Grapplers take 20th at Rocky; last home dual this Friday

Justin Whitman took fourth place at the Rocky Mountain Classic to lead the wrestling team last weekend in Missoula. At 125 pounds, Whitman was the top placer for the Cats. Whitman was pinned by Culley Buckley of Bozeman in the round for third place.

MatCat Sal Baccaro took fifth place at 119 pounds in a forfeit win over Brandon Edwards of Sentinel and heavyweight Cody Bartos took seventh.

The boys took 20th overall in the all-class tournament, which draws schools from across the Northwest. Spokane University High won the team title with 210.5 points. Columbia Falls had 54.5 points.

Last Thursday the Cats lost a dual to Frenchtown, 49-30. Josh Folsom (171) Marcus Ross (189) and Jacob Babcock (215) all had pins for the Cats, in a dual that was a bit of a disappointment for coach Jessie Schaeffer.

Schaeffer said Frenchtown set the tone early and the Cats never really recovered.

“We came out a little flat against Frenchtown,” he said.

Still, there were some bright moments in the weekend. Schaeffer said Baccaro, Whitman and Bartos all did well at the Classic and they learned what it takes to compete against some of the best wrestlers in the region.

“We’ll re-group and refocus on what we need to do,” the coach noted.

The Cats travel to Ronan Thursday and then have their last home dual against Polson Friday night. It’s senior night and the boys are hoping for a strong showing from the home crowd. Polson will be a tough dual, Schaeffer noted. Their team is solid from the light to middleweights.

“We’ve got to stay off our backs,” Schaeffer said.

Wrestling Friday starts at 5 p.m. with junior varsity.