With the pressure off, Sandpoint looks to do some damage at state today

NAMPA — Once Sandpoint wrestling was able to secure nine at-large bids to the 4A state championships this past Sunday, head coach Jake Stark shifted his focus to not just traveling down to the Ford Idaho Center but making some noise. Forest Ambridge (98), Jacob Albany (98), Trevan Adam (138), Brady Nelsen (145), Blake Sherrill (145), Isaiah Caralis (152), Jake Suhr (195), Tag Benefield (220) and Matt Thurlow (220) will all try to do just that when they take the mat today in Nampa.

The Bulldogs will certainly be on a quest for redemption after failing to win any district titles last weekend at Lakeland.

One of the wrestlers that came within seconds of claiming the 145 pound district title and punching an automatic ticket to state was Brady Nelsen. He had to wait until Sunday to find out if he would be wrestling at state for the third straight year and thanks to a 35-18 record he was able to make it. Now Nelsen is just thankful to have an opportunity to compete.

“I think it kind of gave me a good perspective because I just feel really grateful to have the opportunity to go down and wrestle one more time,” he said.

Nelsen took that district title match loss to heart, and went back and analyzed his technique to make sure what he did wrong doesn’t happen again.

“It lost me a district title that I should have won,” he said, “but I think I’m a lot better because of it and hopefully I’ll be able to build off of it.”

Tag Benefield suffered a similar fate when he lost the 220 pound regional title bout this weekend. Benefield was visibly frustrated after the match but quickly realized what he needed to work on.

“It was hard because I was winning that match a lot of the time,” he said, “and right at the end there I lost it, so it was my fault completely.”

He said coming up short gave him a new perspective that you can’t always win and sometimes losing makes you hungrier and brings the best out of you.

Benefield was one of nine Sandpoint wrestlers that made it to state last year where he went 1-2. Coming into his junior season, Benefield had high hopes of competing for a state title but that got derailed when he suffered a season-ending knee injury only a handful of games into the football season.

This kept Benefield out of Sandpoint’s varsity lineup until the Bulldogs’ last regular season tournament on Feb. 8. That entire time he had to sit on the bench and watch his teammates battle and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Yeah, it sucks,” he said. “Especially because you know you can go out and beat kids that some other kids can’t beat.”

But Benefield got his chance to get back on the mat and he’s taken advantage of it. Now he wants to win his opening match at state, take down the No. 1 seed in his weight class in his second bout and keep going as far as he can make it.

An injury also derailed Jake Suhr’s season when he broke his wrist in December. Suhr thought his season was over when doctors told him his wrist would take three months to heal, but a couple weeks before districts Suhr was cleared to return. Suhr got a second chance to finish his senior season on his own terms.

“I was really excited but I also knew I really had to get back in shape,” Suhr joked while talking about coming back.

Just like Benefield, Suhr isn’t shooting for a specific place or record at state, he just wants to do his best.

“It’s like all your hard work has paid off,” Suhr said. “I’m just really happy I was finally able to make it to state.”

Senior Isaiah Caralis was also able to make it to state for the first time in his final chance. Caralis said he was shocked when coach Stark informed him that he earned an at-large bid and would be making the trip to Nampa.

“I was almost speechless I was so excited,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it because I know when you place third at districts, state isn’t guaranteed.”

Caralis has dreamed of making it to state ever since he joined the team. He hopes to place at the tournament, which he admitted will be tough given the level of competition, but he plans on leaving it all on the mat and showing no hesitation.

Sherrill is returning to state for the second straight year while Ambridge, Albany, Adam and Thurlow are all new to the tournament.

Despite the inexperience, Stark expects his team to finish in the top 10 and wrestle more aggressively and freely now that the pressure to make it to state is off.

Nelsen wants to leave his mark on the Bulldogs’ program in his senior season, so he only has one goal in mind.

“I want to win a state title,” he said.

4A first round matches will begin at 2:30 p.m. today and finals for all classifications will start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

FIRST ROUND MATCHES

98 — No. 16 Albany vs. No. 1 Navarro (Nampa)

98 — No. 11 Ambridge vs. No. 6 Martinez (Mountain Home)

138 — No. 15 Adam vs. No. 2 Mansfield (Century)

145 — No. 10 Nelsen vs. No. 7 Kallmeyer (Kuna)

145 — No. 9 Sherrill vs. No. 8 Hernandez (Minico)

152 — No. 16 Caralis vs. No. 1 Rios (Columbia)

195 — No. 11 Suhr vs. No. 6 Wood (Skyline)

220 — No. 8 Benefield vs. No. 9 Barry (Emmett)

220 — No. 10 Thurlow vs. No. 7 Striet (Vallivue)