9 Bulldogs medal, 4 claim first at Ted Kato Invite
The nine Sandpoint wrestlers that placed at the Ted Kato Invite on Saturday pose for a photo after the event. Front row from left to right: Forest Ambridge (2nd at 103), Darrian Resso (3rd at 132), Tanner Dickson (1st at 113), Malachi Fleck (2nd at 138) and Trevan Adam (1st at 138B). Back row from left to right: head coach Jake Stark, Sam Becker (4th at 160), Isaiah Caralis (3rd at 152), Brady Nelsen (1st at 145), Blake Sherrill (1st at 145B) and assistant coach Cash Edwards.
(Courtesy photo)
THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. — Sandpoint wrestling shined this Saturday at the Ted Kato Invite.
Nine Bulldogs placed at the tournament and four wrestlers walked away with first place finishes.
“I thought we did an excellent job this weekend,” head coach Jake Stark said. “The guys were wrestling to the right level and wrestling some tough Montana kids, and that’s part of the reason we went over there.”
As a team, Sandpoint finished third out of the 13 schools that competed in the tournament.
Tanner Dickson (113), Trevan Adam (138B), Brady Nelsen (145) and Blake Sherrill (145B) were the Bulldogs that claimed first in their respective weight classes at the event.
Dickson and Sherrill each cruised to titles winning all of their bouts by pin while Nelsen and Sherrill won their title matches by decision.
Forest Ambridge continued his strong freshman season by taking second at 103 pounds, falling just short in the first place match. Malachi Fleck suffered a similar fate, capturing second at 138 pounds after being disqualified in the championship bout.
Darrian Resso (132) and Isaiah Caralis (152) each took home third place results to round out the Sandpoint wrestlers that placed.
The performance came after a home dual with Coeur d’Alene, the No. 2 ranked team in the state, where the Bulldogs lost but were the clear aggressor and made the Vikings earn every match.
Stark was proud of their showing in that dual and it looks like that mentality and intensity followed them to Thompson Falls.
“Kind of setting the tone Thursday against Coeur d’Alene carried over to this weekend,” Stark said, “and some guys showed that same fire and it paid dividends. It was a fun outing.”
Stark said the results at the Ted Kato reflected the great week of practice the Bulldogs had and shows what hard work can do.
“We’re putting it together at the right time of the year but we’re not peaking yet,” he said. “There’s a couple guys like Brady Nelsen and Isaiah Caralis, they still got another gear to go, they can still kick it up a notch.”
The next test for Sandpoint is the North Idaho Rumble this Friday and Saturday in Coeur d’Alene.
This tournament will be a great measuring stick for the Bulldogs to see where they’re at as the team inches closer to the district championships on Feb. 22.
“If you place there, you have a good shot at placing at state,” Stark said.
Results from the Ted Kato Invite (Sandpoint athletes in bold)
103: Champ. Round 1 — Ambridge received a bye, Quarterfinal — Ambridge d. Yeadon, Fall 0:13, Semifinal — Ambridge d. Dillard, Fall 0:28, First Place Match — Hansen d. Ambridge, Fall 3:24. 113: Champ. Round 1 — Dickson received a bye, Quarterfinal — Dickson d. Schrenk, Fall 0:31, Semifinal — Dickson d. Milender, Fall 5:33, First Place Match — Dickson d. Kernan, Fall 1:23. 120: Champ. Round 1 — Birkhimer received a bye, Quarterfinal — Fields d. Birkhimer, Fall 3:44, Cons. Round 2 — Birkhimer received a bye, Cons. Round 3 — Wiley d. Birkhimer, Dec 4-0. 132: Champ. Round 1 — Resso d. Duchschere, Fall 1:40, Quarterfinal — Ratliff d. Resso, Dec 8-1, Cons. Round 2 — Resso received a bye, Cons. Round 3 — Resso d. Doolan, MD 9-0, Cons. Semi — Resso d. Carey, Fall 1:47, Third Place Match — Resso d. Sargent, MD 13-1. 138: Champ. Round 1 — Fleck received a bye, Quarterfinal — Fleck d. Nuckolls, TF-1.5 5:51 (19-3), Semifinal — Fleck d. Gaitan, Dec 12-6, First Place Match — Vanderwall d. Fleck, DQ. 138B: Champ. Round 1 — Adam received a bye, Quarterfinal — Adam d. Little, Fall 3:04. Semifinal — Adam d. McKee, Fall 3:43, First Place Match — Adam d. Longtree, Dec 4-2. 145: Champ. Round 1 — Nelsen d. McLain, TF-1.5 3:52 (21-6), Quarterfinal — Nelsen d. Fuhrman, Fall 3:09, Semifinal — Nelsen d. Crawford, Fall 2:51, First Place Match — Nelsen d. Woll, Dec 6-2. 145B: Champ. Round 1 — Sherrill received a bye, Quarterfinal — Sherrill d. Kuchel, Fall 3:44, Semifinal — Sherrill d. Bennett, Fall 1:38, First Place Match — Sherrill d. Pendlay, Fall 1:10. 152: Champ. Round 1 — Caralis received a bye, Quarterfinal — Caralis d. Kaldor, Fall 3:57, Semifinal — Adams d. Caralis, Fall 1:40, Cons. Semi — Caralis d. Brevik, Dec 12-5, Third Place Match — Caralis d. Haskins, MD 13-4. 160: Champ. Round 1 — Sandberg d. Becker, MD 8-0, Cons. Round 1 — Becker received a bye, Cons. Round 2 — Becker d. Blair, Fall 0:37, Cons. Round 3 — Becker d. Sheldon-Allen, Fall 1:26, Cons. Semi — Becker d. Uski, Dec 4-2, Third Place Match — Woodson accepted forfeit. 170: Champ. Round 1 — Curtiss d. Troumbley-Karkoski, Fall 3:17, Cons. Round 1 — Troumbley-Karkoski received a bye, Cons. Round 2 — Troumbley-Karkoski d. Acker, Fall 0:52, Cons. Round 3 — Troumbley-Karkoski d. Larson, Dec 5-3, Cons. Semi — Curtiss d. Troumbley-Karkoski, MD 10-0. 205: Champ. Round 1 — Wilson d. Belgarde, Fall 0:59, Cons. Round 1 — Belgarde d. Cordier, Fall 0:58, Cons. Round 2 — Belgarde d. Yother, Fall 1:56, Cons. Round 3 — Belgarde d. Pallo, SV-1 9-7, Cons. Semi — Maki d. Belgarde, Fall 1:21. 285: Champ. Round 1 — Mavity received a bye, Quarterfinal — Mavity d. Vergeront, MD 12-1, Semifinal — McPherson d. Mavity, Fall 2:25, Cons. Semi — Foster d. Mavity, Fall 2:00.