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Bobcat wrestlers take 3rd at Bob Kinney Invite

CHUCK BANDEL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 1 week AGO
by CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press | December 12, 2023 11:00 PM

Some day they may rename the Superior High School gym the “Crabb Pot” in honor of long-time wrestling coach Charlie Crabb.

In what for all intents and purposes looked like a rebuilding year, Crabb’s Superior Bobcats, who won the state Class C team championship last year, are off and running again this year.

After a solid showing last week in the Owen Invitational in Polson, Superior finished third this past Saturday in the Bob Kinney Invitational, like the Owen, a major annual wrestling event which is hosted by Superior.

Now moved up to Class B competition due to student population growth, and coming off significant graduation losses from last year’s title team, Superior finished third with 121.0 team points.

In the process they picked up three individual championships and two second place finishes. Florence won the team title with 180.0 points, while Class A Libby was second at 165.0

Plains/Hot Springs also had a great showing at the Kinney, placing fourth in the team competition with one individual champion and 117.0 points. Thompson Falls placed seventh behind the first place finish by 182-pounder Max Hannum, a defending state Class B champion from last year.

Senior Micah Acker got things rolling for the Superior squad when he won the 132 pound class, pinning Florence’s Isaac Nicoson at 1:44 of their championship bout. Then, in the 160-pound category, Superior freshman Turner Milender placed first with a pin over Arlee’s Andrew Knoll at the 57 second mark.

Heavyweight Jaxson Green completed Superior’s individual champion haul with a win by pin over Florence heavyweight Arie McLaughlin at 2:47. Green placed second last week at the Owen, as did Milender.

Meanwhile, Hot Springs junior John Waterbury took the 152-pound crown with an 8-3 decision over Superior’s Lucas Kovalsky. Waterbury wrestles for the Plains/Hot Springs co-op team and is a state placer from last season.

And as expected, Hannum, who won the state title at 182 last year, captured top individual honors at the Owen with a win by fall over Evan Tidwell of BigFork at the 1:57 mark. Hannum also won the same weight class at last week’s Owen Invitational.

T Falls also got a second place finish from eighth grader Weston Block, who competed at 103 pounds in the Superior meet. Block lost the title match by fall at 17 seconds to Riley Osborn of Libby.

The Blue Hawks also got a fourth place finish from Diego Long at 126 pounds.

Plains/Hot Springs, meanwhile, got a third place showing from freshman Matthew Thurston, who pinned Landon Serevaag of florence at the 1:17 mark; second place from Gavin Schrenk at 126 pounds; third place from Drew Carey in the 145-pound category; third from Hot Springs student David Chapman at 170 pounds; and third from Brenden Vanderwall in the 182 pound division.

Teams from 14 different schools from throughout the area took part in the meet.

Next up for Plains and Superior wrestlers is the Buzz Lucy meet in Eureka this coming weekend. T Falls grapplers will journey to Great Falls for the CMR Classic.

    Plains/Hot Springs 152-pounder John Waterbury (orange and black) prepares for a takedown move on this way to the 152 individual title at the Bob Kinney last weekend in Superior. (Photo by Kami Milender)
 
 
    Thompson Falls Falls 182-pounder Max Hannum (blue and white) works on another opponent en route to winning the weight category title at this past weekend's Bob Kinney meet in Superior. (Photo by Kami Milender)
 
 
    Superior senior 132-pounder Micah Acker is in control as he wins the 132 individual title at the Bob Kinney meet this weekend in Superior. (Photo by Kami Milender)
 
 


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