Wrestling notebook: Mt. Spokane’s Brendan Hughes breaks through with Tri-State win

It’s not uncommon for a wrestler to move a up weight class or two between seasons, especially a younger athlete.

But Mt. Spokane sophomore Brendan Hughes has turned into a different specimen altogether in his second season with the Wildcats.

After an impressive freshman season ended with a fourth-place finish at Mat Classic at 182 pounds, Hughes spent the summer in the weight room and is dominating at 220 pounds.

“It just naturally happened, honestly, as I was bulking up for football,” Hughes said of the growth. “I knew I also had to get my conditioning a lot better than it was when I was at 182 and that was all due to my work this summer.”

The payoff for Hughes’ hard work came in the form of a Tri-State championship last weekend at North Idaho College. Hughes upended Lake Stevens senior standout Koen Mattern 4-2 to claim the championship. Mattern was second at Mat Classic last year (182 pounds in 4A).

Hughes also got the satisfaction of a rivalry victory in the semifinals, beating Mead junior Braeden Harvey with a 4-3 decision.

“This tournament gave me a good look at a lot of the guys I might see when state comes around in a few months, especially at this new weight class,” Hughes said. “I feel like I am able to wear out these bigger guys more than I was the guys at that smaller weight.”

Hughes was one of five local winners at the event – considered one of the most competitive in the region. Joining him atop the podium were University’s Czar Quintanilla (106 pounds), Mead’s Josh Neiwert (132), Pullman’s Israel Acosta (145) and Post Falls’ Seth Martin (170). It was the second Tri-State win in as many tries for Quintanilla.

Mead was the top-placing area team in second with 211.5 points, 6.5 points behind champion Bishop Kelly High School from Boise.

U-Hi’s Roberts wins in Ohio

University junior Libby Roberts claimed gold in the 110-pound bracket at the Walsh Women’s Ironman tournament on Dec. 10 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Roberts, who has breezed to two Mat Classic titles in as many trips, had three pins and one technical fall en route to the title in the 12-girl bracket.

The Walsh Ironman is an invitation-only tournament, with spots usually filled up to six months before the event takes place. Quintanilla was also invited, but did not place in the 48-man bracket at 113 pounds.

M2 Mallet set for Saturday

Rogers High School will again host the M2 Mallet on Saturday, with both boys and girls tournaments taking place.

Wrestling will start at 9 a.m. in the Rogers gym, with six mats dedicated to boys wrestling and three for the girls.

Organizers are expecting 22 boys teams and girls from 40 schools, which would be the largest girls tournament on the east side of the state this year.

This is the 29th year of the M2 Mallet.

Tickets can be purchased online at shorturl.at/DHRXY. Entrance is $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. GSL passes are not accepted for the tournament.