Wrestlers beat Omak, take second at Powerhouse Tourney

Raider Wrestling took on Omak in a dual match Dec. 18 and came away with the home win 48-33; then hosted 10 teams in their annual Powerhouse tournament Friday.

Against Omak, the Raiders recorded forfeits for the lightweight matches (106, 113, 120 and 126 pounds) and at 170 pounds. The Pioneers received forfeits from the Raiders at 285, 195, and 160.

Andrew McClure wrestled two matches, showing skill growth against tough opponents.

Orrin Gross continued his dominance at 152 and also wrestled the Omak 160 pounder in an exhibition match, winning 7-4.

Josh Jim and Coltin Williams lost but showed good gains in skill and abilities. Kodie Horn recorded a quick victory at 145. Sean Waters recorded a dominant win at 182; his opponent did not even have a chance to get into his groove before Waters pinned him.

Head Coach Steve Hood liked what he saw. “We had a lot of good matches giving us stuff to work on in practice for the Powerhouse Tournament,” he said.

Hood commented that Gross had to, “dig deep to win,” in both his matches, “especially in his 160 match. Both were quality wins against tough opponents.”

At the Raiders’ own Powerhouse Tournament at Gailord Nelson Gym, Dec. 28, the Raiders faced local squads from Wilbur, A-C-H, Omak, Brewster, and Republic. And 1A powerhouse Warden, along with Newport, came with small squads. From the coast, 1A Rainier competed, and all the way from Montana, Noxon High School came to Coulee Dam for the tourney.

The Raiders finished second with 109 team points at the tourney behind Omak, who scored 133 points.

Winning their weight brackets for the Raiders were Orrin Gross at 152 and Andrew McClure at 220. This was McClure’s first tourney championship of the season.

Oscar Pakootas (120), Kodie Horn (145), and Sean Waters (182) all notched second-place finishes. The small size of the brackets meant that only the top four officially placed. Other Raiders finishing in the top six include James Monaghan getting sixth at 120, Tristan Goss recording a fifth place at 285, Lucas Beneditti getting a sixth at 160, and Josh Jim with a sixth at 132.

The wrestlers the next day traveled to Selkrik for a league mix and match. This was the first chance to see how well the Raiders had improved against North B League opponents they have not seen yet or have not wrestled in some time. The next action for the Raider wrestlers comes this Saturday as they travel to Warden for a another challenging tournament starting at 10 a.m.