Cardinal wrestling team takes third at districts

SPANGLE — The Medical Lake wrestling team missed the title in the Northeast A League at the district meet last weekend, settling instead for third after first-place Lakeside and second-place Deer Park.

The Cards scored 208.5, 10.5 points behind Deer Park’s 219 and 42.5 points shy of Lakeside’s 251.

But 12 individual Medical Lake wrestlers will be moving on to regionals.

Angel Mendez had to settle for third place in the 106-pound weight class after being pinned by Freeman’s Jaron Ilts in 3:34, while Ben Henry settled for fourth on a 5-1 decision against Deer Park’s Emerson McCoullough, and Isaac Kane beat Freeman’s Tanner Juhnke in a 1:00 pin for fifth, both at 113.

Aden Carl beat Freeman’s Drew Bergsrom for third at 120 in a close 6-5 decision, and Brandon Giles pinned Colville’s Kayleb Morris in 4:40 to take fifth in the 145-pound bracket.

Both Victor Long and Elias Edmondson settled for third and fifth-place respectively at 152, with Long losing in a tough 12-10 decision to Riverside’s Aaron DesRoches, and Edmondson in a technical fall to Deer Park’s Blake Vangelder.

Cardinal Nate Steven’s lost in 10-6 decision to Freeman’s Andrew Campbell at 160 for a sixth-place showing.

Cardinal wrestlers dominated at the 170-pound weight class to take first and second place. Brent Keith forfeited to teammate Ethan Davis for second place after he pinned Deer Parks Adam Frank in a 40-second pin, and Davis pinned Lakeside’s Ian Hendershot with a 21-second pin.

At 220, Cardinal Gavin Chaffee took third place over Newport’s Connor Adams in a 4:33 pin, and Jon Grallop took fifth on a bye by Riverside’s Cameron Burnham, who went on to lose in the battle for first place to Deer Park’s Colton Joralemon.

Colton Ellis lost his first place bid in a 1:58 pin by Colville’s Justin Finley.

In girls wrestling, Haili Threadgill took second in the 110-pound weight class at the girl’s district meet at Freeman.

Cardinal’s Davis, Keith, Ellis, Threadgill, Carl, Chaffee, Long, Mendez, Henry, Kane, Giles and Grollop will all be advancing to regionals. On Saturday, Feb. 15 the boys will be traveling to Deer Park with the first whistle at 10 a.m.

Threadgill will be heading to Othello the same day. No start time was available as of press time.

“We did awesome,” head coach Matt Leenhouts said. “Can’t wait for state.”

Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].