TERHARK CUP: Viks cradle another win

COEUR d’ALENE — Whatever momentum Lake City High appeared to be generating early in the TerHark Cup evaporated in a hurry Friday night.

All courtesy of a ball-and-chain cradle move by Coeur d’Alene senior Anthony Reimer.

Lake City won the first match and was leading 11-2 in the second. Then, early in the third period, Reimer scored a reversal and went to his pet move to pin Griffin Schoch with 54 seconds left in the 160-pound match.

The win tied the match, and Coeur d’Alene went on to steamroll Lake City the rest of the way in a 64-16 victory at Coeur d’Alene High, marking the Vikings’ 14th straight victory in the 21st annual dual between the city’s two high school wrestling programs.

“I was thinking that I needed to come up from behind and win the match,” Reimer said. “It was either going to be by points, or just stick him. That’s been my go-to move since seventh grade; that’s been my main move from the top position.”

After Reimer’s turnaround win, Coeur d’Alene won the next two matches and was never headed.

“I wasn’t liking it at first,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat said of Reimer’s match. “He was wrestling with his head on the mat, and giving up a cradle ... It (the win) got the guys excited.”

“I knew I had to stop that momentum immediately,” Reimer said. “I knew what the score was, but I knew that I was going to wear him out, and as soon as I did, I was either going to start scoring points, or I was going to pin him.”

“That 160-pound match was a tough one,” Lake City coach Corey Owen said. “When you’re up 11-2 and end up getting pinned, that definitely changes the momentum of where that match was headed, and where the dual meet was headed.”

At 285, Ron Schmidt of Lake City pinned Logan Hendren in 2:46 to pull the Timberwolves within 21-16 after seven matches. But it turned out to be Lake City’s last win of the night, as the Vikings won the last eight matches.

“I thought we wrestled really hard tonight, and I was really impressed with our effort,” Owen said. “The score wasn’t pretty, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that they’re a better team than us right now. We have some kids out of the lineup (starters at 132 and 138), but that’s no excuse.”

It was a stark contrast to last year’s dual, won 39-31 by Coeur d’Alene, clinched by a Viking pin in the final match.

On Friday night, the Vikings finished off the T-Wolves with four first-period pins in the final five matches — from Payton Keough (120), Mitchell Moffat (126), Dylan Lockwood (138) and Mario Peregrina (145).

“We’re just more experienced than they are, from (1)13 to about (1)45,” Jeff Moffat said. “They (Lake City) wrestled hard. We made it a big deal (to keep the Cup).”

Lake City’s Nathan Lambert opened the dual with a pin in the first period.

The Timberwolves’ other win came from junior Rusty Dan at 195 — following what was described as a “wardrobe malfunction.” Turns out Dan likes to put his singlet on just before he wrestles — but when it came time for him to take the mat, he took off his warmup jacket and realized he had misplaced his singlet, which sent him scrambling until someone found it. Dan went on to win by major decision.

Next up for both teams is the North Idaho Rumble next Friday and Saturday at Coeur d’Alene High.

152 — Nathan Lambert, LC, p. Ethan Lillis, 1:47. 160 — Anthony Reimer, Cd’A, p. Griffin Schoch, 5:11. 170 — Isaiah Skinner, Cd’A, d. Andrew Olvera, 5-3. 182 — Vince Rey, Cd’A, p. Ram Lettau, 1:17. 195 — Rusty Dan, LC, md. Hunter Hawkins, 9-0. 220 — Alex Marshall, Cd’A, p. Bryce Bowen, 1:09. 285 — Ron Schmidt, LC, p. Logan Hendren, 2:45. 98 — Matt Auger-Lavoie, Cd’A, by forfeit. 106 — Jacob Krous, Cd’A, tf. Cyrus Mortensen, 16-0. 113 — Kaleb Maciosek, Cd’A, md. Kieron Ove, 11-1. 120 — Payton Keough, Cd’A, p. Hayden Chatwin, 1:21. 126 — Mitchell Moffat, Cd’A, p. Bre Williams, 1:50. 132 — Chase Baca, Cd’A, md. Elijah Mills, 10-2. 138 — Dylan Lockwood, Cd’A, p. Kaleb Strickler, 1:44. 145 — Mario Peregrina, Cd’A, p. Tylor Sellers, 1:42.