MatCats look to best last year's third-place finish

The Columbia Falls wrestling team will look to improve on its third-place finish at the state Class A tournament last year, and they have the wrestlers to do it.

Several grapplers who placed at state last year are returning, including senior standout Shonn Roberts, who will be vying for an unprecedented fourth-straight state title. Also returning are Mason Fetters, Winfield West, Haze Bell, Cody Walters and heavyweight Spencer Ross.

The team also has Cameron Linstead back. He placed at state two years ago but didn’t wrestle for the team last year. All told, the MatCats have 50 wrestlers, and the wrestling room is a tight place during practice.

“It’s a busy room,” coach Jessie Schaeffer said. “We’ve got a wide gamut of experience.”

The Montana High School Association adopted different weight classes this season, so wrestlers will do some shuffling early on.

Roberts will likely wrestle at 138 pounds and face tough competition from wrestlers in Havre and Belgrade. He’s already signed to wrestle for the University of Great Falls after graduation.

“He’ll have to be on his ‘A’ game,” Schaeffer said.

The team’s schedule is tougher this year as well. They’ll face good competition this month at the Great Falls Holiday Invitational. Gone also is the opening season dual against Whitefish. Instead, the MatCats will travel to Polson for a tournament to open the season Dec. 6.

While teams in the Northwest A conference have some good individual wrestlers, the toughest competition will come from within the team’s own ranks, Schaeffer said.

“We’ve got to take care of ourselves,” Schaeffer said.

The overall goal is that state title, which usually runs through Havre and Sidney.

“We want to improve on last year,” Schaeffer said. “That’s the team’s goal.”

Schaeffer is assisted by his brother Ben along with Rick Lawrence, Michael French, Michael Hader and Winfield West II.