A Pair Of State Champs For Soda’s Wrestling Club

When it comes to wrestling in Caribou County there are certain names that when one hears them you know they have a pedigree of greatness.  Now this does not mean that there are not others that are more than capable of being very successful but there is just a level of swagger that comes from being part of a family that lives and breathes the sport.  That is the case with three young eighth grade wrestlers that are part of the Soda Springs Wrestling Club.  Brooklyn Dodge, Kellen Garbett, and Drayden Horsley all competed for the middle school state championships at the Ford Idaho Center in Boise this last month.  This was a USA Wrestling sanctioned event with competitors coming from all over the state of Idaho.  The three young wrestlers represented Caribou County very well at the event.

It's hard to say that any one of the three were not successful because let's face it if you can get out on the mat and be competitive at the biggest meet of the year for middle schoolers you have succeeded.  That being said Drayden was the only one of the three not to place at the tournament.  With twenty-five wrestlers competing in his 190 lb weight class Drayden started the day off with a bye in the first round before earning a win by fall at the one minute and twenty-two second mark.  That was enough to earn a spot in the quarterfinals where Drayden faced off with Austin Wardlow whose path to the quarterfinals was earned by way of a tech fall and a fall.  Horsley competed very well in the match and led for a large portion before getting flipped to his back late in the third giving up crucial back points at the end of the match.  Horsley eventually fell by decision 18-12 while Wardlow moved on to eventually place second overall. 

The two remaining local wrestlers saw more success and share a small history with one another.  Cory Dodge, who is one of the coaches for the Soda Springs Wrestling Club as well as being Brooklyn’s father, recounted one of the first meetings between Brooklyn and Kellen.  “Both of them have wrestled since they were little.  In fact they wrestled each other in a little league tournament at North Gem.”  This took place right around the time the Cory Dodge family moved to the area. “They were the same size and they wrestled each other in the same group.”  Coach Dodge did not elaborate on the outcome of that particular match but it was just a small stepping stone in the two young peoples wrestling journey.  During the latest step on that journey both wrestlers impressed the competition on their way to earning spots in the state title match.

Kellen faced the most competition at the state championships with a total of forty participants in his 126 lb weight class.  Through his first three matches Kellen dominated his competition winning each match by major decision.  In his quarter final match Kellen faced a little more of a challenge but still earned the victory by fall at the 3:45 mark of the match.  This put Kellen in the semi final match wrestling for a chance at the title match.  Garbett made quick work of his semi final opponent, winning once again by major decision.  Garbett entered the championship match facing Colten Coy of Kimberly.  This match was everything a fan would want in a state championship match.  By the end of the second period Garbett held a slim 4-3 lead.  It was Coy’s choice and he chose down.  A single escape would tie the match at four.  Garbett stepped up to the challenge and stayed in control the entire third period never giving any ground to Coy.  At the final buzzer Garbett still held his 4-3 advantage and was crowned state champion.

Brooklyn Dodge began her run at a title in a smaller bracket but no less challenging.  Only fourteen girls were entered in her 132 lb weight class.  Brooklyn earned falls in each of her first three matches and was looking good going into the championship bout.  Brooklyn’s opponent for the championship was Lilly Johnson from Minico.  Johnson was also dominant through her opening three matches.  As the championship match began Johnson took control of the match and by the end of the second period Dodge found herself trailing by the large margin of 11-4.  As the third and final period began Dodge was able to make up some ground and racked up several points.  With time ticking down Dodge still needed a near fall to steal the win.  With just seven seconds left in the match that is exactly what Brooklyn did.  Dodge was able to turn her opponent to her back in the closing seconds and win by decision 13-12.  Her dad and coach Cory stated, “I lost my mind.  I was running around and she was just cool, calm and collected like she expected to be there.”

With his win Garbett qualified for the Idaho State Dual Team.  Unfortunately for Dodge the dual team does not have a spot for her weight class but this did not disqualify her.  Brooklyn was given the option to challenge the state champion from the 140 lb weight class for a spot on the State Dual Team.  Dodge did that and won by fall, pinning her opponent.  As members of the State Dual Team Dodge and Garbett were able to take part in the Western Regional Tournament in Herriman, Utah.  With the top wrestlers in the west that contain some elite national level competition Kellen was unable to earn a win but wrestled with pride.  Brooklyn fared a little better going 2-2 in the tournament.  Both wrestlers will also have the opportunity to wrestle in the Heartland Duals in Iowa taking place in March.

The Soda Springs Wrestling Club is set to start a new season with its first practice and parent meeting taking place January 6th from 6-7:30 at Tigert Middle School.  The club is open to anyone in the county and is coached by Cory and Mark Dodge.