The Cheney High wrestling team kicked off their season on a busy note, competing in a Dec. 2 jamboree at Shadle Park against the Highlanders and Northeast A League’s Medical Lake, as well as the Dec. 3 Deer Park Invitational.
At Deer Park, Cheney finished 11th out of 18 teams with 64.5 points. Greater Spokane League 4A Mead took home the team title with 251 points.
“We’ve got some work to do, but it was what we expected,” head coach Brad Rasmussen said regarding his team’s performance in the first week of the season. “We also got a lot of surprises, and saw good wrestling.”
Boedy Taylor took second place in the 170-pound bracket. He pinned Mead’s Grant Engles, Ferris’ Zach Strauss and Colville’s Scout Walker on the way to the championship match, where he lost to Engles’ teammate, Trevor Senn, via pin.
Josh Baker (285) finished fourth in his division. He received a bye into the quarterfinals where Central Valley’s Wyatt Wickman pinned him in the second round. Baker tore through the consolation round, pinning Chelan’s Jesus Ramirez, Springdale’s Hunter Schurger and Mead’s Evan Stickelmeyer.
Zack Nguyen (145) was sixth in his bracket. Nguyen scored a 16-0 technical fall over Deer Park’s Phillip Silwa then lost to Ferris’ Jack Byers, 2-1, in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, he defeated Central Valley’s Bryce Gardner, 3-1, and Chelan’s Alex Rodriguez, 6-5, before he lost to Mead’s Devante Goodman, 12-4, in the fourth/sixth-place match.
Francisco Martinez (152) and Jackson Knutzen (220) went 2-2 before they were eliminated in the consolation round of their brackets. Alan Coumbs (170) and Kyle Perrine (195) were 1-2 in the tournament.
“We had some bright spots in the tournament,” Rasmussen said.
Match results from the Shadle Park jamboree were not available as of press time. Rasmussen said the event was an opportunity for the freshmen to get their first experience of high school competition.
“Our kids are phenomenal and I’m excited to see what they can do,” he added.
Rasmussen said the team will focus on having athletes wrestle an entire six-minute match
“At Deer Park, kids would wrestle three-fourths of a match and then let up,” Rasmussen said. “We’re going to put an emphasis on wrestling a complete match.”
Cheney continued their pre-Great Northern League schedule Dec. 5 in a nonleague double dual against NEA’s Lakeside and Medical Lake. The Blackhawks travel to West Valley Dec. 10 to compete in the Wrestle-Rama team tournament.
“The whole team goes and everyone is guaranteed five matches,” Rasmussen said. “It’s a good opportunity for us.”
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
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