AREA ROUNDUP: Trio of local pro fighters to challenge PNW foes at local MMA event

AREA ROUNDUP

Some of the finest mixed martial arts fighters in the Lewiston area will clash with visiting fighters from across the Pacific Northwest in the Clearwater Combat event at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Clearwater River Casino and Lodge in Lewiston.

Three pro fighters will compete along with five local amateur fighters. Many of the fighters train with Austin Arnett, a former MMA fighter and Lewiston native, at Arnett’s Martial Arts America.

Bryce Wyatt of Lewiston will face Erik Mendez of Spokane in the main event. Wyatt is undefeated in his pro fights at 5-0 while Mendez is 4-1.

“Whoever wins this fight has a good chance of making it to the next level,” Arnett said.

Lewiston’s 21-year-old pro Demitri Morales (4-0) will challenge Moses Lake’s Kyle McGough (6-6) in the lightweight division.

“Demitiri (Morales) is probably one of the more talented fighters to come out of Lewiston,” Arnett said.

In a third pro fight of the night, Melvin Joye (2-0), another 21-year-old pro from Orofino, will face Jairo Villasenor, a Washington-based fighter making his pro debut after around 20 amateur fights, Arnett said.

In a card of amateur fights, Arnett’s Aaron Phillips, Xander Johnson, Vinny Shriver and Diego Morales and Valley Karate’s Nathan Sahme will face a slew of PNW competition.

Diego Morales will make his MMA debut at 18 years old on the same card as his pro brother Demitri Morales.

Arnett said that almost every fight will feature a Lewiston-based fighter versus an out-of-town opponent providing a great opportunity for the hometown crowd to support many of the finest fighters in the community.

Doors open at 5:30 for a 7 p.m. start. Some general admission tickets remain and are available at the Clearwater Casino box office or online at ticketswest.com.

“The MMA community in the valley has grown a lot. It’s cool to see the level of competition improve each year,” Arnett said. “These events sell out every single time.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Bears dominate IML awards

Moscow’s Keaton Frei was named the 2024 Idaho 4A Intermountain League’s most valuable player, Noah Velasco was named offensive player of the year and Rob Bafus earned coach of the year honors after a historic Bears football season.

Bafus led Moscow to a 7-3 record after the team had earned just a single win over the previous two seasons.

The Bears had a league-high 12 players named to the conference’s first team after a league title and a trip to the 4A Idaho state tournament. Moscow swept the wide receiver honors with Butch Kiblen, Connor Isakson and Mason Helbling taking the awards.

Most valuable player — Keaton Frei, Moscow

Offensive player of the year — Noah Velasco, Moscow

Defensive player of the year — Jonathan Hansen, Timberlake

Newcomer of the year — Weston Herbert, Timberlake

Coach of the year — Rob Bafus, Moscow

First Team

Offensive line — Wyatt Hartig, Moscow; Jacob Solt, Bonners Ferry; Kai Aitken, Bonners Ferry; Paul Dixon, Moscow; Briley Arnett, Timberlake.

Running back — Keenan Maas, Bonners Ferry; Tyson Izzo, Moscow; Cayden Knight, Timberlake.

Wide receiver — Butch Kiblen, Moscow; Connor Isakson, Moscow; Mason Helbling, Moscow.

Tight end — Sulay Abubakari, Bonners Ferry.

Quarterback — Brody Rice, Bonners Ferry.

Defensive line — Daric Vincent, Bonners Ferry; Logan Thorne, Bonners Ferry; Jamison Griffin, Moscow; Finny Needham, Moscow; Nate Dykeman, Timberlake; Cole Hanely, Timberlake.

Linebacker — Conrad Hiatt, Bonners Ferry; Jericho Pike, Moscow; George Stott, Moscow.

Defensive back — Ryken Brennan, Timberlake; Graysen Hennrich, Moscow; Alex Stolley, Bonners Ferry; Aidan Prakash, Moscow.

HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Colfax finishes eighth at state

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Bulldogs completed their season with a tough five-set victory over the Jaguars and a loss against the Gorillas to finish in eighth place in the Washington 2A volleyball state tournament on Thursday.

Colfax (11-14) survived against ninth-seed Tri-Cities Prep of Pasco 25-21, 14-25, 25-20, 16-25, 17-15 to extend its season one more match.

The Bulldogs were swept by Davenport 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 in the seventh-place match.