State Wresting: MatCats' Fainter, Libby’s DeShazer make semis
JON ALLEN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 5 months AGO
SPORTS REPORTER Jon Allen is a sports reporter for the Daily Inter Lake. He covers youth and high school athletics across the Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. Allen reports on major games, athletes and teams throughout the region’s prep sports landscape. In addition to game coverage, he contributes features and analysis across print and digital platforms. Jon can be seen on our Big Sky Now podcast, weighing in on the college landscape. His work highlights the athletes and communities that define Northwest Montana sports. IMPACT: Jon’s work tells the stories of local athletes and the communities that support them. | February 9, 2024 11:00 PM
BILLINGS — Jace DeShazer’s run for a third state championship started strong with a pair of victories on Saturday, and Columbia Falls’ Traic Fainter joined him in the semifinal round after a good early showing.
Fainter picked up both victories via pin, over Lewistown’s Colt McCord and Miles City’s Will Merkel, setting up a rematch of last year's state semifinal with Lockwood’s Phillip Westrick on Saturday.
“Today went great,” said Fainter. “I started off pretty hot, got some good hand fighting in and got right to my offense.”
DeShazer — a champion at 182 pounds as a sophomore and 205 as a junior — disposed of Lockwood’s Trey Daly in the first round via pin and Havre’s Pierce Caplette via a technical fall in the second round.
DeShazer is the only Libby wrestler to advance to the semifinals, while Fainter joins four other Wildcats. Ronan advanced four wrestlers, Bigfork two, and Browning had one semifinalist.
“Hopefully we can continue to ride on that,” said Columbia Falls coach Jessie Schaeffer on his five. “Right now we are wrestling where we were kind of expected to.”
The Wildcats sat in fifth in the team standings at 69 points; Ronan in fourth with 72.5. Laurel leads Class A at 113, second is Lockwood at 89 and Sidney is third with 83.
In Class B/C Eureka sits in third place with 53 points, trailing Conrad by just a half point. Huntley Project leads the standings with 112.
Timothy Schmidt — the top seed for the West at 120 pounds — is one of three Lions wrestlers who earned a spot in the semifinals.
Plains/Hot Springs’ John Waterbury worked his way into the semifinals at 152 pounds.
In the girls competition Ronan — one of the favorites entering the tournament — is tied for second in the team standings with Miles City at 83.5 points. Defending champion Billings Senior leads the competition going away at 137 points.
Four Maidens wrestled their way into the semifinals, led by top-ranked Tirza Two Teeth at 235 pounds.
Polson’s Harli Kinney also earned a spot in the semifinals at 145.
Full results can be found at trackwrestling.com.
ARTICLES BY JON ALLEN
One Timer: The biggest star you probably don't know
Sports fans are lucky to live in the current era where superstars are at every corner.
Out with a win: Engle’s two RBIs help Lakers to victory
After a late Tuesday night doubleheader, the Kalispell AA Lakers brought the energy in a 5-2 victory Wednesday afternoon over the Billings Scarlets at Griffin Field.
One Timer: Another new reality for college sports
As the world crossed into the second half of 2026, college sports passed into yet another phase of conference realignment.