Badger boys wrestling sending 13 to state

BONNERS FERRY — Boys wrestling took second at the Innermountain league districts Thursday, Feb. 17, and will be sending 13 Badgers to state Saturday at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

All players that finished third or higher will go on to state next weekend. In first place were Eli Richards, Marcus Regehr, Brandon Williams and Donald “Donnie” Riess. In second place were Porter Blackmore, Cleo Henslee, Jackson Rickter and Eli Leyden. In third place were Tully Reinhardt, Dakota Heller, Logan Thorne, Josh Pinkerton and Teagan Banning.

In the semi-finals Dakota Heller (152) battled against Travis Eixenberger from Kellogg. In the second round Heller pinned his opponent with 1:09 remaining, cementing his trip to state. Heller placed third and will be going to state.

Logan Thorne (220) followed Heller's performance. Thorne performed in a back-and-forth battle and won by pin in the third round. He placed third and will be going to state.

Teigan Banning (170) wrestled against Timberlake’s Miles Handlin Banning received a slap to the face before being taken down, he rolled out and attempted an unsuccessful pin. With the score 2-2 and in the final seconds of the first round, Banning pinned his opponent and stamped his ticket to the state competition on Saturday.

In the finals, four Badgers took first and four Badgers took second. Brandon Williams (98) came in first with no contest.

Porter Blackmore (132) pinned the No. 1 seed on his way to the finals. In the final contest, he faced off Kellogg’s Tanner Williams. Blackmore went into the third round against Williams, as the crowd began chanting “Badger Power.” Blackmore gained some points, but did not rack up enough points to defeat his opponent. The round finished in the third with Kellogg winning 9-6, but Blackmore will also be making his state debut on Saturday.

In the finals, Marcus Regher (145) faced off Kellogg’s Raymond Heely. Regher was looking to throw his opponent and successfully slammed to the ground. At the end of the first round, he had scored 7-1. In the second round, Regher scored another two points, slipped out of a hold and then went on to win by pin.

Eli Leyden (160) fell to Priest River’s Bradley Bennett in the last 28 seconds of the first round. Leyden came in second and will be going to state.

Cleo Henslee (170) threw Paul Shaner of Timberlake with 50 seconds remaining in the first round. The score was 4-2, with Henslee behind. He tried to throw his opponent again, but ended up on the bottom and then was able to get to his feet and break the hold. In the third round, the wrestlers pushed off each other with their hands. Shaner dropped his hands causing Henslee to fall, he then took advantage and Henslee lost by pin, taking second.

Eli Richards (182) had his Kellogg opponent down in the first eight seconds of the match, he held him down for another 30 seconds. Richards went for a stack and it was questionable if a pin took place. The first round finished with Richards leading 7-0. Richards took first place by pinning his opponent in the first 20 seconds of the second round.

Jackson Rickter (220) faced off against Trevor Cady from Timberlake. Rickter threw Cady three times within 20 seconds in the first round. In the second, Rickter went to trip Cady for the fifth time. Cady anticipated the move and had Rickter on his back and pinned in the first minute of the second round. Rickter took second and will also be going to state.

Donald “Donnie” Riess (285) faced off against Priest River’s heavy weight. In the second round, he won by pin 31 seconds into the round. Riess placed first and is also part of the state team.

Team results — 1. Kellogg 241, 2. Bonners Ferry 220, 3. Timberlake 202,4. Priest River 189.5.

Bonners Ferry Individual results — 98- Brandon Williams, first place. 132- Porter Blackmore, second place, 2-1. 138- Tully Reinhardt, third place, 3-1, Dillion McLeish 0-2. 145- Marcus Regehr, first place, 3-0,. 152- Dakoda Heller, third place, 2-1. 160- Eli Leyden, second place 2-1. 170- Cleo Henslee, second place 1-1, Teigan Banning, third place 2-1. 182- Eli Richards, first place, 2-0. 195- Joshua Pinkerton, third place 0-1. 220- Jackson Rickter, second place 1-1. Logan Thorne, third place 1-1. 285- Donald Reiss, first place, 2-0.