Bulldogs Grind Out Medals at Inland Empire Classic

Two Bulldogs advanced all the way to championship matches, with Josh Bair (113 pounds) and Joseph Young (132 pounds) each finishing as runners-up after dominant runs through their respective brackets.

Bair opened his tournament with a bye before pinning teammate Mason Snider in the semifinals to secure a spot in the finals. In the championship bout, Bair ran into University’s Asher Roberts, who ended the match early with a first-period fall.

Young followed a similar path, showcasing explosive offense throughout the day. He pinned North Central’s Kyran Rabidue in just 34 seconds in the quarterfinals, then added another fall in the semifinals against Ridgeline’s Ben Alicea-Copeland. Young’s tournament run came to an end in the title match against Deer Park’s Owen McLean, but his silver-medal performance marked one of the Bulldogs’ strongest individual showings.

At heavyweight, Zhaine Herrera (285 pounds) fought his way to a third-place finish. After an opening-round loss, Herrera rebounded with a decisive pin over Central Valley’s Jackson Ford, securing his place on the podium and finishing the tournament strong.

Several Kettle Falls wrestlers pushed into medal rounds before settling for fourth-place finishes.

Michael Winn (120 pounds) picked up a pin in the quarterfinals and rebounded from a semifinal loss with another fall in the consolation semifinals. Winn came up just short in the third-place match, dropping a narrow 4-3 decision to finish fourth.

Hunter Smith-Rowe (215 pounds) also placed fourth, responding to an early setback by rattling off consecutive pins in the consolation rounds to reach the third-place match.

Gideon Evans notched a quarterfinal pin en route to a fourth-place finish at 126 pounds, while teammate Tanner Schumacher was fifth in the same bracket. Mason Snider was also fifth at 113 pounds. Lee Fowler picked up a pin in the consolation semifinals to place fourth at 106 pounds.

Kettle Falls added points with multiple sixth-place finishes, reflecting the team’s depth.

Nathan Thurman (138 pounds) fought through the back side of the bracket after an opening-round loss, while Charlie Hood (144 pounds) picked up a quarterfinal pin before facing stiff competition from Ridgeline and University wrestlers in later rounds.

At 150 pounds, Baylor Rosen opened his tournament with a technical fall, then battled through several consolation matches to claim sixth. Rosen recorded both a pin and a decision victory along the way, showing resilience after early adversity.

Landon Tryon (165 pounds) earned his sixth-place finish after a first-round bye and a quarterfinal pin, then continued to wrestle through tough consolation matches against experienced opponents. Across all weight classes, the Bulldogs displayed balance from lightweight to heavyweight divisions. It showed in the team scoring as it placed fifth amongst 4A, 3A, and 2A schools.