THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: How to toughen up for football? Try wrestling

At some of the smaller high schools in the area, more often than not, you’ll see an athlete play multiple sports across multiple seasons.

Not that it doesn’t happen at the bigger schools, it’s just you’ll see some of those athletes getting pulled to a sport that they believe will help them continue playing a few years past graduation.

There’s nothing wrong with having a specific sport; some have found a lot of success that way.

But getting a few more kids to expand their abilities and test their skills in other sports, could end up helping one area wrestling program in the long run.

WITH SOME big goals in mind for this season, Lake City’s wrestling program opened the season with 80 participants this year, up from the mid-50s in recent seasons.

The reason — first-year football coach Byron Hout.

“Coach Hout did a really good job of getting some of the football guys out,” Lake City wrestling coach Corey Owen said. “He told them that it would be good for them when they’re scrapping on the football field and learning some things.”

In addition, teaching kids to be a little more physical.

“If we’re going to compete with the likes of Rocky Mountain and Eagle in football, we’ve got to have some two-sport kids,” Owen said. “Wrestling breeds toughness and teaches guys to be able to use their hands. Any school that figures that out will have some success. Coach Hout understands the nature of the sport and what it takes to win.”

Junior Garrett Leonard was an all-league selection in football this year at linebacker. Junior Harman Gaby and Gabe Wullenwaber are among others out from the football team. Owen said roughly 15-20 Timberwolf football players are wrestling.

“Gabe really works his tail off and Harman has really been scrapping and looking good in the wrestling room right now,” Owen said. “Both of those guys are really athletic kids and Garrett’s been wrestling all of his life.”

Lake City’s first test comes at the Owen Invitational next Friday and Saturday at Polson, Mont.

“It’s always a great starting tournament for us,” Owen said. “Some of our newer kids will see some success, and Garrett is going to wrestle someone tough that’s going to make him better late in the season.”

Leonard has qualified for state each of his first two seasons, placing fifth at 182 pounds as a sophomore.

Most recently, Lake City alum and two-sport standout Matt Whitcomb won a state wrestling title in 2021, and is now playing football at NAIA Montana Tech in Butte, Mont.

LIKEWISE, the Post Falls wrestling team heads to eastern Montana for the Sidney Invitational next week, where the Trojans have opened their season in recent years.

“It’s a nice trip for us,” Post Falls coach Pete Reardon said. “It’s a great experience to travel as a team. For a lot of these kids, it’s their first flight and first time traveling to compete in a tournament. It’s great, quality competition and good to get out of our comfort zone when we can and go see another style of wrestling so early in the season. Those kids in Montana, they’re tough farm kids. It’s a great chance to wrestle kids that are going to be physical early in the season."

Post Falls will also compete in a tournament in Toppenish, Wash., on Dec. 9 before the annual Tri-State Invitational Dec. 15-16 at North Idaho College.

“Especially that first couple of weeks, it’s going to be a tough start to the season,” Reardon said. “Toppenish is one of the top teams around, and then turning around to wrestle at Tri-State will really test our kids. But it’s also going to be a good challenge and have them used to wrestling tough matches and changing gears a little bit.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.