It was a packed house on Jan. 3 at Ronan High School when Ronan and Polson wrestling dueled in the Battle for the Paddle.

With cheers for this rivalry abundant, the home team prevailed. It was a full sweep, with the girls taking the win 48-30 and the boys taking it home 44-33.

The girls were up first, with Ciri Nice taking a close win for Polson. However, the tides swung quickly as Ronan took three straight wins to garner a commanding lead. Jewell Reum, Ainsley Peretto and Sierra McGreevey all finished with big points.

Polson’s Kellyn Nelson and Venessa Wheeler were able to snag some critical points, with Wheeler getting a quick decision. However, Ronan’s Leona Dodson-Howe had a 12-point swing that all but secured the victory for Ronan.

The boys were up next, with Ronan rattling off four straight wins to start the match. Beau Lytle, Josiah Houle, Brander McCollum and Luc Cheff all won their respective contests, with McCollum pulling in 15 points for Ronan.

However, a quick 16-second pin from Polson’s Levi Atkins helped switch momentum over to Polson. After a decision went the way of Ronan’s Skylar Sias, Polson nabbed four straight victories.

Wins from Polson’s Sheamis Cobb and Jaidon Mahkuk set up what turned out to be the match of the day. 

The setup to the match between Polson’s Daniel O’Roake and Ronan’s Isaiah Smith looked almost like Smith would take it handily. As Smith grappled with O’Roake and took him to the ground, the match seemed destined to end in moments.

As O’Roake lay there looking for an escape, he managed to find a way to get his body up enough to kick his legs up into a low ground backflip. He did this twice. Both the Ronan and Polson benches yelled and cheered as O’Roake fought valiantly to stave off the impressive force of Smith.

The teams, and now fans, filled the gym with raucous noise as the two battled, and O’Roake went on to get the decision.

That match was helped by Polson’s Ryatt Maley winning but Ronan rebounded in the back half of the weight classes. Three straight wins for Fred Webster, Cooper Wayman and Rayden Barnaby helped keep Ronan in the lead.

Ruben Dalke and Aiden Schall won the last three combined for Ronan, while Gerardo Alverez and Corben Carlson took the last two Polson wins. Ronan claimed the home sweep with a 44-33 final.

Ronan headed up to Columbia Falls on Tuesday for Ballers versus Brawlers. Polson will wait until 11 a.m. on Friday for its next matchup against Ronan during the Western Montana Duals. 

    Ronan and Polson wrestlers grapple in the coveted "Battle for the Paddle" on Jan. 3 at Ronan High School. They'll meet again Jan. 9-10 in Ronan during the Western Montana Duals. (Max Dupras/Leader)