MatCats sending 12 to state tournament
Hungry Horse News
After cutting and pasting names in and out of their injury-depleted lineup all season, the Columbia Falls wrestling team finally had all its regulars for the Northwestern A divisional tournament.
The fortified squad seized the opportunity with a respectable performance Saturday in Polson. Twelve wrestlers qualified for the Class A state tournament this weekend in Billings.
"It's a pretty good number in our division-as tough as it is," coach Wes Knutson said.
The team finished fourth with 171 points, 38 behind team champion Libby (209). Whitefish (191) took second, Polson (172) third and Ronan (95) fifth.
Despite taking fourth, the Wildcats had almost as many state qualifiers as Libby (14) and Whitefish (14), and one more than Polson (11). The top four finishers from each weight class advanced to state.
"The kids are wrestling really well right now," Knutson said. "They wrestled their best last weekend."
Seniors Aric Tarr and Ryan Buck led Columbia Falls with championships in their weight classes at 119 and 145 pounds, respectively.
Tarr finished with some flair. In the final, Tarr was tied 3-3 in the second period with Libby's Kyle Ames when he took Ames down and pinned him.
Tarr will be aiming for his third-straight state title. He is 29-3 this season after not losing as a sophomore and junior. Two of Tarr's losses were against Frenchtown's Brandon Stedman. They are in opposite brackets and could meet in the finals
Buck also had a riveting finals match. He got an escape with 30 seconds left in overtime to win 6-5 against Brad Watterud of Whitefish, who beat Buck twice this season.
Buck (21-7) has never placed at state but is a favorite among the Wildcats to have a strong showing.
Freshman Cody Kolodejchuk continues to excel. The 105-pounder took second, losing to Polson's Logan Torginson in the finals.
The Wildcats will have one other freshman at state. Michael Hader also took second at divisionals. He lost to Polson's Colby Wolfenden at 125 pounds in the championship match.
Columbia Falls had four more second-place finishers- Keyvin Walter (130), Dalvin Averill (135), Calvin Williams (160) and Nik Caron (189).
Bobby Opp (140) defeated Polson's Pat Dellwo at 140 to take third.
Cory Pete (119) and Bo Hader (125) qualified for state with fourth-place finishes.
Caron did not wrestle in his finals match. He has a broken hand, and Knutson didn't want to risk further injury. The coach said Caron's hand should be better this weekend.
Pete, who took second at state last season, will have to pull off some upsets to improve on that finish. Pete is in the same bracket as Tarr, and they could meet in the semifinals.
Walter is another Wildcat that is familiar with success at state. He took third as freshman, fifth as a sophomore and didn't place last season.
Knutson said the team's goal, as with every year, is to finish in the top five. He said they should reach that mark if all eight of the wrestlers who made it to the finals at divisionals place this weekend.