THOMPSON FALLS - The Arlee Warriors had arguably their best team

performance this week when they finished third of 13 teams at the

Ted Kato Tournament.

"I was really pleased," Arlee head coach Ken Hill said. "Once

again, they came out and won the one-point and overtime matches.

They kept seeing their friends winning and didn't want to be left

out."

THOMPSON FALLS - The Arlee Warriors had arguably their best team performance this week when they finished third of 13 teams at the Ted Kato Tournament.

"I was really pleased," Arlee head coach Ken Hill said. "Once again, they came out and won the one-point and overtime matches. They kept seeing their friends winning and didn't want to be left out."

Six Warriors finished in the top two of their respective weight classes, with 160-pounder Leif Rova also snaring a third-place finish.

Nathan Bertollt, at 145 pounds, and 215-pound beast Cody North each took home championships, thanks to their hard-fought performances.

Bertollt won a nailbiting 5-4 decision over Jason Riekena of Missoula Big Sky, while North notched a second-round pin over Noxon's John Onofrey.

"Those two really shined by beating kids who had beaten them before," Hill said.

Right behind them were Cameron Dominick (135), Austin Rubel (140), Clayton Trimble (189) and Al Plant (171), who each fought their way to the championship match of their weight classes. Trimble battled Mission-Charlo's Barret Sargent tough, being pinned late in the final round, while Dominick lost by decision to Eureka's Jose Letcher. Plant and Rubel each fell to stiff competition by pin in the first round of their championship matches.

The showings by Arlee's wrestlers may be a momentum builder as they start approaching the end of the regular season.

"Anytime you can come home with hardware, you get more confident," Hill said. "It's reassuring for what they're doing to do that."

The team has made great strides in recent weeks and the results are beginning to reflect that. After posting a winning record as a team in Conrad on Thursday, Jan. 12, the Warriors went to Choteau and finished 10th of 29 teams.

"The whole team is learning that if you're ahead by one or two points when the buzzer goes off, it's still a win," Hill said.

This week, Arlee will have a chance to get four practices in before they spend Friday and Saturday in Darby. Friday, the Warriors will participate in a mixer before the Darby tournament the following day.