Wrestling Roundup: Ronan Girls place second at Holiday Classic

The Ronan Girls Wrestling team had two first-place finishers and collected enough points to secure second as a team at the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16.

“I think the girl's performance was incredible,” Ronan Wrestling Coach Dylan Kramer said. “For our 10 girls to compete with AA schools who have 25-plus wrestlers on their team was great to see. It really embodies what the sport of wrestling is all about. It doesn't matter what the odds are or what the other wrestler's accolades are, it's about who shows up and competes.”

River Cote won the 100-pound bracket for Ronan, pinning all five of her opponents – including Billings Skyview’s Victoria Tenney in the championship match in less than a minute. At 235 pounds, Tirza Two Teeth also won her bracket, notching four pins and falling Havre’s Aliyah Stiffarm in the first-place bout.

“Obviously, our two girl champions River Cote and Tirza Two Teeth deserve a lot of praise,” Kramer said. “Not only did they win arguably the biggest tournament of the year, but they pinned their way through the competition.”

“All of our kids who placed deserve some credit,” he  added.

At 114 pounds, Ronan’s Saellah Nomee placed fourth, picking up five pins.

Ronan’s Brynn Courville placed second in the 126-pound bracket, winning five matches and notching four falls. Teammate Katie Dolence was fifth in the same bracket, pinning four and notching two major decisions.

Mission-Charlo’s Aubrey Sharbono was sixth at 145 pounds with four pins. Teammate Meadow Ragen was seventh at 165 pounds, pinning four opponents while working through the consolation bracket.

At 152 pounds, Ronan’s Leona Dodson Howe was sixth, opening up her bracket with two pins and then advancing through the consolation bracket with a decision and another pin.

“Our girls’ program is going through some struggles right now, like every program is, with trying to get all of our athletes healthy,” Kramer said. “What they have done a great job of is when they are able to wrestle, they go out and compete to the best of their ability.”

On the boys' side, Ronan’s Ridge Cote placed fourth at 120 pounds, pinning four along the way. At 170 pounds, Landon Bishop notched a third-place finish for Ronan, pinning two and then defeating Laurel’s Beau Mares 9-7 in the third-place match.

In the same bracket, Mission-Charlo's Milo Crooks notched three pins but did not place.

“We are going to take the Christmas break as a time to catch our breath, focus on team building, and get our strength back,” Kramer said. “It's a great time to focus on what individual athletes need to do to close the gap against their toughest competition.”

Polson Girls top finishers in Eureka

The Polson Girls Wrestling team was the top-finishing girl's squad at the Buzz Lucey Tournament in Eureka on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16. In all, Lake County athletes had several podium trips and first-place finishes at the mixed-class battle.

"Our girls have been wrestling very well as a team," Polson Wrestling Coach Eric Huffine said. "They have a great team dynamic going and are feeding off each other's energy. They are very supportive whenever a teammate is wrestling, and they are building a strong team. Their effort is very high every match; it's fun watching them turn it up and leave it all on the mat."

In all, seven of Polson's 16 girls made the finals at the tournament, and 11 of the 16 wrestlers made it to the podium.

"We are blown away with the number of girls we have on our squad – it's awesome to witness this," Huffine said.

There are 12 weight classes for girls, and Polson has two or three girls wrestling at nine of those, leaving only 185- and 235-pound classes unfilled.

“Our girls are strong and in an advantageous position, and we tend to score a lot of fall points at these tournaments,” Huffine said, which helps boost team scores.

Polson’s Araeya Nelson was first in the 107-pound bracket, collecting two pins over fellow Lake County wrestlers. Arlee’s Anola Naugle was second; Polson’s Ciri Nice was third, and teammate Avari Stone was fourth.

At 120 pounds, Ariella Mihara was first for Polson, collecting two pins, while teammate Maddilyn Huffine was second in the same bracket.

At 126 pounds, Polson’s Shyloh Huffine was first, notching two pins and a technical fall. Teammate Jaycee Wallin was second in the same bracket.

Polson’s Cheyenne Blake was third at 132 pounds, pinning two teammates for the pedestal spot. The Lady Pirates’ Brylie Reum was fourth.

At 145 pounds, Arlee’s Nizhoni Haynes was first, notching two falls, including one in less than a minute in the championship bout. Innocent Arnold was second for Polson, pinning two to advance to the championship match.

At 165 pounds, Polson’s Abigail Sorrell was second while Harli Kinney was third, and Venessa Wheeler was fourth.

In the boys’ part of the tournament, at 182 pounds, Arlee's Jeryn Belcourt was second, pinning two to advance to the championship bout.

Polson's Jayce Hill placed third at 120 pounds, pinning three, including Libby's Bridger Bacher, in the third-place match. Teammate Ryley Knutson was also third in the 126-pound bracket, collecting three pins.

Arlee's Brody Smith was fourth in the 126-pound bracket, pinning three and notching a 7-4 decision over Flathead's Coy Miller to advance to the third-place match.

At 132 pounds, Polson's Max Ramesar placed third, pinning three. Arlee's Dean Moran was fourth, pinning one and winning via a 2-0 decision over teammate Jeremy Martin to advance to the third-place match.

"Our boys wrestled a great weekend at the Buzz," Huffine said. "We had three boys make the podium.”

Overall, he said the boys are working hard. “I base success off the effort they put into this, and I'm proud of what I am seeing from them."

The team has about three weeks off during the holiday break, time Huffine hopes to put to good use.

"We want to utilize this break to stay in shape, recover from some injuries, and work on our technique,” he said. “We like to offer our wrestlers as many opportunities as possible. We will be working hard, doing some team-building activities, and preparing for the new year."

O'Brien wins at Glyn Brawley

Mission-Charlo boys traveled down to Corvallis to compete in the Glyn Brawley Classic over the weekend, coming back with one first-place finish and two third-place trophies.

At 113 pounds, Kai O’Brien took first place while picking up a major decision, fall, technical fall, and then a 12-10 decision over Stevensville’s Todd Whitescarver in the championship bout.

Mission-Charlo’s Krugger Pierce was third in the 152-pound bracket, notching two pins, including a fall over Corvallis’ Lloyd Augustine in the third-place match.

Teammate Chance Bockman was third at 160 pounds, picking up a pin and then recording a technical fall over Deer Lodge’s Tucker Delauney in the third-place match.

    Mission-Charlo's Meadow Ragen placed seventh in the 165-pound girls bracket at CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls. (Michelle Sharbono photo)