Ronan boys win Western A Divisional

Ronan won the Western A Divisional team championship on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2-3, in Hamilton, with four wrestlers claiming divisional championships.

“Our goal heading into the weekend was to set ourselves up for the state tournament,” Ronan Head Coach Dylan Kramer said. “I think we did a great job of competing every match to do just that.”

Of the 11 wrestlers who went to the finals, 10 of them won divisional championships. The one loss was because it was a Ronan vs. Ronan final.

“That carries a lot of momentum into the state tournament,” Kramer said. “I think there were a lot of kids who wrestled to their highest potential and above.”

Ronan will be taking 28 kids to the state tournament, the highest number in school history.

“To have that full of a bus means the kids wrestled very well,” Kramer said.

Ridge Cote placed first at 120 pounds, moving his tournament record on the season to 40-5. Cote picked up all three pins in the bracket by less than a minute.

At 126 points, August Courville won his divisional championship, notching four pins – including a fall of Frenchtown’s Pita Fish in the first-place match.

At 152 pounds, Koda King placed first by pinning two and then defeating Columbia Falls’ Winslow Peters 4-3 in the championship bout. Landon Bishop improved his tournament record to 41-3 and placed first at 170 pounds with four falls, two of those coming in less than minute.

At 103 pounds, Ian Dillard placed third, notching two pins before falling in the semifinals. In the consolation semifinals, Dillard picked up a pin and then won a 6-0 decision over Frenchtown’s Landon Hansen in the third-place match.

Justus Orman-Bergman placed sixth at 103 pounds, showcasing the depth of the Ronan squad. Orman Begman, came up through the consolation bracket with a pin and an 8-2 decision to reach the fifth-place match.

Ronan’s Oliver Reynolds placed eighth at 113 pounds, making his way through the consolation bracket with two falls.

At 132 pounds, Skyler Sias placed seventh, working his way through the consolation bracket with one pin and then a fall of Browning’s Sno Momberg in the seventh-place match.

Jairyn Krause was sixth at 138 pounds, working his way through the consolation bracket after a first-round loss.

Ronan’s Fortino Silva was fourth at 145 pounds and improved his tournament record to 20-5. Silva record two pins and a technical fall in the process.

At 152 pounds, WilJames Courville was sixth after pinning two in his bracket. Teammate Dominique McKay was fifth at 160 pounds with two falls and a technical fall. He met up with teammate Nate Young, who pinned three during the tournament, in the fifth-place match.

Brady Hout placed fourth at 182 pounds, moving through the bracket with a sudden victory, medical forfeit, and a major decision. Teammate Tristan Fisher placed seventh, collecting a major decision and notching a 6-0 win in the seventh-place match.

Ronan’s Cole Dalke placed third at 205 pounds, notching three falls, including one over Bigfork’s Felix Zambers in the third-place match.

At 285 pounds, Jackson Davis was fifth, pinning three – including a fall over Browning’s James Whitcomb in the fifth-place match.

“The weekend is still a blur of a lot of great wrestling with a great team and community effort by everyone from Ronan, from wrestlers, to managers, to coaches, to parents, and the community members who traveled to cheer us on,” Kramer said. “It was definitely one of my favorite days of being a part of Ronan wrestling – it was a very special weekend.”

Three Polson wrestlers place at Divisionals

Polson had three wrestlers place at the Western A Divisional Tournament Feb. 2-3 in Hamilton.

Pirate Brody Bulette placed second at 285 pounds, notching two falls to advance to the championship match. His teammate Max Ramesar placed fifth at 132 pounds, collecting two pins to advance to the fifth-place match, where he pinned Hamilton’s Brandon Saltzman in 2:12.

Kyrin Doty also placed fifth in the 182-pound bracket. He pinned two opponents to reach the semifinals. After a setback, he notched an 8-0 major decision, and then in the fifth-place match, picked up a 5-0 decision over Bigfork’s Evan Tidwell.

    Ronan wrestlers claimed boys' and girls' championships at the Western A Divisionals in Hamilton last weekend and are sending a large contingent to the State Tournament at MetraPark in Billings. (Courtesy photo)