Swain places sixth at Tri State

COEUR D’ALENE - Newport High School grappler Ares Swain, 190-pounds, lead the Grizzlies with a sixth-place finish at the Tri State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene last Friday and Saturday. His tournament started slow, with a loss by pin. He battled back winning, five straight matches. In the second match he won by a pin, followed by winning his third and fourth matches with 8-6 and 3-2 decisions, respectively. His other two matches ended with Swain victorious by major decision at 9-1 and 9-0. In the consolation semifinals he lost 14-3 and then went on to lose by fall in his last match.

He finished in sixth place out of 45 wrestlers going 5-3 on the weekend.

Newport brought 15 wrestlers to this year’s Tri State wrestling tournament. At 150-pounds Markis Teeples found success in his first match, getting a pin in the first round. He was then plagued with injuries and finished his day 1-2. Nate Shaw also competed in the 150-weight bracket and wrestled very strong opponents, going 0-2. Gavin Carter wrestled up a weight class at 157 and went 0-2. He may not have won this weekend but wrestled his best matches so far this season, according to head coach Daniel Swain.

At 165-pounds, senior Parker Warren, also trying to work through injuries, couldn’t get going this weekend and went 0-2. His younger brother Robert Warren went 1-2 at 175 and seemed to turn a corner in his wrestling this weekend.

Landen Pillers and Roman Tannehill wrestled for Newport in the 285-pound brackets.

“Both guys battle back and forth for varsity,” Swain says. “Both showed great skill this weekend but weren’t able to come away with a victory.”

Hunter Coe, 120, went 1-2, wrestling very well.

“In the 126-pound bracket we introduced some of our prospects to elite level wrestling,” Swain says. “J.J. Findley and Cody Andrea both went 0-2 but got great experience.”

Tyson Nunley and Dashawn Jacobson both wrestled at 138, taking on tough opponents who would go on to place in the top eight.

Preston Wacenske, 144, wrestled tough and showed his strengths.

Newport’s first league match was at Davenport Tuesday, Dec. 17 after the newspaper went to print. Grizzly boys and girls wrestle Saturday, Dec. 21 at the M2 Mallet at Rodger’s High School, starting at 9 a.m.

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS (HER FULL NAME) IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.