COEUR d’ALENE — After battling through a nagging shoulder injury, Coeur d’Alene High sophomore Gunner Giulio had something else on his mind heading into the 160-pound championship match at the 49th Tri-State Invitational on Saturday night at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gym.

And once he found his chance, he didn’t miss it.

“I really saw a chance at some revenge,” Giulio said. “Last year, my second match of the year, this kid (Moses Lake’s Cain Vasquez) beat me by a 6-5 decision, and it was one of the matches I was looking forward to wrestling him again. So I knew if I got him on his back, I wasn’t letting go.”

In the rematch, Giulio took Vasquez down and notched a pin in 1 minute, 39 seconds, winning his first Tri-State title.

“Wrestling’s just a grind,” said Giulio, seventh at Tri-State last year. “All of this is a grind until the state tournament, and you’ve just got to keep grinding no matter what. This is the type of competition we need to win a state tournament, so we’ll be better for it.”

“He’s just so explosive on those shots,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat said. “He’s not in tip-top shape yet, and is going to keep getting better and better. I’m really happy that he beat that kid. All of our kids wrestled really well.”

Last year, Post Falls junior Isaac Jessen was seventh. This year, Jessen was the lone individual champion for the Trojans — but it turned out to be a big win.

“It was very nerve wracking,” Jessen said. “It was my first time in the finals and this tournament is amazing with how many teams come here, and the image of it.”

Jessen, who finished seventh at Tri-State in 2018, beat Hunter White of Moses Lake 7-3 in the 132-pound championship match.

“He’s an awesome kid,” Post Falls coach Pete Reardon said. “He’s just a hard worker and he’s a machine, man. He’s the kind of kid, that when he gets nervous, he gets a little more intense, and he ups his game. I knew he’d go out and wrestle hard.”

Speaking of endings, heading into the finals, four teams had a shot at the team title.

This year, it was Post Falls — by the slimmest of margins — emerging with 176 points for the team title, followed by Mead (174.5), Granger (173) and Moses Lake (170).

Granger, from south-central Washington in Yakima County, could have won the team title, but its wrestler at 220 pounds lost to a Lake Stevens wrestler to give the title to the Trojans.

“It’s tough when it’s close like that,” said Reardon, whose Trojans won Tri-State in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and was second in 2016 and 2018. “There’s so many variables, and you don’t know what’s going to happen. When you’re wrestling, you can handle what’s going on.”

Other Trojan placers included: Roddy Romero (third at 106 pounds), A.J. De La Rosa (fifth at 145), Ethan Miller (sixth at 152), Tyler Cook (sixth at 220), Lane Reardon (seventh at 126), Isaiah Laguna (seventh at 182) and Braxton Mason (eighth at 120).

“Every single title is sweet and an accomplishment,” Reardon said. “This one might be the sweetest with how we got it done. We really didn’t pick this group to compete here and win this. It’s easy to think that we’re Post Falls and we’re in the hunt to win this thing. And that’s not what happened this weekend. We could have placed anywhere in the top 10 — anywhere — and the kids put together a great weekend of wrestling to get it done.”

Coeur d’Alene junior Drew Roberts captured his second-straight Tri-State title after winning as a sophomore at University.

“I think last year, the bracket was tougher overall,” Roberts said. “There’s going to be tough guys almost every time you go out on the mat, so you’ve just got to be ready to battle and put on a show.”

Roberts beat East Valley’s Avery Sundheim 10-4 in the 138-pound final.

“He’s a great wrestler and does his thing,” said Moffat, who is also Roberts’ uncle. “Other guys, they might be content losing by eight or nine, so some of the time it’s tough for him to just wrestle. He had a tight one in the semifinals, but he keeps his composure so well that he never doubts himself. In the finals, he just took care of business.”

Christian Paniagua (fifth at 98), Hunter Schueller (sixth at 132) and Nolan Randles (sixth at 145) placed for Coeur d’Alene.

Lakeland senior Colton Boettcher knew that if he wanted to be among the best of the best, he’d have to grind away whenever he had the chance.

“I did a lot of offseason wrestling and it came out the other side today,” Boettcher said. “It was awesome. As soon as I got out on the mat, the stress of the match kind of went away.”

Boettcher beat Potlatch’s Kenon Brown 7-5 in the 170-pound championship match.

“He’s been working hard in the wrestling room and really been dedicated this season,” Lakeland coach Rob Edelblute said. “I know Tri-State was one of those goals this year. Last week, he should have been in the finals last week, but got caught. Today, he was focused, wanted it bad, and went and got it. He’s got that mentality that he’s worked his tail off, he deserves it, and is wrestling to his potential.”

Riley Siegford (fourth at 138), Alex Edelblute (sixth at 126), Rhonin Edwards (fifth at 152) and Matt Williams (eighth at 98) placed for Lakeland, which finished 11th.

Caden Hess (fourth at 113), Seth Nutting (fifth at 170) and Mahlon Clark (sixth at 195) placed for Lake City, which finished 12th.

Timberlake’s Joey Follini was seventh at 182.

Granger’s Abel Nava was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler following a win in the 126-pound championship.

TEAM SCORES — 1, Post Falls 176. 2, Mead 174.5. 3, Granger 173. 4, Moses Lake 170. 5, Mt. Spokane 155. 6, Chiawana 151. 7, Crook County 136. 8, Coeur d’Alene 135.5. 9 (tie), La Grande, Lake Stevens 133. 11, Lakeland 104. 12, Lake City 101. 13, Othello 83. 14, Frenchtown 81.5. 15, University 76. 16, Timberlake 75. 17, Lewiston 73. 18, Tonasket 67. 19, Auburn Riverside 63.5. 20, Hermiston 60.5. 21, Skyview 59. 22, Kamiakin 55. 23 (tie), Darrington, Liberty (Spangle) 54. 25 (tie), East Valley, Gonzaga Prep 46.5. 27, Bonners Ferry 46. 28, Reardan 45.5. 29 (tie), Meadowdale, Potlatch 45. 31, Central Valley 44. 32 (tie), Lakeside, North Central 43. 34, Riverside 42. 35, Kelso 41.5. 36 (tie), Kennedy Catholic, Deer Park, 40. 38, Ferris 39. 39 (tie), Colville, Medical Lake, Sentinel 37. 42, Crook County No. 2 33. 43, Vashon Island, 31. 44, Royal 30. 45, Pullman 29.5. 46, Jenkins (Chewelah) 29. 47 (tie), Eatonville, Rocky Mountain 28. 49, Newport 25.5. 50, Libby 25. 51 (tie), Shadle Park, Kellogg 24. 53, Mary Walker 17. 54, Glacier Peak 16. 55, Moscow 14. 56 (tie), Freeman, Liberty Bell 13. 58, Lake Roosevelt 9. 59, Priest River 6. 60, Polson 0.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

98 — Landen Stewart, Frenchtown, p. Nolan Crosby, Mt. Spokane, :27. 106 — Oscar Alvarez, Granger, d. Tristan Beamer, Lewiston, 9-2. 113 — Jonathan Tanguma, Moses Lake, d. Eli Warner, Frenchtown, 5-1. 120 — Kenndyl Mobley, North Central, d. Nathan Gregory, Deer Park, 4-3. 126 — Abel Nava, Granger, p. Zachary Mauras, Crook County, 2:59. 132 — Isaac Jessen, Post Falls, d. Hunter White, Moses Lake, 7-3. 138 — Drew Roberts, Coeur d’Alene, d. Avery Sundheim, East Valley, 10-3. 145 — Ky Haney, Mt. Spokane, d. Robby Vaughn, Chiawana, 3-1. 152 — Joel Chavez, Kamiakin, d. Rylan Anderson, Reardan, 2-1. 160 — Gunner Giulio, Coeur d’Alene, p. Cruz Vasquez, Moses Lake, 1:39. 170 — Colton Boettcher, Lakeland, d. Kenon Brown, Potlatch, 7-5. 182 — Kyle Knudston, Crook County, d. Nathan Reed, La Grande, 7-4. 195 — Isaiah Anderson, Chiawana, d. Johnny Franke, Darrington, 10-5. 220 — Jacob Vincent, Lake Stevens, d. Gage Cook, Granger, 5-2. 285 — Isaiah Perez, Othello, p. Josiah Lara, Skyview, 4:18.

THIRD-FOURTH PLACE

98 — Jeremiah Martinez, Moses Lake p. Skylar Zimmerman, Moscow, 1:16. 106 — Roddy Romero, Post Falls, d. Jason Franklin, University, 2-0. 113 — Jarret Sharp, Mt. Spokane, d. Caden Hess, Lake City, 5-2. 120 — Zach Lopez, Shadle Park, d. Jacob Carr, Mt. Spokane, 3-0. 126 — Chase Randall, Mead, p. Jaden Cassel, Auburn Riverside, 2:48. 132 — Ramiro Jimenez, Granger, d. Colin Silverthorn, Tonasket, by forfeit. 138 — Blake Beal, Skyview, d. Riley Siegford, Lakeland, 7-1. 145 — Mateo De La Pena, Kennedy Catholic, d. Hunter Mode, Crook County, 4-0. 152 — Wyatt Springer, Lake Stevens, p. Casey Howerton, Mt. Spokane, :54. 160 — Riley Cissne, Chiawana, d. Diego Isiordia, Granger, 7-3. 170 — Ethan Davis, Medical Lake, d. Lucas Reuwsatt, Darrington, 5-0. 182 — Tyson Stover, Chiawana, d. Kaden Krouse, Jenkins, 5-2. 195 — Christopher Woodworth, La Grande, p. Christian Pedro, Auburn Riverside, 1:43. 220 — Spencer Gerst, La Grande, d. Elijah Roylance, Othello, 7-0. 285 — Gabe Shuckle, La Grande, d. Colby Blasdel, Chiawana, 3-1.

FIFTH-SIXTH PLACE

98 — Christian Paniagua, Coeur d’Alene, d. Aksel Espeland, Darrington, 8-6. 106 — Cole Cross, Auburn Riverside, d. Steven Zaragoza, North Central, 6-1. 113 — Jake Mark, Mead, d. Walker Dyer, Frenchtown, by injury default. 120 — Jose Toscano, Grangeer, p. Bryson Danzinger, Sentinel, 2:24. 126 — Q’Veli Quintanilla, Gonzaga Prep, d. Alex Edelblute, Lakeland, 4-2. 132 — Levi Miller, Deer Park, d. Hunter Schueller, Coeur d’Alene, 11-5. 138 — Conan Northwind, Granger, d. Ryan Clark, Mead, 7-4. 145 — A.J. De La Rosa, Post Falls, p. Nolan Randles, Coeur d’Alene, 3:41. 152 — Rhonin Edwards, Lakeland, d. Ethan Miller, Post Falls, 3-0. 160 — Shale Webb, Kelso, d. Kyler Anstrom, University, by forfeit. 170 — Seth Nutting, Lake City, d. Damon Shaw, Lewiston, 7-2. 182 — Sammy DesRoches, Riverside, d. Reuben Thill, Lewiston, 7-3. 195 — Jake Davis, Ferris, d. Mahlon Clark, Lake City, 6-2. 220 — Tyler Cook, Mead, d. Tyler Cook, Post Falls, 4-0. 285 — Charlie Harrington, Liberty (Spangle), d. Trace Franks, Mead, by injury default.

SEVENTH-EIGHTH PLACE

98 — Delia Gulzow, La Grande, p. Matt Williams, Lakeland, 1:22. 106 — Ethan Freund, Kelso, d. Theron Tate, Lake Stevens, 4-0. 113 — Jacob Hubby, Lake Stevens, d. Waylon Thomas, Tonasket, 3-1. 120 — Steven Ware, Crook County, p. Braxton Mason, Post Falls, 3:46. 126 — Lane Reardon, Post Falls, p. Gabe Smith, Pullman, 1:03. 132 — Reuben Seemann, Colville, d. Trevor Martin, Crook County, 2-0. 138 — Jin Lee, Meadowdale, d. Blake Jolma, Sentinel, 2-1. 145 — Maximus Zamora, Moses Lake, p. Hunter Williams, Central Valley, 3:39. 152 — Trey Thompson, Libby, d. Benjamin Sather, Crook County No. 2, 5-3. 160 — Brandon Poe, Lake Stevens, p. Aedyn Wynecoop, Gonzaga Prep, 2:56. 170 — Connor Larsen, University, md. Matt Kirkwood, Newport, 11-3. 182 — Joey Follini, Timberlake, d. Ethan Pedro, Auburn Riverside, 5-2. 195 — Isaiah Laguna, Post Falls, p. Sam Walker, Mead, 1:55. 220 — Sam Cadenas, Hermiston, d. Jonathan Lee, Hermiston, 4-3. 285 — Nicholas Schurger, Mary Walker, p. Wyatt Hall, Lake Stevens, 1:41.