Grapplers ranked tops in the state heading into divisionals
Wildcat Blake Hoerner wrestles Thompson Falls’ Westin Brown at the Whitefish Duals on Friday. (Whitney England/ Whitefish Pilot)
The Columbia Falls wrestling team capped off an excellent regular season with three dual wins in Whitefish on Friday.
The Wildcats dropped Lincoln, 53-18, Whitefish, 48-27 and Thompson Falls, 57-12 in the dual tournament.
The latest coaches’ poll has the Wildcats ranked No. 1 in Class A as they head into the Western A divisional tournament in Polson Friday and Saturday.
“It’s not a bad place to be this time of year,” coach Jessie Schaeffer said.
He said the team is getting back to being healthy after battling the flu last week.
The divisional tourney is critical, he noted, as it determines seeding for the upcoming state tourney the following weekend in Billings.
The MatCats are healthy and looking forward to making their mark.
Justin Windauer ran the regular season table at 160 for the Cats this season and will look to get a second consecutive state title as a senior.
From top to bottom, the team is strong and with parity amongst class A schools this season, Schaeffer said the divisional and
state tournaments will likely be determined by wrestle backs in the brackets.
Weigh-ins at Polson start 1 p.m. Friday with matches slated to begin at 3 p.m.