Seniors ready to lead wrestling team

The Whitefish wrestling team is expecting to be right in the mix this season with a solid group of seniors leading the way.

Nearly 20 wrestlers are on the roster for the 2014-15 season — about average for the past four years. A dozen are returning from last year, including five seniors in Garrett Rice, Skyler Bowerman, Matt Sampson, Judah Prestegaard and Christian Newby.

The class represents the first group of four-year wrestlers from Whitefish since Wolf Zinke and Robbie Neff.

Whitefish coach Ryan Boyle expects they will bring valuable leadership to the program.

“I’m hoping they step up and take on that role,” he said. “It will be really nice to have that.”

Sampson at 152 pounds and Prestegaard at 145 pounds made the podium last season at the Northwest A divisional tourney and competed at the Class A state tourney. Bowerman just missed out on a trip to state after taking fifth at divisionals.

Boyle notes that a good group of returning juniors also will lift the program.

Juniors Steven Quimby, James Buckley, Matt Carr and Travis Catina were among eight Bulldogs to make state last year.

A handful of underclassmen have joined the team to help round out the roster. All weight classes should be filled except at 113 pounds, Boyle said.

Boyle says his team will be competitive in the tough Northwestern A conference. Columbia Falls is the clear favorite, but Whitefish, Polson, Libby and Frenchtown should be even.

“We should be right in the middle,” Boyle said. “We’ll have a solid wrestling team.”

He says they’ll figure out a lot when the team travels to the Polson Invitational this weekend to kick off the season.

The Dogs first home match is a double dual Dec. 9 with Polson and Libby.