POLSON — In the second battle for local bragging rights and the last dual match of the season, the Pirates and Chiefs met on the mats in Linderman gym for one final go at each other before tournament time.

Polson took the honors the first go around – this time, it was Ronan’s turn to shine, taking the dual from Polson on the road 42-33.

To Ronan head coach Ryan Fisher, giving up pins is something his team can’t afford to do. Polson took a few in the match, but Polson head coach Bob Owen said  the two match turners were the tight bouts at 125 and 152 pounds.

Ronan junior Cameron Neiss won by a 10-7 decision over Polson sophomore Jacob Young at 125 pounds to keep the Chiefs in a position to take the dual later on.

“Cameron found himself in a precarious position in the first when Young caught him in a head and arm. It was a mental mistake, but he was able to maintain his composure and recover well in the third round,” Fisher said.

The other close contest was between Ronan sophomore Cole McArthur and Polson junior Logan Clay at 152 pounds.

Coming off an injury, McArthur found enough energy to win 12-8 when it counted and the rest is history.

“Having Cole McArthur back in the lineup after his knee surgery helped balance out the team.  He is a little out of shape but wrestled well,” Fisher said.

Fisher added that getting McArthur back into wrestling shape for upcoming tournaments would make him an even stronger asset for the Chiefs.

The only other weight not decided by pin or forfeit was at 171 pounds. Polson junior Brock Picard defeated Ronan sophomore Toby Cheff by a score of 10-4.

“Brock really dominated that match,” Owen said. “The only points that Toby scored were from escapes. It’s not going to be easy to pin a kid as tough as Toby. Brock took him down five times. He looked really good.”

Fisher called Toby a valuable team player who is afraid to back down from anyone, often moving up in weight classes to take on the toughest matches in order to help his team.

“It shows true character when you have a team player willing to make those sacrifices,” Fisher said.

The Pirates who pinned were freshman Nick Howell, senior Keio Salmonson, junior Randy Kelley, and junior Ty Fouty.

Chief pinners were freshman Riley Dennis, senior Zach Robinson, freshman Dilan Starkel, junior Micky Cheff, junior Tyler Wheeler, and senior Marcus Schiele.  

Ronan also took a 42-35 dual win over Columbia Falls last Thursday, getting pins from freshman Dusty Goldsby, Micky and Toby.

Both Polson and Ronan are looking ahead to the Northwestern Class A Divisional Tournament in Libby this weekend.

Bringing a full lineup to the tournament, Bob Owen says his team will contend for the title. It is just a matter of narrowing down his JV wrestlers to see who gets to participate.

On Ronan’s side, getting pins in the tournament to make up for a shorter roster will be the key to victory, Micky said, who is ranked first in Montana for his weight.

“We need to pin most of our opponents and win some matches we aren’t expected to,” Micky said. “We’ll go in with 14; most other team’s will go in with 19.”

Going in as the first ranked team, Micky said his team has a winners’ advantage.

“We’ve already got a mental edge over the kids that we’ve seen so far in our conference,” he said.

The Divisional Tournament is on Saturday in Libby. Both teams will be looking to win it.