Mead wins team title at District 8 4A wrestling

Central Valley lost the war but won the battle in Saturday’s District 8 4A wrestling tournament

The Bears finished second to Mead for the team title, but send a meet-high six champions to next week’s regional tourney in Pasco.

“I don’t like taking second place,” Bears coach John Owen admitted afterward. “I want to win every match. But that isn’t going to happen.”

In what essentially was a dual match between CV and the Panthers, the pair combined for 18 of 28 finals berths and won nine of 14 individual titles.

But in five weights where they went head-to-head the Bears won four.

Mead, which qualified 14 wrestlers to regionals, scored 322 points for the district titles. CV had 315 and sends 12 to regionals.

Not lost on the afternoon was the performance of Lewis and Clark, which hosted the meet. The Tigers had five finalists and their three champions impressed. Seniors Tyler Taylor at 160 pounds, Andrew Backlund at 195 and Dakota Numbers, who brought the curtain down on the tourney with a technical fall at 170 pounds, dominated their foes.

Taylor’s takedown-to-near-fall five points in the second round toppled CV state veteran David Shepard. State veterans Backlund, who won 9-3, and Numbers, 16-1, took down a pair of Ferris Saxons.

Most of CV’s wins came earlier. The Bears had finalists in five of the first six weight classes, including at 132 where freshman Braeden Orrino beat senior teammate Elijah Kilborn. Defending state champion Colton Orrino (145), Carson Graham (106), defending state champ Blake Beard (138) and his brother Bryson (120), third in state last year, were other district winners.

The final Bears district champ was sophomore Chauncye Garigan at 182.

Owen was pleased with the Bears’ efforts, including second-place Nate Kilborn, who was on junior varsity most of the season, and other wrestlers who came back through consolation rounds to advance.

Mead had three champions out of nine finalists: State placer Mason Ju (220), Hunter King (who beat Nate Kilborn at 126) and Matt Petrini by pin over teammate Zach Bade at 113.

Defending 285-pound district champion, Gonzaga Prep sophomore Tyler Brooking, repeated 8-3 over previously unbeaten LC state veteran Noah Buckley. Ferris’ Elijah Ross had a quick pin for the 152-pound title.

3A subregional

GSL teams made a statement in their regional qualifying tournament at Hanford against Big Nine and Mid-Columbia Conference schools.

The league had four of the top five team scores, University winning 346 to 271.5 over Mt. Spokane with North Central fourth and Shadle Park fifth.

Individually the GSL had 20 of 28 finalists and a total of 41 top-five qualifiers to next week’s regional in the Seattle area.

U-Hi, Mt. Spokane and North Central divvied up nine titles. Titans winners were returning state finalists Cam Sorensen (126), Austin Stannard (170) and state third-place Tate Orndorff (285).

Mt. Spokane, which led locals with seven finalists, made winners of returning state placers Richie Bondurant (138), Christian Nibarger (145) and Tom Harvey (220), second last year.

NC’s titlists were defending state champion Izaek Quintanilla (160), his freshman brother Cai (106) and senior state placer Cody Kiourkas (152).

Shadle Park had five second-place finishers.

District 7 2A

Colville topped regular-season Great Northern League-champion and tourney host East Valley 357.5 to 321.5. Longtime state power Deer Park finished third, but had five individual champions.

Among them were multiple state champion Joe Grable at 145, state placer Aaron Klauder (113) and Matt Miller (152).

The Indians got titles from Jesse Morrison (126), Tyler Ward (132) and Ian Cox (138).

District 7 1A

Regular-season champion Freeman had 10 finalists, five of them champions, to capture the tournament at Medical Lake with 336.5 points to Lakeside’s 268.5.

The Scotties won five between 152 and 220 pounds, including by state placers Markus Goldbach and Teigan Glidewell, after the Eagles had won their five between 106 and 138, Darius Judd and state third-place Klint Brown among them.

2B/1B subregionals

Pomeroy’s Wyatt Hyer claimed the title in the 160-pound weight class and the Pirates secured the team championship at the 2B/1B subregional meet in Colfax.

Reardan was second, followed by Colfax, Wilbur-Creston and Liberty.

Colfax and Liberty each had three individual champions. Colfax’s Reggie Jones (145 pounds), Ray Compton (195) and Evan Lord (220) took first place. Liberty’s Kyle DeGon (106) Kain Feltwell (126) and Kaleb Hafner (132) were weight-class champions.