Hailey Roderick takes second in Springdale Tournament

Hailey Roderick was the sole athlete who representing the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague wrestling team in the Girls’ Mix and Match tournament in Springdale on Jan. 5.

Four Broncos wrestlers traveled to Springdale the next day to compete in the Springdale tournament.

Roderick, who wrestled at 135 pounds, captured her first medal after she took second place in the tournament.

In her first match, Roderick wrestled an East Valley wrestler, who she pinned in the first period. Head Coach Jason Hilzer said Roderick showcased an impressive performance against the opponent from a 2A school.

Roderick advanced to the semifinals where she wrestled a Springdale athlete. Hilzer said it was a back-and-forth wrestling match between Roderick and her opponent.

In the end, Roderick came away with a 16-14 victory to advance to the finals.

In the championship round, Roderick wrestled an athlete from Northwest Christian, who pinned her in the second period.

Hilzer said the following day of competition for the male athletes was single elimination. However, each athlete wrestled two other matches outside of their bracket.

Sean Murphy, wrestling at 126 pounds, went 2-1 for the day. In his first match, Murphy wrestled an athlete from Republic. Although Murphy was ahead in points in the third period, he lost his spot in top position, which allowed his opponent to pin him.

In his next match, Murphy rebounded from the loss and pinned his Springdale opponent in the first period.

Murphy then wrestled another athlete from Springdale, who he pinned in 30 seconds. Hilzer said he was pleased with Murphy’s effort throughout the competition.

Tristan Regan, who wrestled at 113 pounds, went 1-2 in his bracket. He lost his first match to a Colfax athlete, 4-0.

In his next match, Regan wrestled an athlete from Rainier, who he pinned in the second period. He then wrestled a NWC athlete, who pinned him in the second round.

Aarron Phelps, wrestling at 220 pounds, was 1-2. After a first round bye, he lost to a Kettle Falls opponent in the semifinals via pin.

Phelps wrestled an athlete from Colfax, who he pinned in the first period. He then faced a wrestler from Liberty, who pinned him in the third period.

Andy Ortiz, competing at 160 pounds, was 0-3 in his division. His East Valley opponent pinned him in the first period of their match.

In his second bout, Ortiz wrestled an Almira-Coulee/Hartline athlete, who pinned him in the second period.

Ortiz lost his third match to a wrestler from Republic, who pinned him in the second period.

Hilzer said the tournament was an opportunity for all five athletes to gain experience before they face league competition.

During practice, Hilzer said the Broncos will focus on working on defense, top position and escaping from the bottom. He explained there were several wrestlers who had top position during their matches and were unable to keep it.

The Broncos returned to Pomeroy on Jan. 11 to compete in the South League match. They will travel to Northwest Christian on Jan. 13 to wrestle in the Crusader Classic.

Hilzer said the league match will allow him to see where athletes are at in comparison to other wrestlers in their weight divisions. He will also help athletes refine their skills in preparation for state competition.