Kolodejchuk leads Mat Cats to seventh place at Cut Bank

By JOE SOVA - Hungry Horse News

Led by individual champion Cody Kolodejchuk, Columbia Falls had five place winners en route to seventh place in the 39th annual Cut Bank Booster Club Invitational in high school wrestling last Friday and Saturday.

Havre won its fourth straight tournament title as the Ponies scored 261.5 points. Glasgow was a close second with 247.5. Frenchtown was third (178), Conrad fourth (171), Cascade/Simms fifth (151.5), Choteau sixth (130) and Columbia Falls seventh (125). Whitefish finished 16th (38).

Earning second for the Mat Cats were Michael Hader and Kelly Houle. Jarrett Smith and Kodie Kenfield were both fifth.

"A handful of them wrestled well," CFHS coach Jessie Schaeffer said. "We came off two weeks of pretty hard practice. They showed up and wrestled well."

Kolodejchuk returned to the lineup in fine fashion. The Mat Cats senior earned a 7-6 decision over Dylan Isakson of Choteau in the 140-pound championship match.

"He had 12 seeded wrestlers in that bracket," Schaeffer said. "He had the toughest weight class. Cody went out and wrestled solid for six minutes each match. I was extremely pleased with his efforts this weekend."

Hader led Ethan Hinebauch of Havre 8-1 in the 152-pound title match, but the senior was caught in a headlock and pinned 17 seconds into the second period.

"He was dominating the match," Schaeffer said.

Houle, a sophomore, fell behind Chance Rauscher of Glasgow early in the match for the 189-pound title and lost a 5-4 decision. Houle won three earlier matches in the tourney by fall.

"He's doing some really, really neat things," Schaeffer said. "He's extremely coachable and a positive kid."

Smith dropped down to 125 pounds for the Cut Bank tourney and emerged with a fifth-place finish. He outscored Jesse Werdal of Choteau 11-10 in his medal match.

"We've got to get him wrestling with some consistency," Schaeffer said of Smith. "I'm pleased with his effort."

At 215, Kenfield had a tough draw. He met the No. 1 seeded wrestler, Willy Wells of Browning in the quarterfinals, and Wells won an 8-6 decision. But Kenfield bounced back, beating Kallen Roos of Eureka, who Kenfield had lost to four or five times before. To earn fifth place, Kenfield pinned Matt Cable of Great Falls JV in 3:45.

"He wrestled a solid, solid match," Schaeffer said.

Shawn Whitman was one win away from placing at Cut Bank. Newcomer Ben Wells, at 171, won three matches by fall before being eliminated. Schaeffer said JV wrestler Russell Plevel won twice by fall as an extra man in the 135-pound bracket.

"It's exciting to see those JV kids step up," the coach said.

Schaeffer said the Mat Cats will split their team this weekend, participating in the Rocky Mountain Classic on Friday and Saturday in Missoula, and Saturday's Wes Hines Memorial Tournament at Glacier High School.