Cats wrestling well as they host divisional tourney

The Columbia Falls wrestling team had a good night against Frenchtown and Polson on Jan. 21. Frenchtown edged the Wildcats 43-37, but C-Falls then beat Polson 43-36.

Both matches had forfeits. In head-to-head matches, the Cats tied both Polson and Frenchtown at six apiece.

Freshman Shonn Roberts racked up a couple of more pins for the Cats, downing Tyler Ishler of Frenchtown and Alex Helgeson of Polson. Marcus Ross also had a good night, with pins against Frenchtown's Rard Pritzkau and Polson's Marlin Burke.

Kohl Thompson and Josiah Osborne also wrestled well, both winning their two matches by decision.

Chase Ramberg had an exciting match against Frenchtown's Cody Wilson. The match was tight before Ramberg turned the tide with a nifty move for the pin at the 4:45 mark.

The Cats recognized nine seniors.

"I have to thank them for a great senior night," coach Jessie Schaeffer said. "Four years of competition. It was an honor."

The team will host the Northwest A divisional tournament this Saturday, which will determine seedings for the state tournament in Billings the following week. The Cats hope to make their mark.

"I feel really good about the team," Schaeffer said. "We've made a lot of progress over the past two weeks. We're still growing as a team, still improving."

Nineteen grapplers will compete for a spot on the state-bound team. The top four in each weight class qualify for the tournament.

"It's exciting to see these kids peaking at the right time," Schaeffer said.