Sandpoint captures 7th at George Wild Invitational, 9 Bulldogs place

KELLOGG — Sandpoint wrestling got its first taste of tournament action this Friday and Saturday with the George Wild Invitational at Kellogg High.

Nine Bulldogs placed at the tourney and SHS took home seventh as a team with 131 points.

Head coach Jake Stark said it was nice to get his wrestlers' feet wet and he saw the Bulldogs get stronger as the event went on.

"I thought we handled ourselves very well," he said. "We kind of started out a little bit rocky, but after we got a match or two under our belt we started getting back into our normal groove."

Andrew Duke, Aiden Rork, Wyatt Marker, Shane Sherrill, Blake Sherrill, Austin Smith, Emma Garman, Rylie Hancock and Aurla Palmer all placed in their respective weight classes.

Garman captured second in the girls 113-pound bracket with a 2-1 record. The freshman was dominant in her first two bouts, but was pinned just over a minute into her first-place match.

Just a few matches into her high school career, Garman is showing signs of a bright future.

"She's firing on all cylinders," Stark said. "She's super tough for her weight and she's a smart wrestler, too. She's hanging in there and battling every match, so good things are going to happen for her this year.

Two other girls placed for Sandpoint. Hancock was fourth at 138 pounds with a 1-3 record, while Palmer grabbed fifth at 145 pounds.

Duke, Shane and Smith all secured third-place finishes. At 98 pounds, Duke lost a semifinal match against Bonners Ferry's Brandon Williams, who also beat Duke in the "B" Cup last Wednesday. He was pinned with 10 seconds left in the match Saturday.

But Duke rose to the occasion after the tough defeat and won his next two matches to place third.

"He overcame some adversity and wrestled really strong," Stark said. "His last match was a great match to finish the tournament."

Shane opened the tourney with victories by majority decision and pin, but in the semis he encountered a formidable foe at 138 pounds and was pinned.

"He started off the tournament just red hot," Stark said about Shane.

The sophomore battled back though and pinned his next two opponents with ease to earn third. Stark said Shane brought a really positive attitude to the mat after getting caught off-guard in the semis.

Smith had a stellar showing at 220 pounds. He dropped his quarterfinal bout, but won four straight to take third.

Smith wrestled at 195 last year, but Stark said Smith is at about 205 pounds right now and he's considering keeping him at 220.

"He kind of got back into his groove of last year really early this year," Stark said, "and I'm glad he did because he's a junior and I think he's going to have a great season this year.

He's a big guy that shoots and when you're like that, you're dangerous."

Blake also fell in his quarterfinal match at 182 pounds, but emerged victorious in three of his next four bouts to capture fourth in his weight class.

"He should have been in the finals," Stark said. "He wrestled outstanding."

Freshman Aiden Rork brought home fourth at 106 pounds with a 1-2 record in a small weight class. Stark said Rork only weighs about 99 pounds, but he isn't afraid to take on guys bigger than him.

"He's probably a 98-pounder, but he just wanted to bump up because he wanted some more competition," he said.

Senior captain Wyatt Marker went 3-2 at 132 pounds to secure a fourth-place finish. Stark said Marker fought tooth and nail throughout the tourney and set a great example for the rest of the team.

"He just hit another gear that I've never seen out of him and I was really impressed to see him step it up," Stark said.

Parker Warren (126), Alex Guercio (138), Adam Belgarde (152), Jorden Tyler (160), Kai McKinnon (170), Craig Sigman (170), Calvin Hinds (170) and Carson Bosse (220) all fell a victory or two short of placing.

Next up for the Bulldogs is the Best of the West Tournament in Pasco, Washington. Sandpoint will get five duals this Friday before participating in a single-elimination tournament in each weight class Saturday. Stark said his varsity wrestlers are guaranteed at least seven matches during the tourney and that amount of mat time will be extremely beneficial.

TEAM SCORES — 1, Clearwater Valley 175. 2, Eureka 170.5. 3, Priest River 150. 4, St. Maries 134. 5, Timberlake 133. 6, Kellogg 132. 7, Sandpoint 131. 8, Bonners Ferry 129. 9, Post Falls 104. 10, Flathead 101. 11, Potlatch 74. 12, Orofino 45. 13, Glacier 37. 14, Lakeland 33. 15, Kootenai 22. 16, Grangeville 20. 17, Lake City 18.

SANDPOINT RESULTS (records at tourney only)

98 — 3, Andrew Duke, 3-1. 106 — Gavin Clifton, 0-2; 4, Aiden Rork, 1-2. 113 — Kaiden Rose, 0-2. 120 — Gavyn Billington, 0-2; Lincoln Balch, 0-2; Ashlei Hawkins, 1-2. 126 — Parker Warren, 3-2; Isaac Bitlick, 0-2. 132 — 4, Wyatt Marker, 3-2; Forrest Ambridge, 1-2; Braden Norris, 1-2; Tanner Dredge, 0-2. 138 — 3, Shane Sherrill, 4-1; Mitchell McFadden, 0-2; Alex Guercio 2-2. 145 — Ryken Ames, 0-2. 152 — Adam Belgarde, 2-2. 160 — Jorden Tyler, 3-2; Matthew Clifton, 1-2. 170 — Kai McKinnon, 3-2; Craig Sigman, 2-2; Sage Greene, 1-2; Calvin Hinds, 2-2. 182 — 4, Blake Sherrill, 4-2; Bryson Tucker, 0-2. 220 — 3, Austin Smith, 5-1; Carson Bosse, 2-2. 285 — Gavin Walters, 1-2. Girls 113 — 2, Emma Garman, 2-1. Girls 138 — 4, Rylie Hancock, 1-3. Girls 145 — 5, Aurla Palmer, 0-4.