Cats drop Whitefish, Ronan

Justin Whitman went undefeated last weekend and the Columbia Falls wrestling team won two duals against Whitefish and Ronan.

In head-to-head matches, Ronan had the edge 5-4, but the Chiefs gave up six forfeits in the Cats’ home opener. It was a dual of domination by one team or the other — nearly every match ended up with a pin, but the Cats won 45-31.

The Cats simply dominated the Bulldogs, recording eight pins in a 72-9 blowout. At the Polson Invitational Saturday, Whitman recorded the Cats’ lone title, taking first in the 125-pound weight class. Adam Richardson was fourth at the Polson tourney in the 130-pound weight class and Sal Baccaro notched a third place finish at 119.

As a team, the Cats took eighth.

“We know where we’re at as a team,” said coach Jessie Schaeffer. “It’s nice to get the first (meets) under your belt.”

Schaeffer said the wrestlers have a lot to work on this week. While they had quite a few wins, they also lost several matches by pins. They were practicing bright and early Monday morning.

“It’s a very dedicated group,” he said.

Whitman’s start was nice to see.

“He’s wrestling well and has good motion,” Schaeffer said.

After battling injuries for two years, Cody Bartos also did well.

“He’s very coachable,” Schaeffer said. “He’ll be a fun one by the end of the season.”

The Cats are on the road this week, with a tournament in Dillon Thursday, the Mining City Duals meet in Butte over the weekend and then a dual against Polson away next Tuesday.

Columbia Falls 45, Ronan 31

98: Harland Jordan, CF, won by forfeit; 105: Double forfeit; 112: Seth McCall, CF, won by forfeit; 119: Andrew Tiegan, R, pinned Sal Baccaro, 5:01; 125: Justin Whitman, CF, pinned Jake Stenstrom, 1:39; 130: Adam Richardson, CF, dec. Brandon Dumont, 2-0; 135: Cody Hader, CF, won by forfeit; 140: Dylan Corbett, CF, won by forfeit; 145: Dustin Goldsby, R, dec. Kohl Thompson, 4-2; 152: Jason Williams, CF, pinned Ronny Cullis, 3:06; 160: Quentin Denton, R, pinned Jacob Burgess, 2:48; 171: Cole McArthur, R, pinned Marquis Isley, 1:24; 189: Toby Cheff, R, pinned Josh Folsom, 1:47; 215: Colby Roberts, R, maj. dec. Jacob Babcock, 9-1; 285: Cody Bartos, CF, pinned Aaron Yazzie, 5:31.

Columbia Falls 72, Whitefish 9

98: Harland Jordan, CF, pinned Kaleb Mohn, 1:05; 105: Double forfeit; 112: Seth McCall, CF, won by forfeit; 119: Sal Baccaro, CF, pinned Trysten Armstrong, :28; 125: Justin Whitman, CF, pinned Zach Snethen, :35; 130: Adam Richardson, CF, won by forfeit; 135: Cody Hader, CF, pinned Jason Newbury, 1:47; 140: Dylan Corbett, CF, won by forfeit; 145: Kohl Thompson, CF, won by forfeit; 152: Andrew Timmons, WF, dec. Jason Williams, 12-6; 160: Jacob Burgess, CF, pinned Jarrid Selway, 1:48; 171: Marcelo Theodoro, WF, pinned Marquis Isley, 3:46; 189: Josh Folsom, CF, pinned Robby Neff (WF) 1:12; 215: Jacob Babcock, CF, pinned Jacob Forrest, :57; 285: Cody Bartos, CF, pinned Wolf Zinke, 2:43.

The resort also owns the Bierstube building and leases it out, but is making a “considerable investment” to refurbish the iconic bar and grill. Phase 1 was completed this fall, while Phase 2 will take place next summer.

“Even though it’s costing us a lot of money to fix, we decided the building was just too important a part of the resort’s history,” Clapp said.

The Bierstube dates back to the early days of the ski resort when it was in the original Big Mountain Chalet. After the lodge burned in 1963, the Bierstube was rebuilt at its current location.

Free SNOW Bus shuttles will run from Whitefish to the resort from various locations. For more information on times and schedules, call 862-6560.

In the past week, significant snow has fallen on the mountain and across the valley.

Currently the Flathead River Basin snowpack is about 113 percent of average with about a foot to 18 inches of snow on the valley floor. The settled base at the village is now 23 inches with more snow expected in the next couple of days.