If there were any doubts the Pirates had one of the best boys wrestling teams in Idaho’s 1A-2A division, they were certainly put to rest during the first two days of the 2A State Championships.
West Side qualified 11 athletes for the tournament and an impressive nine of them have advanced to the placement rounds. As a result, the Pirates are in third place in the team competition heading into the third and final day of the tourney, which is being contested at the Idaho Center in Nampa.
New Plymouth is currently in first place with 156 points, followed by Ririe (135), West Side (124) and Malad (93). The Pirates trailed the Dragons following the opening day of competition, so it was a huge Day 2 for the Dayton-based school. In addition to having West Side and Malad in the top four, the 2A Fifth District has three other teams in the top 10 in Bear Lake (7th), Aberdeen (8th) and Grace (9th). Indeed, it’s been a memorable two days for the district.
West Side will be represented in the championship round by a trio of athletes in juniors Colten Gundersen (160-pound weight class) and Aaron McDaniel (285), and sophomore Gavin Peterson (106). Joey Hansen (132) and Stellar Tew (126), West Side’s other two semifinalists, both lost by two points in the round of four to No. 1 seeds in hard-fought matches.
Gundersen, the No. 2 seed, pinned his first two opponents in the first round and then dispatched of sixth-seeded Jayce Garcia of Kellogg via second-round fall in the semifinals. The junior came through with a takedown in each of the first two rounds.
Unlike Gundersen, McDaniel and Peterson punched their ticket to the finals in naitbiting fashion. McDaniel, the No. 2 seed, outlasted sixth-seeded Wyatt Nelson of Firth, 6-5, in an ultimate tiebreaker. The junior was able to earn an escape point in the fourth overtime. McDaniel also had a memorable victory in the quarterfinals as he outpointed an opponent from St. Maries, 3-1, thanks to a takedown in the waning seconds of the third round.
The fifth-seeded Peterson came from behind to edge top-seeded Tayven Kunz of Ririe, 8-6, in their round of four showdown. Peterson executed a pair of reversals in the second round to take the lead, and then rode Kunz the entire third round. The sophomore pinned fourth-seeded Zach Mills of Malad — a rival he lost to in the finals of the 2A Fifth District Championships — in the quarterfinals.
Another West Side grappler who secured sweet revenge against an opponent from Malad was Tew. The fifth-seeded sophomore outpointed No. 4 Zach Mills, 6-4, in their quarterfinal showdown. Mills, a senior for the Dragons, was a consolation 2A state champion a year ago, so that was a noteworthy triumph for Tew. Tew executed a pair of takedowns in his semifinal bout against No. 1 Wallace Durfee of Declo, but Durfee picked up some back points in the final round and prevailed, 7-5.
Likewise, Hansen tested his opponent, top-ranked Jaeger Hall of Kellogg, in the round of four before falling, 4-2. The senior reversed Hall in the third round to his himself a fighting chance. Hansen, the No. 4 seed, came through with a hard-fought 2-1 quarterfinal win over the No. 5 seed.
In addition to the five aforementioned grapplers, the Pirates will also be represented in the placements rounds by Colter Barzee (98), Mitchell Mumford (113), Jed Hurren (138) and Ben Jensen (220). All four of those athletes went 3-1 to make it to the final day of the tournament.
Mumford bounced back from an opening-round loss with three straight victories, including a third-round pin against fourth-seeded Riley Hutchinson of Declo. The freshman trailed 11-0 in that bout, but turned the tide with a third-round reversal.
Barzee, the No. 5 seed, lost a close quarterfinal duel against the No. 4 seed, but bounced back with two straight pins to ensure himself of a podium finish. Meanwhile, Hurren and Jensen were triumphant in very close matches — the unseeded Jensen against the No. 5 seed — to punch their tickets to the placement rounds. Hurren will wrap up his school high career as a three-time state medalist.
PRESTON BOYS
Micah Serr (182) continued his memorable season by making it to the finals for the second year in a row. The second-seeded junior has stuck all three of his foes at the 4A State Championships, including third-seeded James Noorlander of Twin Falls in the semifinals. Serr improved to 59-1 on the season with that victory.
Serr will be joined on Day 3 of the tourney by teammate Tavin Rigby (138), who like Serr was a 4A medalist a year ago. The fourth-seeded junior bounced back from his heartbreaking 10-9 quarterfinal loss to the No. 5 seed by dispatching of his next two opponents by fall.
Preston was unlucky on Day 1 as freshman Porter Campbell (98) had to exit the tournament due to injury default. Campbell was winning his opening-round match 4-0 early in the third round, but he could not continue.
FRANKLIN COUNTY GIRLS
Preston’s Riley Bodily (185) secured her spot on the podium for the second consecutive year by sticking her first two opponents — including third-seeded Josslyn Bair of Jerome in the quarters — and advancing to the semifinals. The sixth-seeded senior was pinned in the round of four.
West Side’s Samantha Roberts (114) was one win away from making it to Day 3 of the tournament. Roberts went 2-2, with both wins taking place in closely contested fashion. Teammate Celestial Westover (138) went 1-2 for the Pirates and she tested second-seeded Clare Waite of Boise in the first round before falling, 8-5.
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