POLSON WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Strong on the mat

POLSON - Polson got plenty of action last weekend and continue

to look impressive on the mat. They kicked things off with a 75-0

dual win over Whitefish on Thursday that saw seven of the eight

matches end in a Pirates pin.

Polson then went 3-2 at the Mining City Duals on Friday and

Saturday, including two wins over Class AA schools.

POLSON - Polson got plenty of action last weekend and continue to look impressive on the mat. They kicked things off with a 75-0 dual win over Whitefish on Thursday that saw seven of the eight matches end in a Pirates pin.

Polson then went 3-2 at the Mining City Duals on Friday and Saturday, including two wins over Class AA schools.

"I'm really glad we got to take on this competition, it's a real eye-opener for the kids," Pirate head coach Bob Owen said. "We competed hard with them."

Headlining the Pirates was a man who would probably move a mountain. Josiah Clairmont went 6-0 (including the Whitefish dual) and recorded five pins. Currently in the coaches' polls, Clairmont is ranked second in the state.

"He's doing what we expected him to do this year," Owen said. "He's a big physical kid."

At 125 pounds, Craig Feistner, also ranked second in the state, went 5-1 on the week and his lone loss came against Great Falls returning state champion Austin Shupe. Great Falls picked up their dual win against Polson, 76-12.

"Great Falls had an amazing lineup and I think that they'll battle Glacier for the top spot at the AA level," Owen said.

Drew Fouty also went 5-1, settling in at the 130-pound weight class and showing a lot of promise.

"I saw some real improvement from him," Owen said of Fouty, who posted five pins.

Carlos Quinones had a successful campaign over the weekend, going 5-1 with four pins.

"He's doing really well and he only got beat by a really tough wrestler from Great Falls," Owen said.

Owen also said he expects to bolster his weight classes with the inclusion of Mike Devlin, who missed the Mining City Duals due to family reasons but was able to record a pin against Whitefish.

"Adding him, we're going to be pretty darn competitive in the next dual meets," Owen said. "He's very quick and strong."

Polson now faces even tougher tests at the Tri-State tournament in Coeur d'Alene this weekend, which draws teams from Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and even Arizona. On average the meet has 60 teams compete.

"They're really interested in getting all the top kids in the Northwest," Owen said. "The tournament is probably 10 times tougher than the Montana State Tournament and the goal for our kids is placing. If they can do that then they can be a contender for a title at the state tournament."

Polson looks strong at Hamilton Invitational Tel Motichka and Drew Carruth both picked up first place finishes in their respective weight classes at the Hamilton Invitational for the Polson JV squad. Taylor Martin and Steven Walk placed third.

"We get to take four extra kids at the end of the season to the postseason tournaments and at the end of the season, if some kids don't make the varsity squad they can still make the divisional and state team," Owen, whose team last year during the postseason had multiple placers in a single weight class, said. "It certainly helped us last year."

Polson faced several Class A and B/C varsity squads in the tournament.