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Grapplers busy over the break, down Bigfork in dual

Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 1 week, 2 days AGO
| January 8, 2025 5:45 AM


Wildcats Top Bigfork

Columbia Falls picked up a 25-12 dual victory over Bigfork on Thursday, Jan. 2, in Northwest A Conference wrestling action.

The Wildcats recorded two pins and two technical falls in the victory. 

"It was definitely opening back up early just after New Years," Columbia Falls Head Coach Jessie Schaeffer said. "We wished we would have gotten more matches, and some kids weighed in and had to wait until the weekend to wrestle." 

At 126 pounds, Octavious Christianson posted a 16-0 technical fall victory over Bigfork’s Bradley Wood. Teammate Fisher Whitaker notched a pin in 1:57 over Bigfork’s Hunter Nelson in 138 points.

Kale Schaeffer won the 144-pound matchup for Columbia Falls with a 2:50 pin over Bigfork’s Mason Lewis. Rebel Crump also notched a 4-2 decision over Bigfork’s Ty Anderson at 150 pounds.

At 165 pounds, Columbia Falls’ Dylan Delorme posted a 17-2 technical fall over Wyatt Elwell in four minutes.

"Our Christmas practices were good, and attendance was high," Schaeffer said.

Delorme, Peters, Crump Win At Western Boys Invitational

Columbia Falls had three champions at the Western Boys Invitational at Ronan on Friday and Saturday, January 3-4.

"Coming back from break, most of the kids are wrestling at the weight they will for the postseason, so we pretty much had a divisional showcase," Schaeffer said. 

Columbia Falls Dylan Delorme went undefeated in the 157-pound bracket, notching two technical falls and a pin, and then also scored a 15-9 victory over Superior’s Turner Milender in the championship bout.

Winslow Peters also won first place in the 175-pound bracket, winning five matches and two major decisions. Peters scored an 18-7 victory over Ronan’s Dominique McKay in the championship match.

Rowdy Crump placed first in the 190-pound bracket, pinning three opponents and then defeating Frenchtown’s Brody Hardy in the first-place match 4-0.

"Five kids placed, and we had three champions, but we kind of fell off after that, and that is because we won," Schaeffer said. "We're wrestling a lot of freshmen but this gives them a taste of competition and where they should be at. It was a good gauge. Our seniors did really well at the tournament. They put together some good matches out there." 

Octavious Christian placed sixth in the 126-pound bracket, notching three pins in a row to start off the tournament. Teammate Bradley Beck was fourth at 132 pounds, winning four matches, including two pines and two major decisions.

"For the rest of the season it's go time, a lot of the kids will be wrestling for positioning in brackets and sometimes you want to be on the other side of the bracket from another wrestler," Schaeffer said. "So it all matters now." 

Columbia Falls Girls Have Three Places

Columbia Falls has three placers at the Western Girls Invitational Tournament in Ronan over the weekend. 

"The night before, we had competed well against Browning but I feel like we didn't quite compete at that level during the tournament," Columbia Falls Head Coach Ben Schaeffer said. "It's hard because for women wrestling, it's really pin or be pinned, so everybody has to realize it can be hit or miss, and it's never out of the question to have a big win or a defeat." 

Samantha Larsen was second in the 145-pound bracket, scoring three falls, including a pin of Flathead’s Elisa Bernabe in the semifinals.

Anjenoux LaChance was third in the 135-pound bracket, coming back from a first-round loss to burn through the consolation bracket with a 5-0 decision, a pin in 1:44, a pin in 4:25, and a pin over Browning’s Sae Momberg in the third-place match.

"Both have wrestled at a lighter weight than last season, and they kind of surprised themselves," Schaeffer said. "But they did well, and they did what you expect out of seniors, being leaders out on the mat." 

The Wildkats’ Kloey Wagar was fifth in the 110-pound bracket, notching three pins during her run in the tournament.

The tournament had Class AA wrestlers from bigger schools since girls wrestling doesn't have classifications for individual wrestlers. 

"It's neat because all the girls we see, we're going to see at the state tournament and other tournaments in the postseason," Schaeffer said. "When we compete in these tournaments, we're playing against the Glaciers and Flatheads, so we're always wrestling against top competition." 


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