TERHARK CUP: Mario super in Cup clinch
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 10 years, 11 months AGO
<p>Coeur d'Alene High School's Jake Lunceford, lower, struggles in a hold from Lake City's Zion Dixon on Wednesday during the 285-pound wrestling match at LCHS. Dixon won by pin in the second period.</p>
<p>Referee Ryan Wood signals two points for Coeur d'Alene High School's Jordan Dean, behind, after taking down his opponent, Lake City High's Ron Schmidt, on Wednesday during the 220-pound wrestling match for the TerHark Cup at Lake City High.</p>
By BRUCE BOURQUIN
COEUR d'ALENE - With the annual TerHark Cup dual hanging in the balance, Mario Peregrina stepped up when the Coeur d'Alene Vikings needed him to the most Wednesday at Lake City.
Like a patient predator waiting to pounce on its prey, Peregrina quickly went for the pin within the first minute of his 138-pound match against Lake City's David Rusche. With Coeur d'Alene up just 33-31, a win by decision by Rusche would have clinched it for the Timberwolves.
Instead, Peregrina's pin at the :58 mark won the Vikings its 13th straight TerHark Cup and 14th overall, 39-31. The trophy is named after Ron TerHark, a former wrestling coach and teacher who founded the Coeur d'Alene High wrestling program in the 1960s.
"Just knowing that you're the last match and your team's relying on you to get the win, it felt pretty good to get it," Peregrina said. "I was ready for him if he tried to throw."
It was the match that appeared to have favored Coeur d'Alene going in, with the two-time state qualifier Peregrina matching up with Rusche.
"You're sending an experienced kid out there in Mario Peregrina," Coeur d'Alene coach Jeff Moffat said. "He's wrestled his whole life. If you're going to send a kid out there, with the match on the line, he's as good as anybody to send out there because he's wrestled so hard."
The Timberwolves never led the entire match, but trailed by just three points, 27-24, after the 11th out of 15 matches, after Dylan Woodworth of Lake City won the 113-pound match, 3-2, over Mike Bingham of Coeur d'Alene.
But Anthony Price of the Vikings at 120 pinned Brandon Badilla of the Timberwolves at 1:24 to give Cd'A a 33-24 lead. But Lake City's Chase Lathim won a major decision at 126 over the Vikings' Hunter Northington, then Timberwolf Nate Lambert beat Chase Baca 2-1 at 132, setting up the final showdown between Peregrina and Rusche.
On Jan. 10, Lake City beat Coeur d'Alene for the first time since 2002, 38-37, at the River City Duals at Post Falls. Last season, Coeur d'Alene won the TerHark Cup, 51-15.
"I knew it was going to come down to the final match," Lake City coach Corey Owen said. "This group of kids I have right now, they work hard every day and when you're willing to do that, you get better every day. Those kids I have who are seniors, eight of them, have gotten better every year."
One of those seniors has been Zion Dixon, who pinned Jake Lunceford in the heavyweight match at 3:27.
"We're definitely getting better," Dixon said. "We're competing better. It was a good feeling (beating Coeur d'Alene on Jan. 10). Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way we wanted to. I went out and gave it my all."
The start of the match was held an hour after school was dismissed, in part so that more students could show up to cheer their teams on.
"That's how a rivalry should be," Moffat said. "People need to come out and watch this wrestling match. This is as big a crowd we've had in years and it was exciting. I'd like to see it be part of the (Fight for the) Fish. Who said this has to be basketball? It's not written in stone anywhere. People want to get excited, come and watch a wrestling match. This is the best team Lake City's had in years. We knew it was going to be close. The kids found a way to win. Every kid we sent out there wrestled hard and every kid Lake City sent out there wrestled hard."
Both teams will wrestle on Friday and Saturday at the North Idaho Rumble at Coeur d'Alene High.
145 - Drew Gorringe, Cd'A d. Michael Carr, 8-2. 152 - Killian Konda, LC, d. Brayden Minas, 9-3. 160 - Colton Johnson, Cd'A, p. Cory Fachar, 1:59. 170 - Corey Cook, LC, p. Anthony Reimer, 1:34. 182 - Vince Rey, Cd'A, p. Cory Dan, 3:16. 195 - Isaiah Skinner, Cd'A, p. Alex Williams, 3:10. 220 - Jordan Dean, Cd'A d. Ron Schmidt, 13-7. 285 - Zion Dixon, LC, p. Jake Lunceford, 3:27. 98 - Kieron Ove, LC, via forfeit. 106 - Kaleb Maciosek, Cd'A, d. Mike Kelley, 5-0. 113 - Dylan Woodworth, LC, d. Mike Bingham, 3-2. 120 -Anthony Price, Cd'A, p. Brandon Badilla, 1:24. 126 - Chase Lathim, LC, md. Hunter Northington, 10-2. 132 - Nathan Lambert, LC, d. Chase Baca 2-1. 138 - Mario Peregrina, p. David Rusche, :58.aa