The 2024 version of the Owen Invitational wrestling tournament in Polson is in the books.

And for the three Sanders/Mineral Counties that have wrestling programs it was a good look at the area competition and their own program status. 

One wrestler from the area, Thompson Falls 118-pound freshman Weston Block, was crowned an individual champion, helping the Blue Hawks to a 14th place team finish with 53 points. 

Plains was the top local team, placing eleventh with 69 team points, while Superior, which had only four wrestlers in the tournament, placed nineteenth with 33 points. 

Lake City, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was the team champion with 237.5 total points, while Libby placed second with 177 points. 

In the girls’ competition, Ronan won the team title with 225 points.  Thompson Falls girls placed tenth with 42.5 points, and Plains was sixteenth with 14 points.  Superior has no girl wrestlers this year. 

Block won the 118-pound title with a pin at the 2:44 mark of the championship match against Joseph Cronk of St. Ignatius-Charlo.  Block raised his season mark to 3-0, while Cronk, an eighth grader is now 2-1 on the year. 

Milender, who placed fifth in last year’s state championships at 160 pounds, reached the consolation finals in the 165-pound category where he lost to Branch Martin of Frenchtown High by fall at :53 of their match.  Milender is 3-2 on the year, while Martin is 4-1. 

Crabb captured fifth in the 157-pound category with a fall at the 2:38 mark over Josh Lambertson, a junior at Eureka.  Crabb, also a junior, is now 5-2 on the year. 

Ryan took fifth for the Horsemen with a win by pin at 2:05 over Ronan High’s Baylon Hess.  Ryan, a junior, is 5-2 this season.  Teammate Schrenk, a senior wrestler in the 132-pound classification, finished fifth with a 9-0 decision over Travis Nygaard of Frenchtown. 

For the girls, all from Thompson Falls, Veronica Vega placed fourth at 105 pounds, Matea Keefe was fifth at 105, Jaden Bewick was fifth at 110 pounds, Tania Veremchuk placed fourth at 135 and Kayla Fausell was fifth, also at 135. 

A total of 139 wrestlers from 17 schools competed in the girls meet, while 259 wrestlers from 19 schools took part in the boys' competition. 

Most of the wrestlers from the Owen will be heading to Superior this weekend for the Bob Kinney Invitational Saturday at Superior High. 

    Plains 190-pounder David Chapman (black) rolls T Falls Gabe Hutton (blue) into position for a potential fall during the Owen Invitational wrestling meet this past weekend in Polson.  (Photo by Teresa Waterbury)
  

    Plains 126-pounder John Owen Jermyn works to get a Polson wrestler off his back during the Owen Invitational meet this Friday in Polson.  (Photo by Teresa Waterbury)