Wrestlers ready for divisionals

Local wrestlers earned the respect of fans and their opponents last weekend as 16 athletes from Sanders County earned medals at the Darby Invitational. This was the final tournament before all three county teams will wrestle in the divisional tournament this Saturday in Arlee.

Thompson Falls had 11 wrestlers place for a combined 143.5 points to earn them a third place finish in the ten team field. Three placers gave Noxon 46 points, and two medalists earned Plains-Hot Springs 42.5.

We’re feeling pretty good about where we’re at as a team,” Bluehawk head coach Colby Cline said. “Our young kids are starting to wrestle a lot tougher out there in matches. They aren’t going out there and fearing any of the older kids anymore.”

For Thompson Falls, Wade Gascon, 98 pounds, and Tyler Addy, 105, each won their respective weight classes. Finishing second were Kenny Roxbury, 112, Shawn Sacchi, 160, and Eric Milner, 171. Peter Vickers, 105 pounds, Rod Carew, 112, and Zach Lyons, 145, each placed third while Lucas Gruwell, 119, Andrew Cox, 125, and Taylor Mann, 152, all finished fourth.

Cline was optimistic about his teams chances to place next week at divisionals, citing four JV placers, which didn’t count toward team points this week, but will next weekend in Arlee.

“If things go our way, we have a shot to win it. If they don’t, we could be out of the top three pretty easily, too,” Cline said.

For the second straight tournament, Noxon heavyweights Cody Martens and Taylor Scott met in the championship match. Martens pinned his teammate earning first as did Adam Moore, 189.

Noxon head coach Kelly Moore hopes the late season surge by his heavyweights will put them at opposite ends of the bracket so they won’t have to eliminate each other at divisionals before earning a chance to wrestle at state.

“We’re winding down and they’re looking pretty good. I’m excited,” Moore said.

Nick Kuckuck, a 140 pound junior, was one match away from placing for the Red Devils.

For the Horsemen, Kenneth Beech placed first at 125 pounds, and Kolby Chisholm earned his first high school medal at 140.

In only his third tournament after moving up from 119 pounds, Beech defeated Tanner Lund of Florence who beat him last weekend in the championship match at the Ted Kato Tournament in Thompson Falls.

“It’s just a testament to how coachable he is,” Savage Horsemen head coach Kenny Marjerrison said. “If you tell him to do something he never questions it, he just says this is something I have to do to get better and to win.”

After being pinned in his first match by Nathan Burtolt of Arlee, Chisholm came back to pin Burtolt in the medal round.

“He’s coming around at the right time of year,” Marjerrison said. “This last weekend was great for him.”

Ben Gorham, Caleb Connolly and Giorgi Malakmadze were each one match away from placing for Plains-Hot Springs.

Although Cole Goodwin, Zoe Banovich and Ted Beech sat out with lingering injuries, Marjerrison expects all three to wrestle this weekend in Arlee.