Former Bulldog wins national wrestling title
COEUR d’ALENE — To Coeur d’Alene High senior wrestler Casey Randles, it was just like any other match.
But that win, well, that was a lot different.
Randles, competing at 182 pounds as the top seed in a 64-man bracket, beat Michael Battista of Virginia 9-2 to capture the championship at the National High School Coaches Association senior national tournament on Sunday at the Virginia Beach (Va.) Convention Center.
“It’s been something I’ve been shooting for since I was in elementary school,” said Randles, who grew up in Sandpoint before transferring as a senior. “I used to write that in notebooks as a kid. It was a pretty awesome feeling. Wrestling the (championship) match, it was just another match. But winning the title, that’s a cool thing.”
The event, in its 28th year, featured competitors in the past such as 2008 Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner.
“I’d heard of it before, but never competed in it,” said Randles, who earned an invitation to this year’s tourney, and eagerly accepted. “It’s usually open to only state champions and placers, but the kids that are flying in for the tournament were the best of the best in the nation. I’m very thankful I got the chance to go.”
Randles’ biggest victory of the weekend as far as total points came in the second round, beating Washington state champion Trevor Senn of Mead High. Randles also beat Senn in the finals of the Tri-State Invitational in December at North Idaho College. He won five of six matches in the tourney by decision, the other by pin.
“I wasn’t nervous about any of it,” Randles said. “And I think that’s what my edge over everyone was. I was just there to have fun and trying to score some points.”
Casey’s father Mike, the former Sandpoint High wrestling coach and current Coeur d’Alene High assistant principal, coached him during the tournament.
“I was really happy for him and relieved to be honest,” Mike Randles said. “Both my boys — and the kids I’ve coached in general — know that the emphasis is on having fun and doing your best. Casey has come close to national titles on three different occasions (in folkstyle), but just fell short all three times. While I hoped the philosophy he’s been coached under and being an All-American on those occasions would be enough, I know they weren’t. And I know he was frustrated by that. So I was very relieved and very happy for him.”
Within his weight class, Randles crossed paths with Carless Looney of Wyoming.
Both have signed to wrestle at Wyoming next fall.
“I got the chance to meet him when I went on my visit last year, so I knew who he was,” Casey Randles said. “He’s a really good guy and I’m excited to get to be on a team with him next year.”
Looney lost in the consolation round of eight and could have wrestled Randles had he won a match in the round of 16.
“He told me he didn’t wrestle his best match in that round,” Casey Randles said. “He was confident I’d beat him.”
Confidence and wrestling relaxed wound up taking him a long way over the weekend. Randles won two state 4A titles while at Sandpoint before transferring — and winning — a third state title in 5A at Coeur d’Alene in February at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
“He had a looseness and confidence about him that he hadn’t quite had before,” Mike Randles said. “He started noticing how tense and nervous even multiple state champions were before stepping on the mat. I think that helped him put things in perspective. He came out attacking and expected to win.”
After completing his senior year 41-0, you can’t help but expect anything else.