Bulldog wrestlers wrap up season of improvement

SANDPOINT — Senior Garret Belgarde finished second at 119 pounds, leading Sandpoint to a 12th place finish among 26 teams at the 4A state wrestling championships last weekend at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

Despite not winning his second state title, head coach Mike Randles said Belgarde had a stellar high school career.

“Garret achieved the rare accomplishment of reaching the state finals on three consecutive occasions,” said Randles, noting three returning finalists from last year couldn’t make it back in an unusually competitive 4A field. “Garret’s high school performance is amazing, regardless of classification.”

Senior Kyle Csizmar (140) finished sixth in a loaded bracket that included four returning state placers, including the champion. Csizmar, who didn’t even qualify for state as a junior, pinned last year’s third place finisher in consolation.

Junior Peyton Dillon (112) had the misfortune of being in arguably the toughest bracket at state, regardless of classification, as last year’s runner up finished sixth. After a first round pin against an opponent with a 25-4 record, Dillon trailed 11-9 in the third period before a final shot to tie didn’t work and he lost by four points, just missing a chance at the semis. He eventually faced last year’s runner up in the consolation and was eliminated.

Junior Justin Pepperdine (189) notched a first round win, and was down 5-3 late in the third period in the quarters before falling to an eventual state placer from Nampa. Pepperdine, who earlier threw his opponent to his back but lost the points on a controversial out of bounds call, lost 10-3 in a match much closer than the score.

Pepperdine won 21 matches this year after winning only seven the previous season, progress indicative of how the program continues to climb back to its former dominant roots. A year ago the Bulldogs won only one dual, this year they won seven. A year ago they lost districts by 120 points, while this year they fell by just four. A year ago they were well behind 4A North rivals Lakeland and Moscow at state, while this year they nearly doubled each.

“Despite these improvements, we are Sandpoint wrestling and we hold ourselves to a different standard,” explained a confident Randles, saying his program still has a ways to go to get there. “Between an effective off season and Coach (Satini) Puailoa’s new athletic class —which I believe contributed profoundly to our gains — we’ll get there.”