Mead edges Post Falls 35-34 to win River City Duals

Mead captured its first River City Duals title Saturday at Post Falls High, edging host Post Falls 35-34 in a dramatic championship dual at the 29th annual tournament. The narrow result masked a weekend of strong individual performances from Kootenai County schools that could shape the midseason race.

Post Falls finished runner-up after several key contributors went unbeaten. Senior Xander Scholes was perfect at 285 pounds, joined by Damion Hamilton at 165 and Colton Austin at 157 as undefeated wrestlers for the Trojans. Post Falls coach Jeremy Zender noted the importance of Scholes’ return to form after an injury-shortened football season. “Xander hurt his knee in football and it’s been a slow process so far,” Zender said. “He had a good weekend at The CLASH (in Wisconsin Jan. 2-3) and is getting more comfortable on the mat. It was really good to not see him think about his knee as he was competing. He’s one of our leaders and to see him step up like that, it was awesome.”

Coeur d’Alene posted a fourth-place finish while producing three undefeated weight-class results: Rocco White at 113 pounds, Justus Peregrina at 120 and Brock Armstrong at 190. The Bulldogs went 1-2 on the weekend and dropped their final dual to Post Falls, 45-30. “We dug ourselves a hole against Post Falls, but it was good to see our guys storm back,” said Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat. “I thought we wrestled tough and had a good day. We’ve just got to keep plugging away, but we showed some guts today.”

Lakeland had a clean run in its pod, finishing 3-0 in Silver Pod A to take ninth overall. Carson Leonard (120/126), Cole Cooper (150), Gage McWatters (175) and Emmit Rivadeneira (215) all went unbeaten for the Lakers. Lake City struggled in Gold Pod B, going 1-2 and finishing eighth, while teams across the brackets saw standout individual nights even when depth limited dual results.

For local programs, the River City Duals underscored familiar themes: injuries and recovery, depth across weight classes, and the value of momentum heading into the next block of the season. Strong individual showings from underclassmen and seniors alike give coaches measurable data as they refine lineups for district and state qualifying meets. For parents, students and fans, the tournament showcased wrestlers to watch and offered early indicators of which Kootenai County squads may contend in coming weeks.

The tight finish in the final and multiple unbeaten performances leave local programs with both encouragement and clear targets for improvement. As the season moves into its midsection, Kootenai County fans can expect wrestling nights to continue delivering close team finishes and important development for athletes still working back to full health.