Tonasket, Oroville wrestlers hit Saturday tournaments

Published 10:40 am Thursday, January 12, 2012

WARDEN – Tonasket’s wrestlers finished third at the 10-team Jeremiah Schmunk Invitational at Warden on Saturday, Jan. 7, claiming one individual title and seven top-four finishes overall.

“We had a good showing and a fun trip,” said Tonasket coach Dave Mitchell.

Warden won its home tournament with 233 points, with Liberty Bell (142) edging the Tigers (138) for second.

Jared Stedtfeld (113 pounds) rolled through his weight class with a pair of technical falls and one win by injury default. He beat Liberty Bell’s Taylor Woodruff 16-0 in the championship match. Stedtfeld is the highest-ranked Tigers in his 1A weight class (third) in ratings released by the Washington Wrestling Report at the start of the year.

Austin Booker (ranked fourth in the state) took second at 152 after he was injured and had to forfeit the championship match.

“(That was the) one real bummer during the day,” Mitchell said. “When Austin was ‘slammed’ and hurt his shoulder (he) wasn’t able to wrestle in his finals match.”

John Rawley (152) also took second place, getting to the finals with a pin in his semifinal match.

Dalton Wahl (138) celebrated his birthday by going 3-1 and finishing third, while Collin Aitcheson (120), Ryker Marchand (126) and Tanner Good (285) each placed fourth. Quinn Mirick (160) and Daniel Ortega (220) took fifth and Frank Holfelz (285) was sixth.

Tim Frazier (106) and Austin Knowlton (145) also competed.

The Tigers had a JV mix-and-match at Chelan on Tuesday, Jan. 9. On Thursday, Jan. 11 they take on Omak and Okanogan in Caribou Trail League duals at Okanogan, then host their annual Apple Pie Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 13. Of the eight or nine teams attending the tournament, two (Chewelah and Rogers of Spokane) are coached by Mitchell’s sons.