tflagstad@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - With Bear Lake set to forfeit the final two weight classes in a dual against Pocatello on Thursday, Doran Hyde needed a technical fall or pin in his 189-pound match to build up enough of a cushion to seal a win for the Bears at the Pit.

Of course, Hyde didn't know it, even though the intensity he showed while pinning Dustin Barbre in 56 seconds suggested otherwise.

"I realized that we had two forfeits," Hyde said, "but I didn't know it was that close."

Indeed it was.

Because of Hyde's effort, 3A Bear Lake locked up a 38-36 win over 4A Pocatello, which was wrestling without several varsity regulars.

"It's sweet - don't get me wrong," said Bears coach Curt Radcliff. "I really enjoyed the heck out of this, but they were without their varsity 103, their varsity 112 and their varsity 160. I'm just proud of my kids that they fought hard."

Regardless of the competition, though, the Bears looked strong.

After picking up six points by forfeit to open the dual, Bear Lake's Greg Loertscher padded his team's lead by pinning Chris Hegenberger in the 112-pound match.

Tyrel Skinner added a pin for the Bears in his 135-pound match against Dillon Rice, and Tyson Ward followed that up with an 18-3 technical fall victory over Matt Okelberry at 140 pounds to make it 26-7 in favor of Bear Lake.

The Indians rallied, though, with a Billy Potter pin of Dakota Herrgesell at 145 pounds and a 19-4 technical fall win by Abner Cook over Morris Bunn in the 152-pound match to trim the deficit to 26-18.

Pins by Jordan Rasmussen in the 160-pound match and Hyde, though, clinched things for Bear Lake (3-0).

"I don't want to make a big deal out of it," Radcliff said. "It's just one match. What really matters happens in February."

Even so, Hyde admitted it felt nice to topple traditionally strong Pocatello (1-2).

For the Indians, Eddie Millward picked up a 12-3 major decision over Jason Hunt in the 119-pound match, and in perhaps what was the match of the night, Dallas Warren pinned Gavin Hyde at 171 pounds.

For the first two periods, the two fought to a deadlock, with each taking advantage for sections of the contest. At the start of the third period, though, Warren took control for good to take a 10-8 lead before earning the pin in 4 minutes, 42 seconds.

"He wasn't gonna overpower that kid," said Pocatello coach Todd Praska. "Once he started using his technique, he took over."

Despite the loss, Praska was pleased that a number of his younger wrestlers saw action, which will serve to build depth as the season progresses.

With a rough stretch next week that includes duals with Bonneville and Hillcrest in Idaho Falls and the Bonneville duals, Praska was more than willing to allow a few of his regulars more time to heal.

"A couple were banged up, and next week is gonna be a bruiser, facing some of the best 4A teams in the state," he said. "We want to make sure we're really healthy for that."