MatCats take second at divisional tourney

For awhile there, they were in the lead. A young Columbia Falls wrestling team put eight wrestlers in the final round of the Northwest A divisional tournament last Saturday, but just couldn’t muster enough points against a more experienced Polson team for the crown.

Sal Baccaro at 119 pounds took home a championship with a pin over Ronan’s Andrew Tiegen. Justin Whitman won the 125-pound championship with a tough battle over Libby’s Mitch Haugen, 3-1.

But the Cats simply gave up too many pins in the final round. Even so, coach Jessie Schaeffer was hapopy with the overall team performance.

“We’re pleased with the effort,” he said. “We’re just not ready to compete at that level.”

The team qualified 16 wrestlers for the state A tournament in Butte this weekend, including six freshmen.

“For us, that’s huge,” Schaeffer said.

The tournament was moved to the Mining City this year because Metra Park in Billings, which normally hosts the event for every class in the state, is still under repair.

Last year a tornado blew the roof off part of the structure.

The Cats will head to Butte starting Thursday and will take Whitefish wrestlers with them to share expenses.