Plains-Hot Springs wins Ted Kato Memorial

The annual Ted Kato Memorial wrestling tournament in Thompson Falls had a decidedly Plains-Hot Springs look to it this year.

As in a Savage-Horsemen team title and five individual weight class champions as they dominated the middle weight divisions, rolling up 166 team points in the process. 

That total was good for a 44.5 points margin of victory over team runner up Sandpoint (ID) which had 121.5 points. 

Tournament host Thompson Falls placed sixth in the team chase with 69.0 points, while Superior was ninth with 49.5. 

Sandpoint won the girls team title with 194 points, while T Falls placed eighth (29.0) and Plains was twelfth with 3.5 points. 

Plains-Hot Springs 157-pounder John Waterbury won an individual title with his second consecutive finals match win over Superior sophomore Turner Milender, who was unable to continue after the 2:00 mark due to injury. 

Waterbury, who like MIlender was a state B-C placer last year, improved his overall record to 14-0 in his comeback effort following an injury sustained in the first game of the Hot Springs football season.  The loss dropped Milender to 25-5 this season. 

Senior Gavin Schrenk got things rolling for the Plains-Hot Springs co-op team with a win by pin at the 2:00 mark of the title match at 132 pounds, beating teammate Andrew Waterbury in the final.  Schrenk improved to 10-4 on the season, while sophomore Andrew Waterbury, brother of John, slipped to 2-1 on the year. 

Cody West, a 138-pound sophomore, kept the Savage Horsemen rolling with his major decision win (11-3) over freshman teammate BillyRay Holotta.  Superior’s Wade Calloway finished third in the weight class with a win by pin over Flathead’s Gabe Tappan at the :42 mark of their consolation final match. 

The middle divisions carnage continued for Plains-Hot Springs in the 144-pound weight class as Junior Beau Crabb scored a fall over St. Ignatius freshman Dakota Zeller at 5:28 of their title match. 

Brock Ryan gave the Savage Horsemen their fifth individual title of the meet with his victory over Eli Taylor, Sandpoint, at 150 pounds.  Ryan pinned Taylor at the 4:35 mark of their championship match. 

Plains-Hot Springs also got a fourth-place finish at 190 pounds by senior David Chapman, who lost by forfeit to Bridger Smith, Arlee.  Plains also got a third place from sophomore Matthew Thurston, who pinned Sandpoint’s Jason Symons at 2:42 of their consolation match. 

Isiah Schulze finished third for the Savage Horsemen in the 126-pound division, winning the consolation title by fall (2:14) over Flathead’s Jacob La Notte. 

Thompson Falls freshman Weston Block won the boys’ 118-pound title over Joseph Cronk of St. Ignatius with a fall at 1:47. 

The Blue Hawks also had a third place showing by Noa Stevens at 165 pounds, as he won the consolation final with a technical fall over St. Ignatius wrestler Krugger Pierce. 

Jayden Grounds added a fourth-place medal in the 215-pound division for T Falls, and eighth grader Ethan Traver placed second for the Blue Hawks in the 103-pound class. 

The Thompson Falls girls had a second place and third place finish in the 105-pound division, with Matea Keefe finishing second and Lexi Volk-Ocacio taking third. 

Junior Jayden Bewick also finished second for the Lady Hawks in the 110-pound division, losing the championship match by fall to Flathead sophomore Lilian LaNotte. 

Next up for Plains and Thompson Falls is the Thompson Falls mixer Thursday (Jan 30) in T Falls.  All three area wrestling teams, including Superior, will take part in the Buzz Lucy event Saturday (Feb 1) in Eureka. 

    Plains-Hot Springs teammates Gavin Schrenk (right) and Andrew Waterbury square off in a 132-pound match at the Ted Kato Memorial tournament this past Saturday in Thompson Falls. (Photo by Teresa Waterbury)