Ronan takes fourth at Flathead Girls Invite

Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius girls wrestling programs took on one of the deepest fields in the state and producing multiple finalists, champions and top six finishes at the Flathead Girls Invitational last weekend in Kalispell. 

The large tournament featured 29 teams, with Ronan finishing fourth overall with 196.5 points, Polson placing eighth with 145.5 points and St. Ignatius finishing 16th with 73 points. 

Polson 

Polson was led by two runners-up performances that powered the Lady Pirates into the top 10 as a team. 

At 135 pounds, Kaiah DuMont reached the championship match after a dominant run through the bracket. DuMont recorded four falls on her way to the finals, including pins in 42 seconds, 1:45, 16 seconds and 1:14 in the semifinal against Ronan’s Laila Neiss. DuMont finished second after falling in the title match, scoring 28 team points. 

Venessa Wheeler added another second-place finish for Polson at 145 pounds. Wheeler opened the tournament with a major decision before rattling off three straight falls to reach the finals. She placed second after a hard-fought championship match and contributed 27 team points. 

Ronan 

Ronan produced the strongest Class A team performances in the tournament, highlighted by a tournament championship from River Cote at 105 pounds. 

Cote dominated the bracket, winning all five matches by fall and needing just over 10 minutes of total mat time to secure first place. Her championship run included pins in 33 seconds, 34 seconds and 1:30 in the finals, earning 34 team points. 

Ronan also saw multiple wrestlers place in the top six. Marie Cheff placed sixth at 110 pounds after advancing to the semifinals with two falls. Avery Faler also finished sixth at 115 pounds, battling through the consolation rounds with a decision win and a fall. 

At 130 pounds, Sierra McGreevey placed sixth after a strong consolation run that included four falls. Laila Neiss added a fifth-place finish at 135 pounds, reaching the semifinals before rebounding to place. 

Leona Dodson Howe delivered one of Ronan’s most impressive performances at 155 pounds, placing third after dropping a second-round match and battling back with six straight wins, including a major decision in the consolation semifinal and a fall in the third-place match. Hadassah Read added a fourth-place finish at 170 pounds, reaching the semifinals and recording a tech fall in the consolation bracket. 

St. Ignatius 

Mission had a pair of wrestlers place at 155 pounds, led by a runner-up finish from Olivia Carnell. 

Carnell powered her way to the championship match with four straight falls, including pins in under a minute in three of her matches. She finished second after falling in the title bout and scored 28 team points for the Lady Bulldogs. 

Meadow Ragen placed fifth in the same weight class, opening the tournament with three consecutive falls before dropping a semifinal match. Ragen rebounded to secure fifth place and added 19 team points.