Youth Sports: July 2, 2014

WRESTLING

Lovett wins ninth national title: Team Real Life wrestler Ridge Lovett won the 84-pound Schoolboy National Freestyle title at the Asics Kids National Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships in Orem, Utah, June 22-25.

The event held at Utah Valley University featured wrestlers from 36 states. Lovett was shooting for the national Triple Crown but fell one match short, finishing second in Greco-Roman.

Lovett, who is no stranger to the top spot on the podium, has won the event three times in the last six years. Lovett won by technical fall over Steel Diaz from Nevada in the schoolboy 84-pound finals. Diaz defeated Lovett in Greco-Roman costing him the coveted Triple Crown earlier in the week.

"I couldn't be more proud of Ridge, losing the Triple Crown broke his heart but he got it together for freestyle and took care of business," said coach/dad Lonnie Lovett. In April Lovett won the Folkstyle National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Lovett finished the season with the No. 1 national ranking in the US Future Olympian national rankings.

Team Real Life wrestler Jason Burchell was a double national runner-up. Burchell finished second to Cole Mathews of Pennsylvania in both styles at Schoolboy 128 pounds.

"Jason put together a great tournament, what a great way to end the season," said coach Lovett. Burchell was sixth in folkstyle, making him an All-American in all three styles. Burchell also finished the season with the top spot with the US Future Olympian national rankings.

Conner Larson of Team Real Life was a double All-American, finishing fourth in freestyle and fifth in Greco-Roman at Novice 112 pounds.

"Conner had a great tournament, he beat some tough ranked kids and got tougher every match" said coach Lovett. Larson finished third in the US Future Olympian rankings.

Lakeland wrestler William Edelblute was a double All-American, finishing fifth in both styles at Schoolboy 77 pounds. Teammates and brothers Sam and Alex Edelblute competed as well. William Edelblute finished sixth in the US Future Olympian ranking and brother Sam finished seventh. Alex Edelblute finished 18th in the rankings at Novice 75 pounds.

BASEBALL

Northwest Premier Baseball Club 16-and-under: Northwest Premier capped off a big week with a tournament championship this past weekend at the Cpl. Nick Kimmel Invitational in Moses Lake, Wash.

Premier went 4-1 overall in the tourney, beating the Burlington (Seattle) Sox 15-5 in the championship game. They also beat host Moses Lake, University (Spokane) and Eastlake (Seattle) by a combined score of 52-13. Earlier in the week (June 24), Premier traveled to Sandpoint and came away with a 9-3 win over their A American Legion team. Premier will look for back-to-back tournament titles when they compete in the West Valley pod of this weekend's Fourth of July Woodbat Classic in Spokane.

Northwest Premier Baseball Club 17U: Northwest Premier team played up this past weekend, competing in the 19U Whitworth Summer Classic at Spokane's Whitworth University.

Playing against teams which sported current college players on their rosters, Premier earned a 6-4 win Friday against the Spokane Northstars AAA Legion team. Coeur d'Alene High School product Tanner Toepke earned the complete-game victory, striking out five.

Earlier in the week, Premier lost a tough 9-7 decision to Gonzaga Prep AA but rebounded to beat Coeur d'Alene's Single A team 11-0 at Lake City High School on June 24. The 17U Premier squad will also be playing in the Fourth of July Woodbat Classic this weekend, competing in the East Valley pod.

BASKETBALL

Coeur d'Alene camp nears: Coeur d'Alene High coach Kurt Lundblad heads the instructional staff for the Viking Skills and Drills Camp, scheduled for July 14-17, for boys entering grades 3-8, from 4 to 8 p.m. each day at Coeur d'Alene High School.

Cost is $75, which includes a camp T-shirt.

Information: Kurt Lundblad, 704-1822.

SELECT SOCCER

Sting players vie for regional teams: Four players from the Coeur d'Alene Sting soccer club have been selected as one of 70 athletes in their age group to compete for spots on the Far West Regional team. The players come from across the 14 western-most states in the country.

The Sting players are Travis Swallow (1998 age group), Lane Thompson (1998), Max Bennett (2000) and Bridget Reiken (2000).

Italian coaches coming here for camp: The ChievoVerona North American Academy is hosting an elite player camp July 10-12 for boys and girls age 8-18 at the Dome, located at 167 W. Miles Ave. in Hayden.

Players excelling at this camp will be invited to the ChievoVerona International Academy National Residential Camp, and players excelling there will be invited to the Academy Experience the following spring in Venice, Italy.

Cost is $125 per player. Under 9s-U11s will meet daily from 9 to 11 a.m.; U12-U14s from noon to 2 p.m.; U15-U18s from 3 to 5 p.m.

Information: www.chievo-northamericanacademy.com; Johnny Mueller, idahodome.mueller@gmail.com, 819-0443

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