From nerves to national champ
Courtesy photo Post Falls wrestler Brelane Huber is presented with her trophy for winning the 106-pound Cadet freestyle national championship on Tuesday in Fargo, N.D.
Courtesy photo Post Falls wrestler Brelane Huber attempts to escape from a hold during the 106-pound national championship match in the Cadet women's freestyle national championships on Tuesday in Fargo, N.D.
Brelane Huber wasn’t satisfied with how her freshman year finished as a member of the Post Falls High wrestling team.
But her sophomore year, that’s got a little momentum to it right now.
Huber won the Cadet (wrestlers born in 2001-2002) freestyle national championship on Tuesday in Fargo, N.D., beating Tilynne Vasquez of Kalispell, Mont., 7-7 in the 106-pound final.
“Going into it, I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Huber said. “She took me down right away, and that made me more nervous. As the match went on, I gained more confidence and pushed her off right away.”
Now about that tie score. USA Wrestling states ties are sometimes broken with maneuvers called leg clinches or reverse lifts, or can be settled by which wrestler scored the last point or registered the highest-point value with one move. Since Vasquez had a caution point, it gave the title to Huber.
“I got a couple of single-leg takedowns and she had a few takedowns as well,” Huber said. “With a minute left, it was still tied, but she had a caution for an illegal move. I just tried to control the match and did late.”
Huber was the lone wrestler from Idaho to advance to the finals.
“It took a little bit to set in,” Huber said. “I knew that I’d won. When they raised my hand and she (Vasquez) shook my hand, it hit me that I did it.”
Huber finished sixth at 98 pounds in the state 5A wrestling tournament in Nampa, competing against boys of the highest classification in the state. Idaho does not offer high school wrestling for girls.
“I had a lot of big goals for the high school season,” Huber said. “And I thought I’d achieve those goals. Once state happened, I knew I was going to redeem myself.”
“She had some bumps along the way and was disappointed with how she finished,” said Pete Reardon, Post Falls High wrestling coach. “She really went back to work in the spring and wanted to get right back in the (wrestling) room. She’s trained super, super hard and been really, really focused.”
Huber joins Cierra Foster as women’s freestyle champions from Post Falls High. Foster, who will compete at NAIA Oklahoma City University, won her title in 2014.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Reardon said. “Even in the last month, Brelane has made some strides, but it wasn’t like she walked through everything. She was a pretty big underdog in the final match, but if she wrestles well, she can accomplish anything.”
Huber fully intends on continuing her wrestling career at Post Falls in the winter and beyond.
“Wrestling against the guys just makes me tougher, and a lot better I think,” Huber said. “It feels pretty good to win this. Not a lot of girls from Post Falls, or Idaho in general have done something like this. It feels good to achieve something like that.”
Brelane also credited her brother — Braydon, who will be a senior at Post Falls — with helping her get better throughout the year.
“I always say I hate my brother, but he’s the only reason I’m here,” Brelane said. “It’s really nice to have him.”