lead. I thought our kids competed really hard. I was impressed with how they came out and battled the whole time.”

Mt. Spokane 51, Lewis and Clark 21: Jake Howerton’s pin midway through the first round jump-started the Wildcats (2-1) to 10 straight wins, including six pins, for all their scoring. Andrew Hoover scored a 7-5 decision over Eli Malm after his brother Alec Hoover recorded a pin at 126. Jerry Impecoven escaped with less than 10 seconds remaining to win 5-4 at 170. LC dropped to 2-2.

North Central 40, Ferris 39: Ryan Johnson’s pin over Riley Socha in 5:57 at 285 secured the victory for the host Indians (2-2) over the Saxons (1-3), who recorded pins in the final two matches.