THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT, December 18, 2013
There's still a lot of work to be done, but local wrestling fans may have received a preview to the NJCAA championships a few months early in Coeur d'Alene last weekend.
BETWEEN THE defending national champion North Idaho Cardinals, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation, and No. 2 Northwest College of Powell, Wyo., that enough could have been enough.
Also having No. 4 Clackamas Community College of Oregon City, Ore., sitting back and watching on Friday night, then competing against NIC and Northwest on Saturday at Christianson Gym, it was about all a fan of wrestling could ask for.
Northwest downed NIC 24-19, then beat Clackamas 21-20 on Saturday, with NIC beating Clackamas 24-17 and Southwestern Oregon 48-5 to conclude the first half of the season.
"We've really kind of focused on this particular weekend," Northwest College coach Jim Zeigler said. "Because this is a place that we want to do well. This is the first time we really wrestle junior college opponents because we've been wrestling four-year schools. It's a good measuring stick and we've been looking forward to it for a long time. Traveling here is not easy to do, but we're able to gather some focus just getting out of town. Sometimes the advantage is to the team that is traveling because you don't have the distractions."
AT THE prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational two weeks ago in Las Vegas, it was Post Falls High native Derrick Booth that was the highest finisher for the Cardinal wrestling team, going 3-2 at 165 pounds and nearly qualifying for the second day of the tournament.
"It's been a big confidence booster getting a chance to wrestle those bigger guys and getting some time on the mat," Booth said. "It was a good test against the No. 1 guy in the nation (Northwest's Diorian Coleman on Friday), but I took him right to the end (lost by a 7-2 decision). So I know I can hang with the best in the nation. I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my moves."
The top four in each weight class from the Region 18 tournament advance to nationals, to be held Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Spokane Convention Center.
"I'm excited," Booth said. "It's almost like a second hometown to me and I can't wait to have my family there to watch."
IT WASN'T so long ago that a handful of those wrestlers on the NIC roster were competing under the spotlight in championship matches at the Tri-State Invitational, which holds its 42nd tournament at NIC on Friday and Saturday.
In championship matches alone, Jeremy Golding (Mead), Nico Moreno (Moses Lake) and Matt Hopkins (Tahoma) competed, with Golding and Moreno winning championships.
You never know just where the future Cardinal wrestlers will come from whether it's locally or coming into town for Tri-State.
There's plenty of wrestling talent in the Northwest.
If you want proof, buy a ticket and spend a day at Christianson Gym.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.