Post Falls wins Tri-State wrestling title for first time

It’s the kind of team championship that can lead to bigger things.

At least that’s what Post Falls is hoping for.

A week after a second-place finish at the Inland Empire Classic, the Post Falls wrestling team stormed through the door at the 43rd annual Tri-State, winning its first title in dominating fashion Saturday at North Idaho College.

The Trojans posted 202 points with three individual champs and another finalist. Moses Lake was second, 36 points behind Post Falls, and University took third (144.5).

Post Falls’ Drake Foster (126 pounds), TJ Wolf (132) and Seth McLeod (182) captured titles.

“Special would be an understatement,” Post Falls coach Pete Reardon said. “We’re just super blessed. Our kids wrestled their butts off. We have great leaders. It’s really starting to pay off. Turning the corner and winning this is so big.”

Foster, who reached the final for a third time, started things off with a 5-2 win. He gave up an early takedown but controlled thereafter.

Falling behind early didn’t faze Foster.

“That’s not unusual,” he said. “It happens a lot in our (training) room. I just had to keep my head in the game, hustle and pick up the pace a little bit.”

In the next match, Wolf also won 5-2 over Cam Sorensen of University, scoring a takedown early in the third and one at the buzzer.

Then McLeod, competing a second time in the finals, posted a pin in 3:55.

“It feels a lot better to win,” McLeod said, noting he got caught in a throw in the final last year and was flattened.

But McLeod was more amped by the team win than his victory.

“Knowing I could help my team out, that’s so much bigger to me,” he said.

McLeod believes the Tri-State title is the beginning of big things this year.

“It’s big to show our potential,” McLeod said. “We bust our butt in the room and to have it pay off here at a big tournament is special. We have all the tools to be able to win a state title for sure as long as we’re working hard and putting in the time.”

Post Falls has finished second twice and third at state recently.

“We wrestled really well,” Reardon said. “We stepped up a couple of notches for this one after last week.”

There were 12 area finalists.

North Central senior Izaec Quintanilla captured a third straight Tri-State title, winning by major decision at 170.

“I was really nervous,” said Quintanilla, who’s also seeking a third consecutive state title. “Not too many people have done that.”

U-Hi heavyweight Tate Orndorff defended his title, chasing down Post Falls’ Justin Farnsworth for a 9-3 decision.

Orndorff is used to opponents not engaging. He was especially pleased Saturday after losing in the final in a major tournament in Ohio last week.

“I wanted to make a statement here,” Orndorff said. “(Last week) I was winning and I tried a throw and got caught on my back. This means so much.”

TJ Baun of Colville also pulled off a repeat, defeating Coe Rohan of LaGrande, Oregon, 8-4 at 106.

Sophomore Dalton Young of Lakeside repeated, scoring the quickest pin, 15 seconds, at 120.

“I just stayed on the attack,” Young said. “The key here was finding legs.”

In an all-area final at 152, East Valley’s Trey Meyer held off Ian Cox of Colville 7-3.

The match was full of action. Cox got an escape for a 3-2 lead to open the third, but Meyer countered with a takedown and near fall points to secure the victory.

In other finals, Alex Cruz of Orting won by technical fall at 98; Case Wickman of Vashon Island pinned Lakeland freshman Larry Johnson at 113; Fred Green of Orting, who was named the outstanding wrestler, topped Jake Douglas of Lake Stevens 4-2 at 138; Spencer Rich of Rocky Mountain edged Chase Clasen of Moses Lake 3-1 at 145; at 160, Alex Aguilar of Omak decisioned Mason McDaniel of Juanita 5-2; Sam Colbray of Hermiston tripped Cody Vigoren of LS 3-2 at 195; and Colin Hammock of Missoula-Sentinel won 9-7 over Dallas Goodpaster of Evergeen at 220.