Blue Hawk grapplers compete in Sandpoint

Blue Hawk Wrestling Club members hit the mats Saturday at the Panhandle Championships in Sandpoint. The Panhandle meet represents the end of the season for most of the club, but several team members have a few more important meets to wrestle in.

With wrestlers from all over the Pacific Northwest competing, Blue Hawk Middle School wrestler Trae Thilmony was the only Falls wrestler to win best of class in Sandpoint in the 102 pound division.

Spur Ryan (second at 97 pounds), Elijah Ratliff (second at 102), Shane Reishus (third at 119) and Max Hannum (fifth at 119) also all competed in the Middle School class at Sandpoint.

Club coach Mike Thilmony said all five Blue Hawk Middle School grapplers will now compete in the Bigfoot Battle at the Spokane Convention Center Saturday. Coach Thilmony, who has taken grapplers to the Bigfoot Battle before, says the meet is one of the toughest of its kind in the United States.

“This is one of the bigger tournaments of the season and attracts wrestlers from all over the western U.S.,” he said. “Each kid hopes to place in the top six but that is very hard to do in this tournament, the competition is pretty fierce.”

Thilmony said Hannum won best of class as an Intermediate wrestler last year but will be competing against Middle School competition at the Bigfoot for the first time this weekend.

Thilmony said Bantam wrestler Weston Block, who won second at 53 pounds in Sandpoint, will be the only other local wrestler competing in Spokane this week.

Wrestling in the Intermediate-63 pound class, Trevor Peterson won fourth place in Sandpoint, Isaiah Sprecher placed sixth in the Intermediate-67 division, and Andrew Sundstrom did not place at 84 pounds.

Paul Sundstrom won third place in the Novice-63 class.

Among the Bantams, Lane Thilmony won sixth place in the A division of the 49 pound class, Easton Helvey won fifth at 62, Tristan Kelly took fifth at 53, Noah Sprecher won third at 49 and Mason Bartlett sixth at 49.

In the pre-Bantam division where everyone competes at 43 pounds, Jase Kelly won second place, Cannon Helvey sixth, and Hartleigh Block and Weston Haun competed but did not place.