Chiefs leash 'Dogs, come in fifth at Superior Invite

RONAN — Solid performances on the mat earned the Chiefs a 45-34 victory over the Whitefish Bulldogs last Thursday.

For head coach Ryan Fisher it was just a matter of keeping his boys' backs up and keeping the score within reach.

They opened the dual at 160, which was an advantage for Whitefish as they are solid in the upper weights, Fisher explained. As a result, the Bulldogs took the lead early in the night, but it all ended in Ronan's favor.

"They were able to get the momentum going in the 160 and 171 pound matches. I was disappointed with the pin at 160. I feel we are better than that," Fisher said.

However the boys got on the board with a good pin in a 215 pound match by Dan Brown.

"Dan tends to improve as the season goes on, as he should, and I look to him as a leader for our team," Fisher said.

In a 105 match Tyson Noyes took down Whitefish's Steven Vail in a quick 21 seconds.

"Tyson Noyes was ambitious as always," Fisher said. "I am continually impressed his aggressiveness and poise. He's off to a great start this year."

In one of the more intense match ups of the night, Ricky Luchau kept spectators on the edge of their seats when he led 11-2 but found himself locked down by Whitefish's Cody Morris in the last few seconds. By keeping his shoulders off the mat, however he turned things over for a decision win.

Freshman Tyler Linse was up against one of the best in the state in a 130 match up but couldn't quite gain an edge.

"He was doing things right," Fisher said, "but couldn't make it happen. As a freshman wrestling at that weight, he needs to work at improving from week to week and let the score take care of itself."

Joe McCarthy (145) lost in a hard fought match against Brad Kuntz.

"The key to Joe's success is maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity and continue to work hard on his offense," Fisher said. "His best defense really is his offense."

Senior Chris Starkel (135) got a win over Kaleb Prestegaard by way of pin in 1:35.

Josh Krantz (152) pinned to win in 4:50 to end the night.

"Josh recently joined the varsity squad and is eager to prove himself. He has great determination to become better and a work ethic to get him there," Fisher said.

Seth Clary and Nate Templer won by forfeit.

"We had to accept forfeits at 112 and 119. We got 18 points from those, and if Whitefish fills those slots, we have a new dual to face," Fisher said.

At Superior Invite

Over the weekend Ronan beat 10 teams, including Arlee and St. Ig-Charlo to come in fifth with 117.5 points.

Seth Clary, Tylar Espinosa and Dan Brown made it as far the championship finals. Clary was pinned in 3:05. Espinosa lost in a decision win to a Libby wrestler 14-3. Brown also struggled against a Logger and was pinned in 2:46.

The only Chief in the Consolation finals was Joe McCarthy who came away with a win, pinning a Cascade wrestler in 1:26.

Tonight the Chiefs host C-Falls with JV starting at 6:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, they head to Frenchtown.

Results

Ronan 45 Whitefish 34

98# Phillip Murphy (WF) dec. Zach Robinson 9-2

105# Tyson Noyes (Ron) pinned Steven Vail :21

112# Seth Clary (Ron) win by Forfeit

119# Nate Templer (Ron) win by Forfeit

125# Ricky Luchau (Ron) dec. Cody Morris 11-5

130# Kevin Kaltschmidt (WF) pinned Tyler Linse 2:46

135# Chris Starkel (Ron) pinned Kaleb Prestegaard 1:35

140# Matt Star (WF) win by Forfeit

145# Brad Kuntz (WF) pinned Joe McCarthy 1:42

152# Josh Krantz (Ron) pinned Chris Cardani 4:50

160# Brad Waterud (WF) pinned Ben White 2:54

171# Tim Jehner (WF) dec. Tyler Espinosa 2-8

189# Bret Mortin (WF) dec. Levi Guenzler 15-6

215# Dan Brown (Ron) pinned Kyle Burns 1:54

HWT Mike Trosper (Ron) win by Forfeit