Wrestling powerhouse reaches new heights with its first Rollie Lane championship
Kuna stands as one of Idaho’s perennial high school wrestling powerhouses with four state championship banners, including last year’s from the 4A classification. But the Kavemen set a new benchmark Saturday.
Kuna won the first Rollie Lane Invitational team title in program history, riding four placers to the top of the podium at the Ford Idaho Center. The Kavemen racked up 189 points to finish 17.5 points ahead of Post Falls and bring home its first golden Rollie Lane trophy.
“A couple classes before us used to called themselves the Dream Team,” Kuna junior Hunter Mitchell said. “So I guess we have that bragging right now.”
Post Falls and out-of-state teams have ruled Rollie Lane for the past decade as it has grown into one of the largest tournaments in the Northwest. But Kuna returned the title to the Treasure Valley for the first time since Columbia won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
“It’s satisfying to have it in our backyard and to win it,” Kuna coach Pat Owens said. “We had a decent performance. Our team in general, it kind of feels like they didn’t perform to the best of their ability. And I guess right now that’s a good thing.
“We won the tournament, but I feel like we have a lot higher ceiling than that.”
Mitchell won Kuna’s only individual title, rallying to win the 120-pound boys division. The two-time state champ trailed 7-3 entering the third period when Thunder Ridge’s Kaden Ramos (32-1) opted to let Mitchell (27-1) start the period on his feet instead of the customary spot on all fours.
That decision backfired as Mitchell scored a quick take down. Then Mitchell said he was gunning for a three-point near fall to erase the deficit and ride out a one-point victory. Instead, he pinned the defending Rollie Lane champion 37 seconds into the period.
“Not to sound cocky or anything, but I’m best on my feet,” Mitchell said. “So once he picked neutral, I was like this is my time to go now.”
Kuna also received a pair of second-place finishes from Dante Roggio (138 pounds) and Preston Owens (145). And heavyweight Gavin Heindel won four matches in the consolation bracket to fight his way to a third-place finish.
Pat Owens said the depth of the Rollie Lane field prevented Kuna from racking up more spots on the podium. But the Kavemen showed they don’t have to rely on a flood of placers to earn a trophy.
“We scored a lot of points that first day,” Pat Owens said. “But ultimately our best guys are what got us this championship.”
Coeur d’Alene finished in third place with 147 points, Nampa took fourth with 138 and Lakeland rounded out the Top 5 with 137.
GIRLS DIVISION KEEPS GROWING
Rollie Lane entered a new era last year with its first separate girls division. That move paid off this weekend as turnout for the girls skyrocketed.
The tournament saw 197 girls from 52 teams compete in 11 weight classes this year, an increase from the 85 girls from 33 teams who filled out six weight classes last year.
Only four girls entered the ring in 2018, the final year girls had to compete against boys. No girls wrestled in a boys bracket this year.
Todd Cady, the tournament director, said he recruited more girls teams from Washington and Oregon this year. But he added Idaho teams sent more girls too, some even coming from small-school programs like Aberdeen, Firth and Marsing.
“Out-of-state teams and out-of-state sanctioning helps Idaho grow the sport,” Cady said. “Idaho girls have seen what’s happened nationwide. There are a lot of coaches working hard to recruit girls because there are so many wrestling opportunities after high school for them.”
Cady said his goal is to turn the Rollie Lane girls tournament into the equivalent of the Rollie Lane boys tournament — one of the largest and most prestigious in the Northwest.
THREE TREASURE VALLEY GIRLS WIN TITLES
A single Treasure Valley girl won an individual title at last year’s Rollie Lane. But three climbed the podium Saturday.
Rocky Mountain freshman Mia Furman put on a clinic to win the 116-pound bracket. She pinned all five opponents she faced during the weekend in 1 minute, 41 seconds or less. She pinned Minico’s Frankie Graham in 1:02 in the finals.
Caldwell sophomore Marissa Jimenez scored perhaps the largest upset of the tournament, knocking off Idaho Falls’ Brigid Shannon 8-6 in overtime for the 130-pound crown. Shannon was named the most outstanding female wrestler at last year’s Rollie Lane.
And Columbia senior Payton Lanningham provided a poetic finish, pinning Hailey Say of Washington’s Hanford in the second round of the 143-pound final.
Lanningham first competed at Rollie Lane as a freshman in 2017, winning a single match against the boys before getting eliminated. Cady created the girls division at Rollie Lane so athletes like Lanningham could have a chance to compete, but she missed last year’s tournament with a broken foot.
After starting as one of the only girls in the tournament, Lanningham said she never could have imagined 197 taking the mat four short years later.
“We went from like 80-something (last year) to 200-something this year,” Lanningham said. “That’s a huge growth. It’s really cool. Good for all these girls.”
Hanford won the girls team title with 143 points, 27 points ahead of Washington’s Pasco. Caldwell finished third at 72, and Kuna was right behind in fourth place with 71 points.
The meet’s coaches voted Jimenez the most outstanding girls lightweight wrestler. Lanningham won the honor for the meet’s best girls heavyweight.
DRAMATIC FINISH AT 98 POUNDS
The tournament’s most controversial finish started the championship round as Nampa freshman Dedrick Navarro scored a last-second, 5-4 victory over Boise sophomore Lucas Kanownik.
Navarro (18-1) trailed by two points before pulling within one with an escape with 16 seconds left. He then took Kanownik (14-1) to the mat as time expired, but the referees originally ruled the takedown too late.
Two referee meetings eventually overturned the decision, avenging his only loss of the season and awarding Navarro the 98-pound title in his first appearance at Rollie Lane.
“I knew I had that back ankle, so I just let the coaches fight it,” Navarro said. “Let them deal with it, not me.”
RIOS EARNS FIRST ROLLIE LANE TITLE
Columbia’s Angel Rios has experienced plenty of heartbreaking results on the mat, losing the last two state championships by a combined three points.
But he left nothing up to chance Saturday, scoring takedown after takedown en route to a 13-5 decision over Gooding’s Tayten Gillette for the 152-pound title.
Rios (30-2) has slowly climbed the podium at Rollie Lane each year, finishing fourth as a freshman, third as a sophomore and second as a junior until he finally took the top spot as a senior.
HASTRITER BREAKS THROUGH
After a third-place finish at state last year, Capital junior Charley Hastriter established himself as a state favorite by rolling to the 220-pound title at Rollie Lane.
Hastriter (13-2) knocked off No. 1 seed Cortland Horton of Eagle in the semifinals with an 8-1 decision. Then he followed by pinning American Falls’ Wyatt Kearn, the No. 2 seed, in 2:24.
Rollie Lane Invitational
Friday-Saturday
Ford Idaho Center, Nampa
GIRLS TEAM SCORES (TOP 20)
1, Hanford 143. 2, Pasco 116. 3, Caldwell 72. 4, Kuna 71. 5, Ontario 70. 6, Columbia 69. 7, Nyssa 65. 8, Walla Walla 55. 9, Chiawana 54. 9, Timberline 54.
11, Homedale 45. 11, Rocky Mountain 45. 13, Idaho Falls 44.5. 14, Baker 44. 15, Payette 39. 16, McQueen 38. 17, Lakeland 36. 18, Post Falls 35. 18, Vale 35. 20, La Grande 34. 20, Moscow 34.
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
101 pounds: 1, Skyla Zimmerman, Moscow. 2, Kadence Beck, Orofino. 3, Mariah Hinojosa, Pasco. 4, Delia Gulzow, La Grande. 5, Jayla Martin, Caldwell. 6, Samantha del Fierro, Timberline.
109: 1, Kayla Vail, Bonneville. 2, Justice Sanchez, Pasco. 3, Wen Suko, Lakeland. 4, Fallon Wilkins, Clearwater Valley. 5, Nayeli Flores, Walla Walla. 6, Taylor Hood, Buhl.
116: 1, Mia Furman, Rocky Mountain. 2, Frankie Graham, Minico. 3, Sofia Correa, Pasco. 4, Arimiah Egner, Payette. 5, Lyqualah Kinsey, Pasco. 6, Sierra Gonzales, Chiawana.
123: 1, Alyssa Randles, Coeur d’Alene. 2, Aleks del Fierro, Timberline. 3, Katie Ward, McQueen. 4, Maria Gardner, Hanford. 5, Savannah Turner, Homedale. 6, Vanessa Ruiz, Nyssa.
130: 1, Marissa Jimenez, Caldwell. 2, Brigid Shannon, Idaho Falls. 3, Brelane Huber, Post Falls. 4, Kaydince Turner, Homedale. 5, Alexandrea Crow, Centennial. 6, Kaci Anderson, Baker.
136: 1, Annelise Whitaker, Walla Walla. 2, Taylor Ohlson, Mt. View (Ore.). 3, Tyler Richardson, Vale. 4, Mirina Enderlin, Hanford. 5, Selena Reyna, Hanford. 6, Mercedes Ellison, Timberline.
143: 1, Payton Lanningham, Columbia. 2, Hailey Say, Hanford. 3, Brooke Boyle, Thunder Ridge. 4, Chloe Becker, Kuna. 5, Alaysia Valverde, Caldwell. 6, Junnie Morales, Nyssa.
155: 1, Noelle Acosta, Nyssa. 2, Grace Nelson, Hanford. 3, Maria Diaz, Ontario. 4, Brittney Benavidez, Grangeville. 5, Shekinah Talamantez, Nampa. 6, Ornella Kero, Boise.
170: 1, Lana Lilley, Hanford. 2, Bailey Cole, Baker. 3, Destiny Edgecomb, Columbia. 4, Saralita Jacamo, Pasco. 5, Alyssa Mabey, Kuna. 6, Jasmin Lopez, Ontario.
191: 1, Katelynn Gelston, Hanford. 2, Brianna Hettinga, Kuna. 3, Liz Jauregui, Chiawana. 4, Emily Rhodes, Columbia. 5, Naidelin Canchola, Ontario. 6, Vanessa Nunez, Elko.
285: 1, Abigail Osei, Ontario. 2, Aiyana Luna, Ontario. 3, Erika Tovar, Pasco. 4, Shanna Archuleta, Kuna. 5, Sammy Mitchell, Idaho Falls. 6, Maritza Velazquez, Pasco.
BOYS TEAM SCORES (TOP 20)
1, Kuna 189. 2, Post Falls 171.5. 3, Coeur d’Alene 147. 4, Nampa 138. 5, Lakeland 137. 6, LaGrande 135.5. 7, Mt. View (Ore.) 134. 8, Crook County 128. 9, New Plymouth 118. 10, Pasco 104.5
11, Columbia 99.5. 12, Silverton 98. 13, Central Valley 97.5. 14, Eagle 97. 14, Nyssa 97. 16, Century 92. 17, Thunder Ridge 91. 18, American Falls 90.5. 19, Highland 88.5. 20, Redmond 86.
BOYS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
98 pounds: 1, Dedrick Navarro, Nampa. 2, Lucas Kanownik, Boise. 3, Payton Hernandez, Columbia. 4, Ezra Clemens, Fruitland. 5, Caleb Shaw, New Plymouth. 6, Grayson Williams, American Falls.
106: 1, Roddy Romero, Post Falls. 2, Tristan Bremer, Lewiston. 3, Joshua Mendoza, Timberline. 4, Simon Alberto Luna, Nampa. 5, Christopher Martino, Bishop Kelly. 6, Ben Miller, McQueen.
113: 1, Kolton Stacey, Shelley. 2, Hunter Bidelman, Caldwell. 3, Kade Orr, Buhl. 4, JaHaun Hicks, McQueen. 5, Simon Graeber, Columbia. 6, Peyton Munson, Nampa.
120: 1, Hunter Mitchell, Kuna. 2, Kaden Ramos, Thunder Ridge. 3, Kyle Rice, New Plymouth. 4, Steven Ware, Crook County. 5, Dom Jessos, Coeur d’Alene. 6, Zethery Kinterknecht, Elko.
126: 1, Q`Veli Quintanilla, Gonzaga Prep. 2, Kaden Kuenzi, Silverton. 3, Zachary Mauras, Crook County. 4, Alex Edelblute, Lakeland. 5, Ryeker Andersen, Century. 6, Lane Reardon, Post Falls.
132: 1, Kase Mauger, Twin Falls. 2, Isaiah Evans, Timberlake. 3, Isaac Jessen, Post Falls. 4, Hunter Hobbs, South Fremont. 5, Kayd Craig, Gooding. 6, Esai Castaneda, Blackfoot.
138: 1, Drew Roberts, Coeur d’Alene. 2, Dante Roggio, Kuna. 3, Riley Siegford, Lakeland. 4, Blake Beal, Skyview. 5, Tyson Clark, Madison. 6, Robert Guenther, Silverton.
145: 1, A.J. Delarosa, Post Falls. 2, Preston Owens, Kuna. 3, Beau Ohlson, Mt. View (Ore.). 4, Hunter Mode, Crook County. 5, Nolan Randles, Coeur d’Alene. 6, Kody Koumentis, Silverton.
152: 1, Angel Rios, Columbia. 2, Tayten Gillette, Gooding. 3, Elijah Cleaver, Nyssa. 4, Rhonin Edwards, Lakeland. 5, Tyson Jones, Eagle. 6, Kyle Austin, Middleton.
160: 1, Isaiah Gonzalez, Pasco. 2, Gunner Giulio, Coeur d’Alene. 3, Carson Fassett, Mt. View (Ore.). 4, Luke Chapman, Eagle. 5, Easton Millward, Century. 6, Jake Humphrey, Walla Walla.
170: 1, Riggen Cordingley, North Fremont. 2, Kaleb Smith, Meridian. 3, Parker Robinson, La Grande. 4, Colton Boettcher, Lakeland. 5, Kenon Brown, Potlatch. 6, Zuriel Angulo, Vallivue.
182: 1, Remington Winmill, Wendell. 2, Nathan Reed, La Grande. 3, Kyle Knudtson, Crook County. 4, Austin Carter, Redmond. 5, MaHonri Rushton, Baker/Powder Valley. 6, Anthony Peterson, Lowry.
195: 1, Matthew Boone, Bonneville. 2, Blake Ohlson, Mt. View (Ore.). 3, Adam Simpson, Nyssa. 4, Christopher Woodworth, La Grande. 5, Gable Watson, Centennial. 6, Abe Turpen, Capital.
220: 1, Charley Hastriter, Capital. 2, Wyatt Kearn, American Falls. 3, Bryan Cuthbertson, Sherwood. 4, Bryan Flores, Nyssa. 5, Greg Gissel, Fruitland. 6, Cortland Horton, Eagle.
285: 1, Braxton Mikesell, Central Valley. 2, Damian Silva, Pasco. 3, Gavin Heindel, Kuna. 4, Colin Mercer, Central Valley. 5, Josiah Lara, Skyview. 6, Sam Feusier, Lakeland.
This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 10:07 PM.
