Chiefs place two at Tri-State

COEUR d' ALENE - Moses Lake was hoping to make a strong statement at the 40th annual Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d' Alene over the weekend after dropping a close match at home to No. 3 state ranked Sunnyside Dec. 11.

But the Chiefs were only able to place two wrestlers at the event that brings together some of the best talent in the Northwest.

Cooper McCullough (98lbs.) was the highest finisher for Moses Lake, taking third place with a 5-1 record in his weight class.

"Cooper met up with a kid from Kelso in the semifinal round, but lost by a 5-4 decision. The match  was tied with five seconds to go, but an escape was earned and he lost," coach Jamie Garza said. "I was really hoping Cooper's match would have gone into overtime because he had taken his opponent down. But he came back to win two matches in a row and secure a third place finish. I was pleased with his performance and look forward seeing Cooper compete at a high level."

Trey Long (106) was the other Moses Lake wrestler who placed at the two-day tournament.

"Trey recorded a 5-3 record to earn 6th place," Garza said. "He doesn't say much, but gets the job done. Trey's confidence is starting to rise, and he is becoming more comfortable in the neutral position.

Garza said most of the Chiefs performed well in Coeur d' Alene, but unfortunately, were unable to finish in the top eight at the event.

"We had several wrestlers wrestle well, most notably Clayton Clark who was  one match out of placing at 106," he said. "Jordan Lacelle wrestled well too, but had a  tough draw. His first opponent was a No.1 seed, and he lost another match to a  foe who was a runner-up last year in the 4A state tournament."

Moses Lake finished 22nd out of 64 schools, with 63 total team points. Hermiston was first with 222, Kuna, second with 205, and Mead, third with 169.5

The Chiefs take to the mat Dec. 28 and 29, when Moses Lake travels to Pullman for the Battle at Beasley at Washington State University.