Flu does not slow down Superior wrestlers

SUPERIOR – Two members of the Superior wrestling team participated at the Mission Mountain Classic on Saturday, January 25.

Senior Anthony Parkin, typically in the 113-pound class, went 4-1 in his matches with four pins. He lost with one decision. Because he was the only member of his class, Parkin was merged into the 120-pound class.

Sophomore Bridger Lapierre, 138-pound class, went 4-0 with two pins and two decisions. This was Lapierre’s first match since December. He suffered a neck injury on the mat and was unable to wrestle while he healed.

Head Coach Charlie Crabb was impressed with how the team performed, despite its weakened state. Lapierre especially grabbed attention with his performance after a return so late in the season.

“We’ve only got two weeks left before divisionals and this is his first week back,” said Crabb.

Lapierre’s first match was a little rusty and he struggled at first. His other matches improved quickly as he got back in the swing of the competition. Crabb was also impressed with how Parkin did as he wrestled kids bigger than him.

According to Crabb, the other two members of the team were not able to make it to the tournament. Freshmen Blaine Parkin, 98-pound class, and Tate Trudeau, 105-pound class, were out sick for the weekend.

Crabb was not surprised the two were down and said the flu had been making the rounds through everyone on the team.

“We’ve been taking our turns getting sick,” said Crabb. “Bridger and Anthony were sick on Monday…and Bridger was sick up until Wednesday. [They’re] getting over that. We should be healthy going in [to this week].”

There are no plans to work on anything new in practice leading up to this week’s tournaments. Crabb said they had reached a point where there is not much new to learn and the best way to go is refine the team’s existing skills.

“There’s always some area we need to work on,” said Crabb. “There’s no shortage of work to be done.”

The wrestling team’s next matches will be at Thompson Falls for a mixer on Thursday, January 30. They will also go to Plains on Saturday, February 1. After these matches, the team will begin the divisional tournament.