Colville gears up for District wrestling tourney

Thursday, 04 February 2010

West Valley will host GNL District, regional with CWAC BY CHRIS COWBROUGH S-E Sports Editor This is probably not the year many Colville High wrestlers will get out of the District 7 2A meat grinder and qualify for the regional meet with the Central Washington Athletic Conference. After all, the Indians are the youngest and most experienced wrestling team in the state’s toughest wrestling league, the Great Northern.   But hope springs eternal and surprises do occur.  CHS faithful and Indians’ head coach Randy Cloke are hoping for the best this week. The tournament will get started Friday afternoon at West Valley High School in Spokane and run all day on Saturday at WV.   The top five wrestlers in each weight class from the district tournament will return to West Valley on Feb. 12-13 for the regional against the CWAC.  The strength in the CWAC appears to be Othello and Ellensburg.   Regional qualifiers will head to Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 19-20. Defending State 2A champion and GNL champion Deer Park will be the prohibitive favorite to win team titles at the district and regional tournaments.   Online—first time For the first time, the GNL seeding meeting will be expedited on-line Wednesday. “It was time to bring the GNL out of the dark ages,”  Cloke mused of the switch from dark room to electronic process.  “This way, the data is right there in front of you…it’s just a process that gets us a lot closer.” Cloke knows that his Indians face some long odds getting more than a handful of wrestlers to the regional.   “I would be ecstatic if we could get six kids (to the regional),”  Cloke said on Monday.  “Realistically…three wrestlers…and it could be just one.” Yes, this season, youth has been served on the mats in Colville. “The kids have been working hard,”  added Cloke, whose team lost at Clarkston on Saturday in their final GNL dual of the season.  The Indians won once.  “We have wrestled better the second half of the season.” It has been a mostly freshman and sophomore look for the Indians.   CHS will take 14 wrestlers to District at West Valley on Friday and Saturday.  The line-up: 103—Logan Gotham and C.J. Palmer, who is battling a knee injury. 112—Josh Hamilton is another CHS frosh with a serious upside and a chance to advance.  He should be among the top four seeds at his weight. 125—Colin Lindback, who has also wrestled at 119 pounds. 130—John Gumaer. 135—Tanner Smith. 140—Kevin Hopkins. 145—Jessie Eslick and Hunter Carpenter. 152—Julio Valencia. 171—Dylan Orchard. 189—Hunter LeCaire (down from heavyweight). 215—Ian Nelson and Alex Lee.  Nelson, in only his second season of wrestling, is a CHS senior who has been battling a patella dislocation.  He’ll wrestle, but will likely be at something less than 100 percent. Heavyweight—Stephen Kresek.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 February 2010 )