Houle takes second at Jug Beck

Kelly Houle turned in the best performance for the Wildcat wrestling team last weekend at the Jug Beck classic, but came just two points shy of a championship.

Houle, at 215, was seeded No. 2 at the tourney, but fell in the finals to wrestler Jacob Trotter, 3-2 of Mead, Wash.

"For (Houle) to make the finals was a heckuva accomplishment," said coach Jessie Schaeffer. Schaeffer said Houle made just one mistake and had some chances to score a couple of points. It just didn't happen.

"We almost had (Trotter) tipped a couple of times," Schaeffer said.

Trotter, a 4A champion, is a very good wrestler, the coach noted.

In fact, the tournament featured the region's best in every weight class, and the Cats have some work to do in its wake, Schaeffer said.

"It was a tough weekend for our kids," he said, adding that this week will be about 'reassessing our goals."

The only other Columbia Falls wrestler to place was Sal Baccaro, who took sixth at 112. He was beat by Brandon Edwards of Sentinel, 5-1.

Baccaro wrestled well, Schaeffer said, but had a tough time in the third period of his matches, and that cost him places.

The team also took another blow. Senior Jarrett Smith is out — perhaps for the rest of the season —with mononucleosis. The illness is common in teenagers and the recovery period usually takes more than a month.

The Cats face Ronan at home tonight, with JV at 6:30 and varsity to follow. As a reminder, sign-ups for Little Guy Wrestling are from 6 to 9 p.m. in the gym foyer.

The Cats have had only three home appearances this season.