Seven LR wrestlers bring home hardware from state tourney

The Lake Roosevelt Raider wrestlers competed at the state tournament known as The Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome over the weekend, with seven of the 23 total wrestlers placing at the event.

Due to the cancellation of the regional tournament because of weather, the state brackets were doubled in size, allowing for a large number of wrestlers to take part.

The Raiders as a team placed second out of the 45 1B/2B schools at the event with 219 points, and eighth out of the total 448 teams at the event. Tonasket placed first in both categories with 348 points.

"We knew we had to maximize everything we could to have a chance at beating Tonasket, so one thing we emphasized was to have lots of pins," said Raider Head Coach Steve Hood. "The team did an awesome job of that, and we had 33 pins, which is incredible! They were doing everything they could."

Individually, four Raiders placed second at the tournament: Colton Jackson, who wrestled at 106; David Crowe, at 132; Kaleb Horn, at 138; and Tony Nichols, at 152.

"We had four great wrestlers go to the finals, and they wrestled four other great wrestlers, and we just came out second," Hood said. "They wrestled their hearts out. You step out there, and there's gonna be one first place and one second place, every time. They were all winnable right until the end; we just got second."

Steven Flowers placed third at 195 and also earned the title of academic state champ in that weight class.

"Steven worked really hard this year," Hood said, adding that the guys he wrestled against "are national-level wrestlers, and Steven was right there with them. A great finish for him."

Trevon Johnson placed fourth, at 220.

"Our dark horse was Trevon," Hood said. "This was his first year wrestling in high school, and he kept improving and kept improving. There were a couple of these matches he won just because he was super determined, and then went on to place fourth."

Terrance Saulque placed fifth, at 285, in his first trip to state.

"We had really high expectations," Hood said of the team. "They had high expectations the whole season, so short of 23 first places, everybody wanted more than what they got."

"We had a great season," Hood continued. "We won a lot of tournaments, we won a lot of weight classes. Kept almost the whole team the whole season. It was a great bunch of student-athletes to work with and travel with."

Mat Classic XXXI state tournament

106: Jackson (LR) p. Sisk (COLF), :24; Jackson (LR) def. Perryman (REAR), 5-1; Jackson (LR) p. Ducey (RAIN), 1:33; Thomas (TONA) def. Jackson (LR), 6-4; 113: Jackson (WCK) def. Armstrong (LR), 9-0; Armstrong (LR) p. Winn (KETT), 3:45; Hess (MW) p. Armstrong (LR), :46; Rios) Kitt) def. Thomas (LR), 11-6; Thomas (LR) p. Davis (LIND), 1:31; Sisk (COLF) def. THomas (LR), 4-1; 126: Circle (LR) p. Agney (DAV), 4:43; Armbruster (NB) def. Circle (LR), 14-1; Circle (LR) p. Schmidt (LR), 3:38; Circle (LR) def. Wood (ACH), 8-2; Circle (LR) p. DePaz TON), 2:25; Barlass (RAIN) def. Circle (LR), 13-5; 132: Crowe (LR) p. Gerrish (RAIN), :52; Crowe (LR) p. Lagergren (POME), 1:09; Trujillo (MAB) def. Crowe (LR), 3-2; Richart (KETT) def. Seylor (LR), 15-10; Seylor (LR) p. Mozingo (ONA), 4:40; Lake (ILWA) p. Seylor (LR), 2:31; 138: Horn (LR) p. Simonson (ILWA), 1:05; Horn (LR) p. Adams (LACO), 5:23; Horn (LR) def. Kemmer (ILWA), 13-1; Rocha (NWCH), def. Horn (LR), 9-3; 152: Nichols (LR) p. Zielinski (ACH), 4:39; Nichols (LR) def. Adams (LACO), 8-2; Nichols (LR) def. Foreman (KALA), 12-2; Ashley (ADNA) def. Nichols (LR) , 8-1; 160: Wiles (LR) def. Dreiszus (JENK), 6-2; Palma (WS) p. WIles (LR), 3:58; Wiles (LR) p. Higgs (ACH, :56; White (POME) def. Wiles (LR), 6-0; 170: Galicia (LR) p. Carpenter (CONC), 4:36; Harden (REAR) p. Galicia (LR), 3:40; Galicia (LR) p. Winona (POME), 3:53; Haynes (KALA) p. Galicia (LR), 4:47; Dowell (ADNA) p. Long (LR), 1:32; Long (LR) p. Zabreznik (TON), 2:19; 182: Boyd (LR) p. Rueff (ACH), 4:21; Lynd (DARR), p. Boyd (LR), 3-2; Boyd (LR) p. Brumsickle (FRID), 2:32; Boyd (LR), p. Mendez (WAHK), 3:23; Brown (COLF), p. Boyd (LR), 2:25; Brown (COLF) p. Luevano (LR), 5:59; Luevano (LR) p. Higgs (ACH), :28; Luevano (LR) def. Alatorre (TON), 8-6; Lynd (DARR) def. luevano (LR), 13-10; 195: Klingenberg (LR) p. Schurger) MW), 1:56; Flynn (SB) p. Klingenberg (LR), 2:28; Klingenberg (LR) p. Perez (ILWA), 2:49; Davis (JENK), p. Klingenberg (LR), 4:25; Flowers (LR) p. Aeschliman (COLF), :29; Flowers (LR) p. Bennett (NAPA), 1:21; Flowers (LR) p. Davis (JENK), 3:45; Franke (Darr), def. Flowers (LR), 7-6; Flowers (LR) p. Merriott (REAR), 1:19; Flowers (LR) def. Davis (JENK), 6-1; 220: Johnson (LR) p. Crombie (MUCK), 1:30; Allenbach (COLF) p. Johnson (LR), 4:27; Johnson (LR) p. Cwik (LIB), 2:19; Johnson (LR), def. Deranleau (OCOS), 10-5; Allenbach (COLF), p. Johnson (LR), 1:58; 285: Saulque (LR) p. Hahn (ACH), 6:00; Saulque (LR) p. Szolga (REAR), 1:16; Schurger (MW) p. Saulque (LR), :19; Hahn (ACH) def. Saulque (LR), 3-1; Saulque (LR) p. Anderson (RAYM), 1:50