MatCats should be strong again this year

With several returning wrestlers and a host of upcoming talent, the Columbia Falls wrestling squad should be solid again this year. The Wildcats have won three straight divisional titles and took third at state for the second time last season. While they lose a host of seniors, including three-time state champion Shonn Roberts, they still have a solid core of returning talent, including Winfield West, Storm Kemppainen, Mason Fetters, Colton Sweeney, Hunter Peterson, Ben Windauer and Kaleb Gravelin to name a few.

Competition for varsity spots looks to be fierce this season — the wrestling room is literally packed with wrestlers during a typical practice.

The MatCats start out the season this Saturday at the Polson tournament. They have a home dual against Polson Dec. 15 — the team only has two home events all season. The other is a triangular meet against Frenchtown and Whitefish on Jan. 19. With many class A programs losing wrestlers, duals are quickly becoming a thing of the past, because unlike Columbia Falls, many schools no longer can field an entire team.

The bulk of the schedule is tournaments. The divisional tournament is close to home this year — Whitefish will host it on Feb. 5-6. 

The team is coached by Jessie Schaeffer.