THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: The grind winds into final stretch

It’s a grind. 

Sure, wrestling coaches love this kind of stuff. 

You want tougher kids when the state tournament rolls around, give them a tournament schedule that features the Tri-State Invitational at North Idaho College, then the Rollie Lane Invitational in Nampa — with more of the best teams in the state — and this weekend’s River City Duals at Post Falls High. 

Tough tests, they’re not just for the classroom around here.

COEUR d’ALENE HIGH, which beat Rocky Mountain in a dual last Thursday, was the top local finisher, placing sixth in the 93-team Rollie Lane at the Ford Idaho Center. 

“Our conditioning is really good right now,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat said. “We feel like we can go six minutes right now with our energy level. We’re still trying to figure some stuff out with some wrestle-offs for some varsity spots, but the guys are wrestling hard right now.” 

Coeur d’Alene planned to rest Gabe Larsen, who finished eighth at Rollie Lane, this weekend due to injury. 

“Injuries always play a big part in the season,” Moffat said. “You just never know what will happen and who you might have to count on. Jack Mayer did a great job filling in for Gabe (against Nampa on Thursday). We’re going to get another six guaranteed duals this weekend, so we’ll see where we’re at after this weekend.” 

While Lake City didn’t travel to Nampa, the Timberwolves finished third at the Pacific Northwest Classic last weekend at University High in Spokane Valley, with three individual champions. 

On Thursday, Lake City fell behind in a dual 31-6 to Nampa, but rallied to win 48-38. 

“Those older kids are so poised,” Lake City coach Corey Owen said. “We got down, and not a one of them thought we couldn’t win. Duncan (Morrow, at 144 pounds) got it rolling for us and the older guys came out and did what they had to do.” 

Area schools will also get a good test of where they stand during the North Idaho Rumble at Coeur d’Alene High on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. 

WITH THE varsity wrestlers in Wisconsin for The Clash duals tournament, Post Falls sent its JV lineup to Rollie Lane, finishing 26th. 

“It was the first taste of this environment for a lot of them,” said Post Falls assistant coach Dave Herndon, who coached the group at Rollie Lane. “It’s nice for them to see this kind of environment and all the wrestling they’ll see, just in case they qualify for state. Even if they didn’t wrestle the way they wanted to, they get to see what to aspire to.” 

Tristan Mendenhall, a freshman, placed eighth at 98 pounds for Post Falls. 

“Overall, I was pleased with the team’s performance,” Herndon said. “Maybe the lights got to them a little bit, but in the long run, it’s going to benefit us and them down the road. For some kids, hopefully it’s a spark to get them rolling and work to get better.” 

With Lakeland, which tied for third with Blackfoot at state last year, the Hawks are going pedal to the metal trying to improve on that team finish. 

“In the past, we’ve tapered down a little bit after Rollie, but are going to the Weiser Invitational (Feb. 7-8) this year,” Lakeland coach Will Edelblute said. “We’ll get some good competition and get ready to go for the state tournament, as well as some of those head-to-head matchups that will help with seeding.” 

This year, the 5A Region 1 tournament (previously 4A) will add Lewiston in the mix, with the top two in each weight class, as well as three wild cards statewide advancing to state Feb. 28 and March 1 at the ICCU Dome in Pocatello. 

“We dueled with them a few weeks back and were missing some guys,” Edelblute said. “They’re a tough team and they’ve been developing their guys. I was really impressed with them.” 

Lakeland beat Lewiston 50-33 in its 5A duals tournament on Dec. 28, then again 42-31 at Lewiston on Tuesday. 

Still with some backups, Lakeland isn’t backing down from the fight. 

“Our guys are willing to go in and battle,” Edelblute said. “They’re showing up and battling and starting to wrestle like varsity guys.” 

Something that any coach is proud to have this time of year. 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.