Ronan ready for conference battle

RONAN - There will be one heck of a Cheff in the kitchen for Ronan. Returning state champion Toby Cheff is looking to repeat as Montana's top wrestler for the 189-poumd weight class after receiving recognition from USA Wrestling for the nation's best seniors.

He's not the only one on the roster looking to make an impact.

"The main thing we expect is for our team to go into every match ready to do battle and fight until the last second ticks from the clock, learn from the mistakes and fix them from week to week," Ronan head coach Dustyn Azure said.

Ronan finished 22-5 in dual action last year and will return seven state qualifiers who helped the team earn a seventh place finish in the tournament. Along with Cheff, senior Cole McArthur will look to build upon his third place finish at the state tournament in the 171-pound weight class.

Senior Aaron Yazzie-Whitworth will lock down the heavyweight division for the Chiefs and junior Dustin Goldsby will be solid in the 145-pound class.

Ronan also returns a stable of sophomores who went to the state tournament last season. Andrew Teigan, Shelby Grant, Quentin Denton and Colby Roberts all hope to have stellar showings this year. Six freshmen will also hope to make their mark on the program are Brandon Dumont, Jake Stenstrom, Chase Rhine, Conner Benn, Austin Hakes and Ronny Cullis.

Through the first week of action, it's quite apparent that the Chiefs are ready to wrestle, athough filling each and every weight class could be an issue.

"The challenge we face once again is numbers," Azure said. "We currently have 15 wrestlers and are hoping for more."

Ronan won two straight divisional tournaments before Polson won it last season, and it looks like it's going to be a tough Northwestern A conference this season.

"Right now we can't worry about the other teams, we need to be selfish and focus on getting ourselves ready for competition," Azure said. "I do think it will be a dog fight

again for the divisional title."

But with plenty of state experience and fresh faces coming in, Ronan looks up to the challenge.

"We believe we have the work ethic, practice partners and team leaders to help get us to where we need to be by the end of the season," Azure said.