Nearly 50 turn out for Polson Wrestling
At 100 pounds, Polson’s Ciri Nice placed second, losing to Ronan’s River Cote in the championship. (Bob Gunderson photo)
Most of Polson's young squad returns for the 2023-24 season, and Pirates Head Coach Eric Huffine feels like his team has turned a corner.
"We have great numbers heading into the upcoming season, 22 girls and 25 boys," Huffine said. "It's great seeing the strong number of wrestlers that came out. Our expectation for the upcoming season is to have every one of our wrestlers compete and push their comfort zones. We are going into this season in great shape and ready to get after it."
The Pirates have embraced everything the coaching staff has thrown at them to prepare for the season. This has resulted in strong wrestlers who can be resilient out on the mat.
"I see this team really coming together and feeding off each other's energy," Huffine said. "We are gelling as a team, and it's great to see."
Lincoln Burrough and Rylie Knutson are the returning seniors for the season, while Maddilyn Huffine, Sage Allison and Harli Kinney are the top senior girls. There is some state pedigree on the roster too, courtesy of Max Ramesar, Kyrin Doty, Rylie Knutson and Durai Mahkuk for the boys, and girls Ciri Nice, Brylie Reum, Vanessa Wheeler, Kinney and Abigail Sorrell, who all went to Billings last year.
"These girls have a great shot at making some noise in Billings, and they are doing a great job getting the rest of the girls up to speed and ready to have a great season," Huffine said.
There are also plenty of first- and second-year wrestlers on both the boys' and girls' squads, adding depth for this season's squad.
"They are a scrappy bunch, and we are really working on getting them some technique and ready for the season," Huffine said.
The Pirates compete in the always-tough Northwest A Conference.
"Every year, the wrestling programs around us are great," Huffine said. "Teams like Ronan and Columbia Falls are always at the top, and there will be some great competition throughout the season."
Huffine added that the coaching staff is thankful to have this group of student-athletes.
"It's been great watching them work their bottoms off in preparation for this season," Huffine said. "We have been ramping up for the start of the season and are excited to watch them compete."