(GENO LUDWIG/Chewelah Independent)

Kaden Krouse and Jake Jeanneret were Chewelah’s two state champions at Mat Classic this year. (Mickey Olson photos)

Krouse and Jeanneret win state titles…

Seven Chewelah Cougar wrestlers will weigh-in a little heavier this week, not just because the season is over and they can now pig-out on the types and amounts of food they have restricted themselves from for the past three months, but because they will all be wearing state tournament medals around their necks.

The Cougars returned from the Tacoma Dome with two state championships, three third-place medals, a fourth place medal, a sixth-place medal, and a third place team trophy from this year’s state wrestling championships. The Chewelah septet won 29 bouts and scored 152.5 team points to finish third behind Tonasket and Lake Roosevelt out of the 45 class-B schools sending competitors to the tournament. This was Chewelah’s highest-ever finish in the team standings at the tournament.

“Coming into this year, I felt I had a unique group of wrestlers that could really do something special,” said Coach Tim Slater. “I believed if we took care of business, we would be in the top five. I’ve been with this senior group since they were freshmen. I am proud of the way they have grown and developed. Winning state medals to cap off their careers is a bonus, a validation of all their hard work and growth. I am proud of everyone who helped us achieve this monumental accomplishment.”

Kaden Krouse won his second state championship in the 170-pound weight division with an 8-3 decision, and Jake Jeanneret followed with an 11-4 decision in the 182-pound weight class championship. It was the first time that Chewelah has had two state champions since 2002 when Seth Weatherman and Phil Eggleston earned first-place medals. Krouse is a sophomore and Jeanneret is a junior, so they will both return to defend their state championships at next year’s Mat Classic.

Several Chewelah wrestlers brough home medals for the Cougars. (Mickey Olson photo)

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Lady Cougars finish season with 12-12 record, wins over 1A schools…

An extended basketball season came to an end for the Chewelah girls when they were defeated 49-22 by fourth-ranked Northwest Christian in a loser-out game at the district tournament at West Valley last Thursday.

It was not a winning season, but it was not a losing season for the Lady Cougars who finished even at 12-12 with a shorthanded roster—two girls on crutches, and one in a leg brace—which made a big difference in the second half of the season. Yet, there were some big wins early in the season, like the ones over class-1A Newport and Riverside.

It was a low scoring Thursday night for Chewelah, the second-lowest of the season with only 22 points being posted on the scoreclock, and Bailey Smith had over half of those with a 12-point performance. The Lady Cougars totaled only 10 points in the opening half and 12 after halftime. It was a dribble and pass night as no one seemed to want to take open shots. More

(GENO LUDWIG/Chewelah Independent)

Baldwin leads Chewelah in final two district games…

The Chewelah Cougars used five three-pointers in the second half to distance themselves from Davenport on Thursday night on the way to a 49-33 district tournament victory. With the score tied at 26 apiece midway through the third period, the Cougar trio of Jaron Baldwin, Carl Oman and Nick Franks drained shots from behind the arc to give Chewelah a 34-26 lead by the end of the period. Franks and Baldwin both hit again from long range in the final period and the Cougars notched a 16-point win.

It was another classic Cougar second-half finish like those recent rallies that conquered Northwest Christian, Reardan, and Kettle Falls. Those last two tournament triumphs gave Chewelah a winning season as they went into Friday’s game against Colfax with a 13-11 record. They have won six of their last seven games. More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

Zags first team in college basketball up to 25 wins…

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have moved up to the No. 2 spot in the national rankings, notching six first-place votes in the AP poll. This happened after Gonzaga downed Loyola Marymount and San Diego in WCC play last week.

No. 1 Duke has lost to Gonzaga (89-87 in the Maui Invitational championship in November), and moved back into the first-place spot after Tennessee lost over the weekend. Gonzaga is also the first team in college basketball to get to 25 wins on the season.

Duke is 23-2 on the year, while No. 3 Virginia, coached by former WSU coach Tony Bennett is 22-2.

The Vols dropped to No. 5 while the team that beat them, Kentucky, moved to No. 4. See the full story here.