Braves put 4, Wolfpack have 1 in Jug Beck semis

MISSOULA — Of the 14 wrestlers that the Flathead Brave Brawlers brought to the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic, 11 make their way into Saturday’s action with four still alive for individual titles.

Leading the way for the Braves are Hunter Arriaga (144 pounds), Brett Chivers (157), Conor LeDuc (195) and Kohen Riley (215). Each took multiple wins in convincing fashion Friday with Arriaga, Chivers and Riley taking three victories and LeDuc capitalizing on a bye with two more wins to reach the semis. 

Seven other Flathead wrestlers sit alive on the consolation side of the bracket with aspirations for a podium finish. 

The strong day sees the Braves in second place in the team standings with 118 points, behind Mead (Wash.) with a commanding 155 points. Mead still has nine wrestlers alive on the championship side of the bracket. Butte is in third with 107 points. 

Glacier is 19th in the team standings with 53.5 points. 

The Wolfpack have one wrestler — Matthew Ahner — in the semifinals at 175. Ahner took 3 first-round pin victories to advance to the semis. 

Five other Glacier wrestlers find themselves in the consolation rounds when Saturday begins. 

Libby sits in 14th in the team standings with 61 points, while Columbia Falls is just behind with 58. Ronan is 21st (41.5 points) with Polson in 23rd (35). 

The Loggers have one semifinalist in Ian Thom at 190 and four more in the consolation rounds. Blaise Cronk sits in the semifinals at 165 for the Wildcats, who have three other wrestlers still alive for a podium position. 

Ronan has five on the consolation side, while Polson has three still in the mix on Saturday. 

Day two of the competition begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Sentinel High School.