Grapplers compete in Butte, Kalispell

Columbia Falls High School boys wrestling took second in pool six at the Jim Street Mining City Duals in Butte.

The Cats lost to Billings Senior High School 59-12, defeated Glacier 35-18 and Missoula Hellgate 36-17, and tied Belgrade 36-36. 

“We were traveling kind of light this weekend,” said coach Jessie Schaeffer, noting that several kids were out of the starting lineup with the flu. But the Cats were put in a pool that allowed them to be successful, even when competing against AA schools. The dual format allowed wrestlers to get in a lot of matches.

Traic Fainter (120) won all of his rounds, with three out of the five competitors “high quality wrestlers that don’t lose,” according to Schaeffer. Blaise Cronk (170) also had all wins, 3-0. 

Results available on the Montana High School Association’s TrackWrestling page show Bradley Beck (126) went 0-2, Cash Byrd (132) 1-1, Rebel Crump (138) 0-2, Billy Gustafson (152) 1-1, Winslow Peter (160) 2-0, Blaise Cronk (170) 1-0, Rowdy Crump (182) 2-0, Tucker Gonzales (205) 0-2, and Gunnar Rathjen (285) 1-1. 

“Ultimately it went really well,” Schaeffer said. 

The girls team wrestled at the Flathead Girls Invitational Tournament in Kalispell, where Jaelynn Nace (107) led the team with 24 points and third place. 

Columbia Falls tied Corvallis for 15th with 56.  

Vanessa Nace (100) went 4-3, Ridley Samuell (114) 0-2, Kaycee Orvis (114) 0-2, Seirra Born (120) 4-4, Delilah Hanson (120) 0-2, Paris Jerome (126) 1-2, Lucie Love (145) 3-4, Jaici Watt-Duran (145) 7-3, Ella TImlick (145) 2-2, Samantha Larsen (152) 1-4, Kinsey Ward (185) 1-2. 

This week, the Browning Tri/Quad will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14 starting at 5 p.m. and the CMR Holiday Classic will take place in Great Falls on Dec. 15-16 starting 11 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday for both boys and girls.