Ferguson, Pederson go undefeated in River City Duals

The Cheney High wrestling team dove right into Great Northern League competition Jan. 7 with a 48-36 loss to West Valley, followed by a seventh-place finish in the Silver Bracket at the River City Duals Tournament Jan. 10 in Post Falls.

The Blackhawks weren't at full strength in the West Valley dual, as they forfeited four matches. The Eagles forfeited one match.

Despite losing in team scores, several Cheney wrestlers had good performances. Cameron Wiseman (138 pounds) led off the night with a third-period pin over Spencer Young.

Justin Randolph (170) and Kodi Smith pinned both of their opponents in the first period.

Devon Waterman (182) scored a second-period fall over Quinton Stansbury.

Braden Wirth (126), who controlled most of the match, pinned Matthew Hoffer to get the final win for Cheney.

According to head coach Brad Rasmussen, the forfeits were due to athletes being sick, however, he was impressed with his team's efforts.

"Even the kids who lost fought hard, but it's tough to win after losing 24 points," Rasmussen said. "This was the best we wrestled all season."

The Blackhawks began the River City tournament with a 42-33 win over Bishop Kelly of Boise followed by a 72-12 loss to Idaho's Lakeland to finish second in their pod, which qualified them for the Silver Bracket.

"Lakeland is a powerhouse," Rasmussen said. "That loss was kind of a gut check for us."

Cheney dropped a 45-27 decision to Shadle Park in the first match of the Silver Bracket, followed by a 54-33 defeat over Kellogg. The Blackhawks rallied back to defeat former Great Northern League rival Colville, 45-24 in the seventh-place match.

Michael Ferguson (220 pounds) went undefeated throughout the tournament, winning all five of his matches via pin. Garrett Pederson (285) also went undefeated in the competition, scoring pins in both of his bouts. Waterman and Taylor Nguyen (113) both went 3-2 in the tournament.

Wirth, Randolph, Smith, Billy Bakke and Francisco Martinez, all had at least one win in the competition.

"Every kid had a moment of greatness," Rasmussen said. "I heard many of the coaches talk about how hard our guys battled. It's nice to hear that."

Cheney faced Clarkston in the first home dual of the season Jan. 14. They travel to Ellensburg Jan. 17 to compete in the Westburg Invite.

"Westburg is a nice tournament," Rasmussen said. "It gives us a chance to scout for the postseason and see what we could be up against at regionals."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].