Sandpoint wrestling drops two duals on first day of Clearwater Classic

LEWISTON — Sandpoint wrestling opened the Clearwater Classic on Friday at Lewiston High with a pair of dual defeats.

The shorthanded Bulldogs fell to Lewiston and St. Maries.

Despite the losses, head coach Jake Stark said his team brought plenty of energy to the mat.

"I was just proud of the way the guys wrestled and their attitude," he said. "The way they came out was awesome and that made it a fun night. I think we're going to continue that attitude and keep getting better and better."

SHS kicked off the tournament in Pod A against the host Bengals and lost 59-24. Lewiston won five matches by pin, three by forfeit and two by decision.

Andrew Duke, Tanner Dickson and Matt Thurlow all claimed victories by pin for the Bulldogs. Darrian Resso won his match at 145 pounds 5-3 and Jacob Crum took down his opponent 7-3.

After Duke's victory at 98 pounds, Stark said the team was pretty pumped.

"Duke finally got his first win and it was awesome," Stark said. "We celebrated that."

Stark said he saw something from his team against the Bengals that he didn't see during Wednesday's dual at Coeur d'Alene.

"We redeemed ourselves from Wednesday and we really stepped it up," he said. "The guys were amped up and the lightweights really came out strong."

Next up for Sandpoint was a rematch against St. Maries. The Bulldogs beat down the Lumberjacks 48-36 in a mixer at St. Maries on Jan. 9.

Sandpoint's lineup looked a lot different on Friday night and the Lumberjacks capitalized, capturing a 45-41 victory.

The Bulldogs got pins from Resso, Forrest Ambridge, Trevan Adam, Christian Troumbley-Karkoski and Owen Wimmer, but it wasn't enough.

At 195 pounds, Austin Smith fell to Kyle Sibert from St. Maries 7-4, but Stark was impressed with Smith's effort.

"He didn't win his match, but he showed a lot of grit and just determination," Stark said. "He was almost pinned in the first round, fought, came back and won the next two rounds I would say."

Sandpoint saw Resso make his return from injury on Friday, and the sophomore made plenty of noise with his two victories.

"It's good to have him back in the lineup," Stark said. "He was kind of our shining star in the middle there. He's not a 100 percent yet, but even not at his 100 percent, he's breaking kids. Even though he's a sophomore, he's getting it done in a tough weight class."

The Bulldogs will finish of action in Pod A with duals against Kellogg and Clearwater Valley starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. The results of those matches will determine what two other teams Sandpoint will face on the final day of the tournament.

Results Pod A

Match No. 1

Lewiston 59. Sandpoint 24.

98 — Andrew Duke, Spt., p. Dominic Gutknecht, 1:30. 106 — Zander Johnson, Lew., by forfeit. 113 — Kolton Langayer, Lew., d. Forrest Ambridge, 8-5. 120 — Tanner Dickson, Spt., p. James Grossman, 1:10. 126 — Wyatt Cook, Lew., by forfeit. 132 — Cole Lockart, Lew., p. Raphael Eldridge, 3:55. 138 — Gage Fiamengo, Lew., p. Jordan Birkhimer, 1:40. 145 — Darrian Resso, Spt., d. Dominic Maiorana, 5-3. 152 — Landon Bennett, Lew., p. Trevan Adam, 1:00. 160 — Jacob Crum, Spt., d. Austin Nine, 7-3. 170 — Logan Meisner, Lew., d. Christian Troumbley-Karkoski, 13-11. 182 — Brenden Thill, Lew., p. Owen Wimmer, 2:00. 195 — Reuben Thill, Lew., d. Austin Smith, TF 17-2. 220 — Matt Thurlow, Spt., p. Zak Meyers, 0:24. 285 — Robert Storm, Lew., p. Carson Laybourne, 1:59.

Match No. 2

St. Maries 45. Sandpoint 41.

98 — Andrew Duke, Spt., by forfeit. 106 — Brock Anderson, SM, by forfeit. 113 — Forrest Ambridge, Spt., p. Asher Goodner, 4:37. 120 — Dylan Sotin, SM, p. Tanner Dickson, 3:47. 126 — Carter Moore, SM, by forfeit. 132 — Hunter Norris, SM, p. Raphael Eldridge, 4:00. 138 — Sam Martin, SM, p. Jordan Birkhimer, 1:40. 145 — Darrian Resso, Spt., p. Ethan Kolar, 2:55. 152 — Trevan Adam, Spt., p. Trey Gibson, 1:47. 160 — Jacob Crum, Spt., by forfeit. 170 — Christian Troumbley-Karkoski, Spt., p. Scott Sotin, 1:33. 182 — Owen Wimmer, Spt., p. Alex Lambson, 1:31. 195 — Kyle Sibert, SM, d. Austin Smith, 7-4. 220 — Adam Rouse, SM, p. Matt Thurlow, 1:12. 285 — Delbert Lambson, SM, p. Carson Laybourne, 1:22.