SMS wrestling captures second at districts, 12 Bullpups place
Eighth-grader Jackson Holman raises his arm in victory to claim the District 1 title at 185 pounds.
(Photo courtesy of BRANDY WARREN)
SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint Middle School wrestling team took second at districts earlier this month.
SMS hosted the tournament on Dec. 11 and finished 130.5 points behind first-place Canfield Middle School.
The Bullpups had 30 wrestlers hit the mat at districts and 12 of them placed. Jeremiah Palmer (170) and Jackson Holman (185) led the way for SMS, capturing district titles in their respective weight classes.
Ryker Tucker (130) and Cruz Robertson (151) both grabbed second-place finishes; and Caiden Addington (104), Robert Warren (116), Colter Cates (123), Weston Smith (151) and William Bomba (heavyweight) all placed third. Joe Neff (104), Izzy Stark (123) and Wyatt Haynes (heavyweight) took fourth in their weight classes.
The Bullpups finish the season with an overall record of 184 wins-174 losses and 158 total pins.
Head coach Adam Noble said the middle school wrestling program saw tremendous growth this season due to several factors, including teachers getting out in the hallways and encouraging student participation and an increased interest in Sandpoint's two youth wrestling clubs — Top Dog Wrestling Club and Sandpoint Legacy Wrestling Club.
"They may all come from different elementary schools and different wrestling clubs, but the differences are merged as they enter middle school and become Sandpoint Bullpup wrestlers," Noble said.