Wrestling team hits the mats hosting North vs. South duals

The Weiser Wolverine wrestling team was finally able to get on the mats for a competition this last week.
 The Wolverines hosted the North vs. South duals last Wednesday night, inviting Fruitland, Bonners Ferry and Lewiston to town.
 Normally this event takes place mid-season for Weiser but the pandemic has made life both interesting and difficult.
 Weiser’s season usually begins with matches against Oregon schools. The early tournaments gives Weiser a chance to hone their skills before coming into league play and seeding criteria. Since Oregon has not been participating in any sports, this has made the Wolverine season much different than other years.
 The Wolverines took on Bonners Ferry first, while Fruitland wrestled Lewiston.
 Weiser had some good results winning the dual 45-33. It is tough to face a 3A competitor for the first dual because seeding criteria comes into play. There were a total of five pins recorded by the Wolverines against Bonners Ferry.
 Individual results were:
 98 pounds: Billy Nevarez won by forfeit.
 113 pounds: Rafael Delgadillo won by pin.
 120 pounds: Tristan Coria won by pin.
 126 pounds: Jace Buescher won by pin.
 132 pounds: Juan Aguirre lost by pin.
 138 pounds: Justin Williamson lost by pin.
 145 pounds: Eric Torres lost by decision.
 152 pounds: Clayton Beesley lost by pin.
 160 pounds: Max Kingsbury won by pin.
 170 pounds: Malachi Hoobery lost by pin.
 182 pounds: Boone Kziasek lost by pin.
 195 pounds: Rylee Willet won by forfeit.
 220 pounds: Elijah Carter won by decision.
 285 pounds: Jesse Lockett won by pin.
 Weiser then took on Lewiston, a larger 5A school. It was good competition with wrestlers filling all weights but one. Weiser won the match handily 54-28 and set the tone in a number of matches to ensure success.
 The Wolverine seniors made a statement with four of them winning their matches by pin.
 Individual results were:
 98 pounds: Billy Nevarez won by pin.
 113 pounds: Rafael Delgadillo won by pin.
 120 pounds: Tristan Coria lost by pin.
 126 pounds: Jace Buescher won by pin.
 132 pounds: Juan Aguirre lost by pin.
 138 pounds: Justin Williamson won by pin.
 145 pounds: Eric Torres lost by decision.
 152 pounds: Clayton Beesley lost by pin.
 160 pounds: Max Kingsbury won by pin.
 170 pounds: Malachi Hoobery won by injury forfeit.
 182 pounds: Boone Kziasek won by pin.
 195 pounds: Rylee Willet lost by decision.
 220 pounds: Elijah Carter won by pin.
 285 pounds: Jesse Lockett won by pin.
 After having their first two duals under their belts, Weiser then traveled to the Twin Falls area with seven wrestlers competing at the Buhl Invitational and the rest of the team heading to the Canyon Ridge tournament.
 Buhl is a tough tournament where the wrestlers again face seeding criteria with many of their 3A competitors from different divisions.
 Because many of the teams have not seen a lot of wrestling there was a strong presence at the Canyon Ridge tournament as well. This is normally a JV tournament however, because of the lack of previous competition, it was a great tournament for many of the Wolverines to get some quality matches in.
 Weiser took the entire competition, scoring 238 points and placing first.
 The seven Wolverines attending the Buhl tournament took seventh place and scored a total of 103 points during the tournament. That is quite a few points for just seven wrestlers.
 Placing second for the Wolverines was Rylee Willet, finishing in third was Jesse Lockett, fourth for the Wolverines included Elijah Carter and Clayton Beesley, and finishing in fifth place was Malachi Hoobery.
 Head Coach Drew Dickerson was pleased with the team’s results, but indicated that there is work to be done.
 “With two matches each, these young men competed at a decently high level this weekend at Buhl and Canyon Ridge. By getting more matches in we were able to see what level we are wrestling at. We have work to do, but getting matches in is the name of the game right now,” Coach Dickerson said.
 He was also hopeful following the matches earlier in the week.
 “We faced Bonners Ferry and Lewiston earlier this week and they always have good competition. For us to come out and compete during our first dual at that level is a good indicator for us. We are excited for the season,” he added.
 Weiser will face Fruitland at home this Wednesday, Jan. 13 in the opening of conference duals.