Plagued by the plague.

The Montana high school wrestling season has been heavily impacted by sickness this season, and the Thompson Falls Blue Hawk grapplers have been no exception to that rule.

Wrestling with a reduced roster as his team tries to catch its collective breath and get healthy in time for the rapidly approaching tournament season, coach Nate Block sent a limited roster of grapplers into action last week at a mixer with Plains and Conrad in Thompson Falls Friday, and into the Mission Invitational tournament in Mission Saturday.

“We’ve been plagued this year, it seems like every team has some sick kids and everyone has been having trouble getting healthy,” he said. "Our goal now is to try and get healthy, and having this break at the end should help us do that.”

Block is referring to the fact that the Hawks are now completely done with regular season wrestling and will not return to action until weigh-ins at the Western B-C divisional meet at the Butte Civic Center Feb. 12.

Block said that, due to ongoing illness on his team, only four boys and three girls competed in Mission Saturday.

For the Hawk boys, the ever-improving Ethan Traver took second place at 118 pounds, and Liam Pallister (175), Zarek Pallister (215) and Jacobe Wood (285) were the other Falls grapplers competing in Mission.

For the Hawk girl grapplers, Matea Keefe placed third in round robin wrestling at 115 pounds, Aubrey Cribbs placed fourth at that weight and Lexi Volk wrestled down fifth place in the 110 pound division, also in round robin competition.

Block said the Mission tourney was a late addition to Thompson Falls’ schedule after the Hawks were unable to attend the Choteau tourney last month due to what else? Sickness.

“It’s been a strange season with all the illnesses and us missing out on Choteau like we did,” Block offered. “We are going to try to concentrate on getting everybody healthy and ready to wrestle well in Butte.”