The Choteau was a no-go, but the Kato is a go-go.

The Thompson Falls wrestling team did not go to Choteau as planned last week, but still plan to host their annual big event, the Ted Kato Memorial tournament at TFHS Saturday.

Coaches Nate and Ashley Block will also guide Thompson Falls wrestlers in action at a mixer match Friday evening prefacing the Kato tourney the next day.

Nate Block said he expects the normal cast of teams to attend the Kato, including most of the local Western B-C squads, with possibly a couple of Idaho squads and some other western Montana Class A teams also scheduled to compete.

Block said the decision to scratch the trip to the Choteau Invitational was made by committee. “We had lots of sick kids and it was also finals week,” he said. “The coaches and school made the decision to stay home.”

The Ted Kato Memorial, previously known as the Thompson Falls Invitational was renamed in honor of Kato, a legendary Montana educator who spent a large part of his career working in Sanders County, in the mid-1990s.

The Kato, as it is informally called, is one of the most well-attended one-day prep wrestling tournaments in Montana any given season.