Several Bulldogs gunning for state podium
SANDPOINT — Led by two highly-seeded seniors, the Sandpoint wrestling team opens state today at the 5A/4A/3A/2A state wrestling tournament, held this year at the Idaho Center in Nampa.
Leading the way will be Garret Belgarde (28-4), who won state as a sophomore before finishing second last year. The attacking senior is the No. 1 seed at 119 pounds, and will be looking to wreak havoc on the bracket en route to his second state title.
“When Garret his firing on all cylinders, he is tough for anyone to even hang with,” says Sandpoint head coach Mike Randles. “In that regard, he has been much more consistent this year.”
Fresh off two pins over Moscow rival Gabe Davis, senior Kyle Csizmar (24-12) will be looking to make up for missing state as a junior with a solid performance this year, coming in as the No. 3 seed at 140 pounds. Csizmar put in a lot of off-season work, and it has paid off handsomely, with all of his 24 wins on the season coming by way of pin, a remarkable statistic.
“Kyle probably has the highest pin percentage of any athlete in the state,” says Randles. “While there are kids in Kyle’s bracket with more experience, none are more dangerous.”
Junior Peyton Dillon (22-10) earned the No. 5 seed in a brutally tough 112 pound 4A bracket, which Randles called one of the state’s most challenging, regardless of classification. Dillon has shown steady improvement all season, and will get a stern test to see where he stacks up among the state’s best.
“Whoever wins that bracket or even places will have to be on top of their game,” describes Randles. “Fortunately, if Peyton has been anything this year, it is that he is consistent.”
Randles said Justin Pepperdine (189), Matt Lockey (215) and Troy Goodman (135) also garnered attention from the south during the seeding meeting. Despite Goodman facing the No. 1 seed in a tough first round draw, all three have the wrestling chops to make a run at a podium spot, no easy task at state.
The tournament kicks off today in Nampa, with weigh-ins at 10 a.m. and first round matches starting at noon. The action will be webcast live on “www.idahosports.com.”