Card wrestlers take it to next level

SPOKANE VALLEY — Head wrestling coach Matt Leenhouts wasn’t really looking for anything more than some challenging wrestling opportunities and a chance for his wrestlers to eat some humble pie against larger, 4A-type schools.

But his wrestlers surprised him.

“We had three placers,” Leenhouts said. “The most I’ve ever had was one.”

He may have had five, he said. But its education first, and Jared Pendell, who wrestled on Friday, had to bow out to take his SATs on Saturday.

Last weekend’s two-day Inland Empire Tournament at East Valley High School is typically a beat-down for smaller schools like Medical Lake, who this year took 14th with 72 team points out of the 18 competing schools, beating the likes of teams like Central Valley, Pullman and Gonzaga Prep.

“We did really good,” Leenhouts said. “Everybody but one or two of the 15 guys we brought won a match.”

Ethan Davis, a two-time tri-state finalist, won in a 3-1 decision, going 5-0 to take first in the 170-pound weight class.

Nate Stevens “wrestled his butt off” in the 160 class, Leenhouts said. He ultimately lost to the state champion from Chiawana, a 4A school, by a 3-2 decision. Stevens had to settle for fourth place.

Finally, perennial favorite Aden Carl took fifth “in a really tough weight class — 126,” Leenhouts said.

“I was very pleased,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff to work on still, but were getting better.”

The Cardinals face Freeman in a home dual on Wednesday, Dec. 18 with varsity hitting the mat at 7 p.m.

Leenhouts said he has yet to see Freeman wrestle and was unsure what they have.

“I think we’ll win, but by how much? I hope by a lot.”

Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].