GSL excels at face-off

After Greater Spokane 4A wrestlers earned just 15 state berths to state last season – when there were only three berths per weight – coaches weren’t sure how they’d fare this year.

During the regional tournament at University High on Saturday, they had their answer.

The GSL is back.

League wrestlers put more than last year’s entire state total into the finals alone. Thirty-two, including eight regional champions among 17 finalists, are headed to Mat Classic next weekend.

“Our league as a whole wrestled terrific,” said U-Hi coach Don Owen, whose team placed second in the tournament by a mere two points. “We went over our expectations.”

One is Lewis and Clark 125-pounder Trevor Powell, who handed two-time state finalist Brian Owen of U-Hi his first loss this season.

Their match was one of the highlights on a day when so much of what transpired almost overshadowed the finals.

That wasn’t the case for Pasco of the Columbia Basin League, which had four champions to erase a 10-point deficit and beat U-Hi’s Titans 185.5 points to 183.5.

Or at 125, where Powell, in three overtime rounds, earned an escape for a 4-3 victory.

Powell led 2-0 with an early reversal before Owen tied the match with a pair of escapes to force a dramatic conclusion.

Each had an escape in extra time to force a sudden-death round.

“I don’t think he’s too upset that it was me,” said Powell after handing Owen his first season blemish. “I’m ranked right up there with him. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if I saw him in the state finals.”

Powell, 27-4, was third in state last year. He had lost to Owen twice this season. In district finals, it was by a last-second 3-2 score.

U-Hi had five finalists and 11 state qualifiers.

Pasco advances 10 and Moses Lake nine.

There were several late comebacks that either propelled wrestlers to the finals or to last-chance wins for state, and U-Hi had its share in sending its largest contingent after finishing third in league during the dual season.

Brian Owen was a lock, said his uncle, Don, who also figured Anthony Rivera would be, too, had he not re-injured an elbow and defaulted out of regional. But from 135 through 285, one Titan after another won necessary matches to continue their season.

Among them was Titans freshman Ryan Zumwalt (130), who upset two-time state placer George Mendez of Pasco 5-2 in overtime with a near fall cradle to make the finals.

“I thought we’d get four or five kids and was hoping against hope for 10 coming into the tournament,” Don Owen said.

Mead put three wrestlers into the finals – Philip Smith at 119, Drew Comito at 160 and Jordan Greco at 171 – and all three won titles.

Anthony Varnell made it two titles for LC’s Tigers.

U-Hi’s Brad Peterson (285), Central Valley’s Josh Renfro (152) and Gonzaga Prep’s Kevin Healy were the other GSL champions.

Surprise CV champion Renfro got a takedown with 3 seconds left in his semifinal to win 8-6. In the championship, it took a takedown with 12 seconds left to assure victory.

“I can’t even describe it,” said Renfro of being CV’s only champ among seven state qualifiers. “It was amazing. I was just hoping to make it to regionals and I got a lot farther than that.”

Mead wrestled so poorly last week at district, with only one finalist, that coach Phil McLean said he didn’t anticipate having three champions and four state qualifiers.

“It looked like they got rid of the doubt and opened up and wrestled,” McLean said.

That district finalist, Smith, won regional 7-5 in overtime and said afterward, “Oh, my goodness. I didn’t even make it to state last year.”

Comito won 5-3 over U-Hi’s Danny Jordan in the last of four all-GSL wrestler title matches, after being awarded a late stall point then getting a takedown.

Greco followed with a 4-3 victory.

“We wrestled very well this tournament,” Greco said. “All in all, we had a great tournament.”

G-Prep had four finalists including Matt Lynch (285), who trailed 9-0 before a head-and-arm pin advanced him to the finals. He lost an 8-0 final to U-Hi’s Peterson.

G-Prep junior Kevin Healy pinned Zumwalt in the final at 130 after trailing.