By Al Stover 

LRS wrestlers Morris and Phelps place in Liberty Invite

 

Last updated 12/14/2017 at Noon



Six athletes from the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague wrestling team competed in the Liberty Invite on Dec. 8-9, including two competitors who placed in their respective brackets.

Aarron Phelps, who was competing in the 220-pound division for the first time this season, finished fourth in his bracket.

Head Coach Jason Hilzer said Phelps faced a Medical Lake athlete, who he pinned in the first period of the match. Phelps experienced his first loss in the next round after his Riverside opponent pinned him in the first period of their match.

In the consolation round, Phelps pinned another wrestler from Riverside to advance to the third-place match.

Hilzer said Phelps wrestled an athlete from Hanford and fought hard until his opponent pinned him in the third period.

The other LRS wrestler who took home a medal from the Liberty Invite was Douglas Morris, who placed fifth in the 195-pound weight class.

Morris faced an athlete from Medical Lake in his first match. Hilzer said Morris came back from a 2-0 deficit to pin the Medical Lake athlete in the second period.

In his next match, Morris faced an opponent from Riverside, who pinned him in the first round.

Morris moved to the consolation round for his final match. He faced a wrestler from Hanford, who pinned him in the second period.

Hilzer noted the Liberty Invite was a good opportunity for first-year wrestlers to earn some mat time. One of these athletes was Hailey Roderick, who went 1-1 in the girls’ 135-pound bracket.

Roderick lost her first match against an athlete from Grangeville, Idaho, who Hilzer said had more wrestling experience. Although Roderick attempted to fight back from the bottom position, the Grangeville athlete pinned her in the first round.

Roderick rebounded from the loss to win her second match against an athlete from Springdale. Hilzer said Roderick’s opponent had the same amount of wrestling experience as she did, which made for a closer match between the two competitors.

During the match, Roderick scored a takedown on her opponent, threw her in a half-nelson and secured the pin.

“She did what we expected her to do,” Hilzer added. “The more mat time she has, the better she will be.”

Sam Michels went 0-2 in the 120-pound division. He lost his first match to his Newport opponent, who pinned him in the first round.

Michels was eliminated from the 120-pound bracket after he lost his match an athlete from Saint Mary’s.

Hilzer noted Michels needs more time on the mat to develop his skills and improve his performance.

Jesse Ryan went 0-2 in the 138-pound bracket. Hilzer said Ryan displayed good footwork and was not taken down during the tournament. However, the coach added Ryan’s lack of experience came into play as he was unable to fight from the bottom or execute pins against his opponents.

During his first match, Ryan faced an athlete from Clarkston. Hilzer said Ryan was leading in points until his Clarkston opponent pinned him in the second period.

The same scenario happened in Ryan’s second match of the day against a Medical Lake athlete. Ryan was once again ahead in scoring until his opponent pinned him in the second period.

Andy Ortiz went 0-2 in the 170-pound bracket. He faced an athlete from Colfax who Hilzer said had placed twice in state competition. Hilzer said Ortiz wrestled hard during the beginning of the match, but the Colfax athlete caught and pinned him in the first period.

Ortiz’s second match was against an athlete from Saint Mary’s, who Hilzer said came into the match with more wrestling experience. He said Ortiz fought hard in this match as well, but was pinned in the first round.

Hilzer said he thought the athletes who competed in the Liberty Invite wrestled well, despite their inexperience on the mat. He also understands the team will need to put in more time and work in order to prepare for the next tournament.

The Broncos are scheduled to travel to Newport to compete in a tournament on Dec. 16.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Cheney Free Press
Ritzville Adams County Journal
Whitman County Gazette
Odessa Record
Franklin Connection
Davenport Times
Spokane Valley News Herald
Colfax Daily Bulletin

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/25/2024 00:40