Wrestlers place sixth at State Championship


Senior Maddox Stevens, right, wrestled his last high school wrestling match at the Idaho State Championships this last weekend. He wrestled strong throughout the season and did not let his faithful supporters down as he placed second and contributed 24 points to the Weiser team’s total for a sixth place finish. Stevens won all three of his matches by fall. In the semi-finals he beat his Gooding opponent by fall and then faced off against a Teton wrestler and received a technical fall near the end of the second round placing second. Photo by Teagan Hawker

Pictured above, freshman Charlie Nevarez, placed fifth in the 113 pound weight class. Below junior Kaleb Grove, wrestling at 195 pounds placed second. Grove won his first two matches by fall in 52 seconds and in 1:23. He won by decision in the semi-final match 8-2 and then faced this South Fremont wrestler and lost by fall, placing him in second place. Photos by Teagan Hawker
By: 
Katie von Brethorst
Your Wolverines wrestling squad travelled to state competition this past weekend in Nampa and did well. 
 The Wolverines competed against all of 3A and came back with a sixth place finish. Weiser had nine athletes place during the men’s and women’s championship, including Audrey DeLeon who finished on the women’s side in sixth place. There were six first time placers this year, three first time semi-finalists, and two first time finalists. Five out of five wrestlers that lost in the quarter-finals came back in the blood round and won.  
 Coach Gibson was excited for those five saying, “Those five harnessed something more than hard work and effort, they epitomized having grit and showing heart on the back side.”  
 For the men, Stockton Young, a sophomore, wrestled at 145 and sported a serious haircut and finished in sixth place as did seniors Willie Sudderth at 160 and Tristan McMahill at 285.  In fifth place, freshman Charlie Nevarez wrestled at 113, followed by sophomore, Kash Cobb at 152 and senior, Trenton Hawker at 220.  
 The best finishes for Weiser and earning the most team points to bring the Wolverines to sixth place overall was junior, Kaleb Grove at 195 and senior, Maddox Stevens at 170. 
 Each of these young men wrestled four matches total over the course of the three day tournament. The hard thing about winning all the way through until the final match is the fact that the athlete has to just sit and wait. These two young men sat and waited all day Saturday to get to their championship matches. Sometimes this is mental preparation, but sometimes the wait is tough.  
 Kaleb Grove wrestled his three matches prior to the finals and won the first two by fall; the first in 52 seconds and the second in 1:23. In the semi-final match Grove beat Sugar-Salem in a decision 8-2. Grove then waited for finals where he faced a South Fremont wrestler who ultimately beat Grove by fall placing him in second place.  
 Maddox Stevens won all three of his matches by fall.  He beat a South Fremont athlete by fall in 35 seconds and then beat Buhl by fall in 1:41. In the semi-finals Stevens took on Gooding, winning by fall in 2:14. Then he waited to challenge a Teton wrestler. Stevens made it nearly to the end of the second round before he received a technical fall and second place.  
 Grove contributed 22 points to the team’s total while Stevens contributed 24.  
 Weiser scored an overall total of 143.5 points. All of Weiser’s wrestlers showed grit and determination and this was a good start for Head Coach Chad Gibson and his new staff. Coaches look for validation as they start and continue programs and this was a great indicator of future success. 
 “We were not expected to do this well and it is a testament to the hard work and tireless efforts from all the kids, parents, and coaches in the program that have made this season possible. For my first season as head coach, I’m extremely grateful for these kids and the support, because it set a foundation for our program as a whole to build off of,” Coach Gibson stated.  
 Gibson also added, “I am jacked for what is to come.  I have coaches on board, a community that believes in the Weiser wrestling program, kids that are hungry to get better, and an offseason full of opportunity. This is thrilling and I will never forget those that have made this first year so notable.”

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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