Pirates grapplers earn best finish at Tri-State in more than decade

By JASON BLASCO

Lake County Leader

The Polson Pirates wrestling team placed high enough to allow its whole team to the Tri-State Invitational in Coeur D’alene next season.

This season, the Tri-State Invitational had 62 teams from the entire region competing in this year’s event. The Pirates finished 15th overall despite sending only six wrestlers to the tournament.

Pirates’ Coach Bob Owen said finishing in the top 25 was “huge” for his program now and in the future.

“The top 25 teams get to bring a full squad to the tournament and all the rest of the teams get to bring seven wrestlers at any weight,” Owen said. “Of the seven wrestlers we sent this year, five of them placed.”

Owen also said the Pirates’ place was the highest in several years.

“We finished tied for 15th and that was the highest finish that we’ve had in the last ten years of the tournament,” Owen said. “Our team was elated.”

In the first match, Mateo Quinones lost to a Havre wrestler 8-0 and then made his adjustments. Quinones defeated the same wrestler by fives points fighting his way back to fifth place in the competition.

“He had to do a little soul searching and decided that he could beat that kid, which was was a very pleasant surprise,” Owen said. “He really went after that kid and he wrestled very aggressively.”

Havre, as a team, ended up winning the 62-team competition, which is used as a barometer to how teams will do in their respective state tournament, according to Owen.

“Havre is really good and they are the real deal,” Owen said. “They were competing against teams that have the enrollment triple their size and it was really huge for them to win that.”

Owen said a tournament of this size can be a good indicator of how a competitor will perform at state.

“A tournament like this doesn’t tell you a lot about the team competition in our state but those five that placed (for Polson), it’s huge,” Owen said. “They are going to be contenders and each of them are capable of being there for contending for titles in their weight class.”

Pirates’ wrestlers Parker Adler and Hunter Fritsch finished sixth in the tournament.

“Parker was in the quarterfinals and he had the top seed,” Owen said. “The kid he wrestled had never been beaten in high school. He came back the next morning and he won all five placing matches. Four of them were byes. He had a great morning (on Saturday). In the consolation quarter matches, he won all five of them.”

Pirates’ wrestler Bridger Wenzel placed 7th in the Tri-State meet.

“Bridger was in one of the toughest weight classes of the tournament,” Owen said. “That is just the way the chips fell this year. You never know from year to year (what weight classes will be good). His just happened to be that weight class this year with great kids this season.”

103-pound wrestler Kedrick Baker captured 8th place.

“If you make it into the second day of the tournament, everyone that you will wrestle is nails tough and you won’t see anyone weak on Saturday,” Owen said.

With the four state placers, the Pirates also finished second in the small-team competition of the tournament. White River, a team from the Seattle area, finished first in the small team tournament by placing all seven of its wrestlers it brought to the tournament.

Owen said he felt Noah Humphrey and RJ Pierre both “wrestled well” despite not placing for the Pirates.

“They all wrestled very well and both of them competed very well, Owen said. “They both lost close matches.”

After finishing in 15th place in the tournament, Owen said he is “optimistic” about his team’s chances.

“We are going to have a really fun year,” Owen said. “They are competing hard, they are really skilled kids and we are going to have a lot of fun with that. We lost a couple of wrestlers. It was tough team-wise but we are very optimistic by the end of the season we can compete for a trophy and compete at the state tournament.”

Tri-State

North Idaho College Christiansen Gymnasium

Couer d’Alene, ID

Dec. 16-17, 2016

Team Scores – 1, Havre 184; 2, Post Falls 182.5; 3, Mead 152; 4, Lakeland 149.5; 5, Orting 142.5; 6, Tahoma 140.5; 7, Moses Lake 134; t8, Hermiston 116; 8-14 Washington schools; t15, Couer d’Alene 76; t15, Polson 76;

98 — 8th, Kedrick Baker, Polson

Kedrick Baker 2-3 fr (Pol) – bye; Baker p. Caleb Lawson (ML) 1:28; Chase Randall (Mead) tf. 1.5 (16-1) 3:34; Baker p. Brandon Cormier (Enum) 0:58; Walter Dyer (Frtwn) d. Baker 8-1; Alan Luff (Kels) d. Baker 7-6.

106 — 5th, Mateo Quinones, Polson

Mateo Quinones 4-2 jr (Pol) – bye; Quin Reno (Havr) md. Quinones 12-2; bye; Quinones d. Jacob Bennet (LS) 2-0; Quinones d. Jarrett Sharp MTSP 5-2; Quinones d. Reno (Havr) 3-1; Jake Bibler (Frtwn) d. Quinones 4-1; Quinones md. Ethan Smith (EV) 12-1.

Rene Pierre, Polson 0-2 fr (Pol) – bye; Marcus Johnson (LS) p. RJ Pierre (Pol) 4:56; bye; Buddy Doolin (Lib) p. RJ Pierre

126 — 7th, Bridger Wenzel, Polson

Bridger Wenzel 4-2 so (Pol) – bye; Wenzel p. Ryland Popke (Enum) 1:45; Wenzel p. Justin Mayfield (Sent) 3:21; Riley Gurr (Frtwn) md. Wenzel 14-1; Wenzel p. Abraham Medina (Royl) 1:26; Matt McLeod (PF) d. Wenzel 1-0; Wenzel p. Sean Ferguson (Cap) 3:00.

138 — 6th, Parker Adler, Polson

Parker Adler 4-3 so – bye; Adler d. Gavin Giles (NC) 7-5; Adler p. Caleb Cole (Rear) 1:09; Dalton Young (LKSD) p. Adler 3:17; Adler p. King (Sent) 1:26; Adler p. Dylan Welding (Taho) 1:22; Burchell (PF) d. Adler 10-5; Quinton Southcott (Enum) md. Adler 11-0.

160 — 6th, Hunter Fritsch, Polson

Hunter Fritsch 5-3 so (Pol) – Fritsch p. Trevor Chase (Enum) 2:28; Ben Gore (Ort) d. Fritsch 11-4; Fritsch d. Tate Malek (CV) 11-6; Fritsch p. Garrett Mangis (NC) 0:47; Fritsch p. John Knight (Col) 3:37; Fritsch p. Tristen Justice (Mead) 2:52; Bryan Wais (NC) p. Fritsch 3:44; John Stuart (Kels) p. Fritsch 1:16.

195 —

Noah Humphrey 2-2 jr (Pol) – Humphrey p. Alex Roth (Enum) 0:19; Jared Boswell (DP) p. Humphrey 1:45; Humphrey d. Dylan Amadeo (Ort) 8-3; Malachi Thompson (Mead) p. Humphrey 2:57.

Col (Colville, WA), DP (Deer Park), Enum (Enumclaw, WA), EV (East Valley, Spokane), Kels (Kelso, WA), LS (Lake Stevens, WA), ML (Moses Lake), MTSP (Mt. Spokane), NC (North Central, WA), Ort (Orting, WA), PF (Post Falls, ID), Royl (Royal, WA).

Class-C girls basketball

Charlo 38, Plains 34

Plains 6 6 7 12 – 34

PLAINS – Lindsay Laws 18, Jessica Thompson 9, Kara Altmiller 3, Rachel Huenik 2, Natalee Deschamps 2.

CHARLO – Cheyenne Nagy 17, Tyrah Hammond 10, Sakoya Gaustad 5, Kaitlin Cox 4, Teaira Truman 2. (Fr16Dec16)

St. Regis 44, Charlo 32

Charlo 4 6 7 15 – 32

St. Regis 16 5 9 14 – 44

CHARLO – Cheyenne Nagy 11, Teaira Truman 6, Kaitlin Cox 9, Sakoya Gaustad 4, Ali Delaney 2.

ST. REGIS – Madison Kelly 6, Madison Hill 9, Emma Hill 11, Anna Sanford 3, Justice Tate 15 (Th15Dec16)

Arlee 53, Hot Springs 27

Arlee 21 10 15 7 – 53

Hot Springs 0 8 7 12 – 27

ARLEE – Carly Hergett 17, Bryndle Goyins 14, Nellie Desjarlais 9, Abby Yocum 4, Noelle West 2, Ashley Tanner 2, Summer Darcangelo 2, Sydni Rogers 2, Peyton Lammerding 1.

HOT SPRINGS – Karly Lawson 11, McKenzie Cannon , Kayla Gielen 5, Stacy Gray 4, Sydney Jackson 2.

3FG A1-7 (Hergett). 48REB (Goyins 13, Yocum 10, Hergett 8, West 7, Rogers 4, Desjarlais 3, Lammerding 2, Tanner). 19STL (Tanner 6, Hergett 5, Goyins 2, West 2, Emily Fiddler 2, Yocum, Desjarlais). 9AST (Hergett 3, West 2, Tanner 2, Yocum, Fiddler). 2BLK (Goyins 2). 15DEFL (Goyins 4, Desjarlais 3, West 3, Hergett 2, Yocum, Tanner, Darcangelo).

Stats extrapolated from MaxPreps postings