Bulldogs put up fight with Cats

by Matt Baldwin / Whitefish Pilot
| December 5, 2012 11:50 AM

Whitefish’s wrestling dual with Columbia Falls on Friday was one of those times when the scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story.

While the final tally heavily favored the Wildcats 61-15, the Bulldogs showed more fight up and down the roster than the team has seen in many seasons.

The Bulldogs picked up two wins in the dual.

105-pounder Dillon Thornsteinson pinned Columbia Falls freshman Cameron Goodwin in 1:38, and senior heavyweight Wolf Zinke battled for a tough 6-5 decision over sophomore Spencer Ross.

The heavyweight match was the most exciting of the evening.

Zinke picked up two points on a reversal in the first round and again in the second round to make the score 4-4 going into the third. He added a two-point take down in the third to go up 6-5 with 40 seconds left.

With the crowd on its feet, Zinke dug deep to hold on for the decision.

A number of Bulldogs managed to go the distance despite coming out on the short end of the decision.

152-pounder Madison McWhirter went three rounds with the Cats’ Bryan Shaffer before dropping the decision 8-4. Freshman Konrad Zinke made a great debut, scoring a pair of two-point reversals in his match with Columbia Falls senior Cody Walters before falling 4-12.

Sophomore Judah Prestegaard finished his match strong with a reversal and two-point take down in the 5-9 losing decision. 140-pounder Wyatt Price also went three rounds in a tough match with Zayne Brunz.

The Dogs next travel to Hamilton on Dec. 8.

Columbia Falls 61, Whitefish 15

98 - James Buckley (WF) win by forfeit. 105 - Dillon Thornsteinson (WF) def Cameron Goodwin (CF), Fall 1:38. 112 - Shonn Roberts (CF) def Garrett Rice (WF), Fall 0:48. 119 - Cameron Linstead (CF) def Skyler Bowerman (WF), Fall 3:01. 125 - Seth McCall (CF) def Matt Barton (WF), Fall 3:12. 130 - Dalton Nelson (CF) def Trysten Armstrong (WF), Fall 1:55. 135 - Josiah Osborne (CF) def Emmitt Schmidt (WF), Fall 0:59. 140 - Zayne Brunz def Wyatt Price, Dec 7-1. 145 - Colton Gove (CF) def Judah Prestegaard (WF), Dec 9-5. 152 - Bryan Shaffer (CF) def Madison McWhirter (WF), Dec 8-4. 160 - Cody Walters (CF) def Konrad Zinke (WF) M-Dec 12-4. 171 - Cameron Peterson (CF) def Kyle Bowerman (WF), Fall 2:23. 189 - Jacob Burgess (CF) win by forfeit. 215 - Aaron Vick (CF) def Matt Gulbrandson (WF), Fall 3:10. Hwt - Wolf Zinke (WF) def Spencer Ross (CF), Dec 6-5.