Wrestling for different schools, Fainter brothers compete

Western A wrestling saw two Fainters in the 113 weight class this season, though their alma maters don’t match up.  

Columbia Falls Wildcat Traic Fainter just finished his senior season a state champion, while younger brother Lyrik Fainter attended state for the second time as a freshman for the Bigfork Vikings. The sons of Steve Fainter and Stacy West, the boys live in Bigfork. 

Traic came to C-Falls for the soccer team his sophomore year — a good decision, it seems, as he was part of several high-caliber teams including the state championship crew in 2022 — but he has seen great success in the wrestling program, too. Lyrik, on the other hand, is not a soccer buff. So, the brothers attend different schools. 

But for the first time this season, they took each other on in direct competition. They went head-to-head for the Class A Duals in Butte. 

“We just kind of wrestled with smiles on our faces, not going super hard on each other,” Traic smiled. He won by fall at 1:36. Traic went 7-0 that meet; his team won their pool and took fourth overall. 

The Fainters saw each other again at divisionals.

“Second match really wasn’t much. It was like 15 seconds,” Traic laughed. Actually, it was 14. Traic was going for the Quick Pin Award, most pins in the least amount of time. “So I just went out there and pinned [Lyrik] right away.”

Lyrik expected nothing less from his brother. “I never won, but I try my best,” he said, good-naturedly. “I watch what [Traic] does a lot, so I wrestle like him and he’s able to coach me a lot that way.” Traic took first that tournament, undefeated, and Lyrik took fourth. 

“It was kind of cool that I took fourth at divisionals just like [Traic] did his freshman year,” Lyrik said. 

Traic isn’t always out to get his younger brother, and often he can be found mat-side coaching and cheering for Lyrik. “You’re not really supposed to be down there unless you’re wresting, but I go down there every time anyways,” Traic said. The Bigfork coaches know who Traic is, and so do the other wrestlers. 

Lyrik appreciated his older brother’s coaching and pep talks, “It gets me super prepared for my matches and like a mindset of what I’m going to do, a game plan.”

The mental game is something Traic has honed. “Years before, I didn’t really focus on how mentally ready you have to be for matches, and what your mindset has to be going into them,” he said. “This year I went against some really good kids, maybe even better than me, but went out there and just focused on my offense instead of being super reactive to what they’re doing.”

Traic finished his senior season 122-22. He broke the school record for pins in a season, was a four-year state qualifier, two-time state placer and one-time state champ, All-state for three years and a High School All-American. 

Lyrik is hoping to follow in his footsteps. He lettered and attended state for the first time as an eighth grader and is hoping to become Bigfork’s first five-season state qualifier. “I had to wrestle a lot of kids that were older than me, and I’m already super young for my grade, but I think it made me lot better than I was before,” he said. 

The Fainter boys will keep wrestling. Traic has been considering three college teams, though he hasn’t chosen a school yet. Lyrik is set for a great high school career. Both thanked their parents and coaches for their help to get them this far. 

“It was definitely what I had in mind and prepared myself for all year. All the hard work paid off, I guess,” Traic said.