Therrien wrestling state champion, Badgers finish 5th and 12th

NAMPA — Freshman Neveah Therrien (107) claimed the Idaho State Wrestling Championship title for her weight class on Feb. 25 and is the first girl to take first at the state for the Bonners Ferry Badgers.

Coach Travis Stolley said Therrien was the third seed going into the competition.

“She performed like we expected her to. We know she has the potential,” he said.

Therrien went on to pin her way through the championship taking on girls from across classifications.

Stolley said Therrien’s performance was impressive and exemplifies what he and the coaching staff hope for all Badger wrestlers.

“It’s not all about wins and losses, but improving every practice and every week,” he said.

Girls wrestling was first sanctioned in Idaho in 2021-22 and for districts and the state championship classification based on school size and student enrollment is not taken into consideration. This means the state champion for girls is for all of Idaho and not exclusively for 5A or another school classification like boys wrestling.

Also for Bonners Ferry, Savannah Rickter placed fourth and is now a two-time state placer. Rickter got a wrestler on her back and nearly pinned her, but then got pinned herself. She went on to the consolation round and in the third and fourth place match suffered a concussion.

First-year wrestler and junior Lindsay Onstott took sixth. Onstott fell early to a familiar opponent in Cara Brown from Coeur d’Alene High School and battled her way back to place.

Stolley said it was awesome to see Onstott perform so well, since she is new to wrestling. He noted her confidence improved since the beginning of the season.

Badger girls wrestling finished fifth with only four girls taking part in the tournament — and missed taking home a state trophy by one point. The top four girls wrestling teams were from 5A and 4A schools. Badger girls wrestling will not be graduating any athletes and hopes to return with an even stronger team with more incoming freshmen.

For the boys, junior Brandon Williams (113) took third and is now a two-time state placer. Williams faced familiar opponent Paul Sundstrom from Timberlake in the third and fourth place. Williams and Sundstrom competed against each other several times throughout the season.

Senior Marcus Regher (160) took fifth place for the Badgers and is also a two-time state placer. Stolley said Regher competed in a stacked weight class and battled through the season after an injury.

Senior Porter Blackmore (145) did not place.

“Porter is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever met,” Stolley said. “Not many people can keep up with him.”

Senior Donnie Riess (285) did not place, but took sixth at the 2022 state championship. In the first match, Riess threw his opponent twice. Stolley said things were looking good for Riess, but ultimately he lost the match.

“Donnie is one of the nicest kids you could meet,” Stolley said. “Everyone looks up to him. He is quiet, respected and works hard.”

Overall all the Badger boys finished in 12th place with 13 wrestlers qualifying for state.

The Badgers had many freshman wrestlers at the state competition. Stolley said it was an experience for young wrestlers to get matches and see what it takes to compete and exceed at the state competition.

The wrestling teams thanked the bus driver for traveling with them and keeping them safe on the road.

Bonners Ferry Wrestling Club’s spring season is kicking off. Spring Freestyle/Greco wrestling has begun. Practices are Mondays and Wednesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Practices will revert to early time once gym space opens up due to Bonners Ferry High School spring sports indoor practices.

For more information or to sign up, contact coaches at bonnersferrywrestlingclub@gmail.com.

TEAM SCORES — 1, Eagle 126. 2, Mountain Home 71. 3, Coeur d’Alene 64. 4, Columbia 59. 5, Bonners Ferry 58. 6, Meridian 55. 7, Rocky Mountain 53. 8, American Falls 52. 9, Boise 48. 10, Canyon Ridge 44. 11, Grace 42. 12, Filer 39. 13 (tie), Emmett, Marsh Valley 38. 15, Thunder Ridge 36.5. 16, Lewiston 36.5. 17, Caldwell 34. 18 (tie), Bonneville, Payette 32. 20 (tie), Buhl, Kuna 30. 22, Rigby 29. 23 (tie), Moscow, Ririe 28. 25, Capital 27. 26, Skyline 26. 27, Potlatch 25. 28, Lake City 23. 29 (tie), Mountain View, Post Falls 22. 31, Burley 21. 32 (tie), Garden Valley, Salmon 20. 34, Sandpoint 19. 35 (tie), Century, Highland (Craigmont), Owyhee, Preston 18. 39 (tie), Borah, Weiser 16. 41, Hillcrest 15. 42 (tie), Middleton, Pocatello 14. 44, West Jefferson 13. 45, New Plymouth 12.5. 46 (tie), McCall-Donnelly, Minico 11. 49 (tie), Fruitland, Kellogg, Lakeland, Nampa, St. Maries 7. 54 (tie), Malad, Twin Falls 6. 56 (tie), Snake River, Timberline, West Side 5. 59 (tie), Leadore, Vallivue 4. 61 (tie), Bear Lake, Blackfoot, Challis, Glenns Ferry, Gooding, Idaho Falls, South Fremont, Timberlake 3. 69, Priest River 2. 70 (tie), Centennial, Tri-Valley 1. 72 (tie), Homedale, Madison, Soda Springs, Teton, Wendell 0.

BONNERS FERRY RESULTS

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

107 — Nevaeh Therrien, Bonners Ferry (25-5), p. Livia Briggs, Meridian (25-4), 5:03.

THIRD-FOURTH PLACE

165 — Riana Walter, Canyon Ridge (40-9), d. Savannah Rickter, Bonners Ferry (26-4), by injury default.

FIFTH-SIXTH PLACE

152 — Liliana Montufar, Rigby (27-14), d. Lindsey Onstott, Bonners Ferry (19-17), 14-7.

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Semifinals

152 — Hallie Campbell, Columbia, p. Lindsey Onstott, Bonners Ferry, 2:07.

165 — Savannah Rickter, Bonners Ferry, p. Emma Schneider, Capital, 4:33.

3A BOYS RESULTS

TEAM SCORES — 1, South Fremont 309.5. 2, Fruitland 241. 3, Buhl 223. 4, American Falls 184. 5, Snake River 183. 6, Weiser 143.5. 7, Sugar-Salem 119.5. 8, Marsh Valley 107.5. 9, Teton 98.5. 10, McCall-Donnelly 86. 11, Timberlake 77. 12, Bonners Ferry 63. 13, Gooding 58. 14, Payette 53. 15, Homedale 43.5. 16, Kimberly 17. 17, Parma 8. 18, Filer 4.

BONNERS FERRY RESULTS

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

THIRD-FOURTH PLACE

113 — Brandon Williams, Bonners Ferry (33-11), d. Paul Sundstrom, Timberlake (18-9), 8-6.

FIFTH-SIXTH PLACE

160 — Marcus Regehr, Bonners Ferry (29-4), p. Willie Sudderth, Weiser (38-17), 2:13.

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Semifinals

113 — Paul Sundstrom, Timberlake, d. Charlie Nevarez, Weiser, 7-0; Brandon Williams, Bonners Ferry, p. Zan Parker, Buhl, 2:55.

160 — Dillon Gneiting, South Fremont, p. Marcus Regehr, Bonners Ferry, 1:34.