Wrestlers look ahead to divisional
Head coach Ryan Boyle looks on as Dakota Flannery wrestles during Friday's Whitefish Duals.
Dakota Flannery grapples with Libby's Reed Christensen during the Whitefish Duals on Friday.
Eli Taylor wrestles Libby’s Trey Thompson during the Whitefish Duals on Friday. (Daniel McKay/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish's Eli Taylor fights off Libby's Trey Thompson during the Whitefish Duals on Friday.
Whitefish grapplers wrapped up the regular season at home during the Whitefish Duals on Friday.
Eureka took first place at the tournament, and Columbia Falls and Libby rounded out the top three places. Whitefish finished sixth, grabbing a win against Bigfork but falling to Thompson Falls and Libby.
Senior Travis Catina (205) won each of his three matches and added a fourth in a friendly match against champion Eureka. Malik Heydon (160), Dakota Flannery (138) and Robert Bertleson (138) also picked up key victories for the Bulldogs.
The home duals are a great final test before the team looks ahead to the Western A Divisional Tournament in Dillon on Friday and Saturday, head coach Ryan Boyle said.
“The team wrestled well. We had some matches we had lost earlier in the year that we won,” Boyle said. “It’s our last practice, as we call it, before divisionals.”
Earlier in the week the team also traveled for a rivalry dual against Columbia Falls. Jackson Carson (103) and Catina picked up the two victories for the Dogs.
The team will know matchups and seeding for the tournament by Friday, Boyle said, but this week the focus is going to be on addressing each wrestler’s weaknesses to strengthen the team as a whole.
“I think everybody on the team knows what they’re struggling with, and going into this last week they need to focus on what they need to fix in order to be successful,” he said. “As a team, we need to do everything better, but when it comes down to it they individually have to be aware of their matches and what they do and don’t do well.”
Columbia Falls High School (CF) vs. Whitefish High School (WHS) 103: Jackson Carson (WHS) over Garret Salminen (CF) (Fall 4:42) 113: Austin Nelson (CF) over Anwar Mirza (WHS) (Fall 0:17) 120: Winfield West (CF) over Carlitos Bertlesen (WHS) (Fall 3:08) 126: Ayden Role (CF) over Eli Taylor (WHS) (Fall 1:36) 126: Skyler Nelson (CF) over Sidney Cooke (WHS) (Fall 1:05) 132: Hunter Peterson (CF) over Jack Eisenbarth (WHS) (Fall 1:52) 138: Brandon Thomas (CF) over Dakota Flannery (WHS) (Fall 1:47) 145: Ben Windauer (CF) over Open . (WHS) (For.) 152: Mason Fetters (CF) over Open . (WHS) (For.) 160: Colton McPhee (CF) over Malik Heydon (WHS) (Fall 0:23) 170: Storm Kemppainen (CF) over Open . (WHS) (For.) 182: 205: Travis Catina (WHS) over Jakob Freeman (CF) (MD 17-6) 285: Kyler Koski (CF) over Open . (WHS) (For.)
Whitefish Duals
Friday’s Results
Order of Finish
1. Eureka; 2. Columbia Falls; 3. Libby; 4. Browning; 5. Thompson Falls; 6. Whitefish; 7. Bigfork; 8. Glacier.
Thompson Falls 42, Whitefish 36
170 - Dakota Irvine, TF, won by forfeit; 182 - Jase Sorenson, TF, won by forfeit; 205 - Travis Catina, W, pinned Austin Cooper, :36; 285 - Seth Alarcon, TF, won by forfeit; 103 - Anwar Mirza, W, won by forfeit; 113 - Kaleb Frank, TF, pinned Nathan Buckley, :50; 120 - Garrett Jones, TF, pinned Carlitos Bertelson, 2:41; 126 - Eli Taylor, W, won by forfeit; 132 - Jack Eisenbarth, W, pinned Tristian Fountain, 2:51; 138 - Robert Bertelson, W, won by forfeit; 145 - Isaac Watts, W, won by forfeit; 152 - Cody Garrison, TF, won by forfeit; 160 - Luke Furhman, TF, pinned Malik Heydon, 2:55
Libby 38, Whitefish 28
152 - Tim Carvey, L, won by forfeit; 160 - Malik Heydon, W, maj. dec. Tanner Wood, 10-2; 170 - Dylan Parrish, L, won by forfeit; 182 - Cyrus Sweedman, L, won by forfeit; 205 - Travis Catina, W, pinned Clancy Gout, 5:10; 285 - Double Forfeit; 103 - Buddy Doolin, L, pinned Anwar Mirza, :14; 113 - Mason Sams, L, pinned Nathan Buckley, 5:46; 120 - Carlitos Bertelson, W, won by forfeit; 126 - Trey Thompson, L, dec. Eli Taylor, 6-3; 132 - Dakota Flannery, W, pinned Reed Christensen, 3:40; 138 - Laine Young, L,, tech fall Robert Bertelson, 15-0; 145 - Isaac Watts, W, won by forfeit.
Whitefish 40, Bigfork 15
160 - Matt Holman, B, dec. Malik Heydon, 4-2; 170 - Matt Farrier, B, won by forfeit; 182 - Double Forfeit; 205 - Travis Catina, W, pinned Logan Kaminsky, 4:33; 285 - Double Forfeit; 103 - Anwar Mirza, W, won by forfeit; 113 - Nathan Buckley, W, won by forfeit; 120 - Carlitos Bertelson, W, won by forfeit; 126 - Tyrell Holman, B, pinned Eli Taylor, 2:00; 132 - Dakota Flannery, W, maj. dec. Caster Conley, 16-3; 138 - Robert Bertelson, W, pinned Hunter Pickens, :25; 145 - Isaac Watts, W, won by forfeit; 152 - Double Forfeit.
Eureka 53, Whitefish 21
Travis Catina (205) won by decision; Anwar Mirza (103) and Malik Heydon (160) were pinners and Eli Taylor (126) won by forfeit; 182: Garrett Graves, E, won by forfeit; 205: Travis Catina, W, dec. Joe Fehr, 10-8; 285: Kaelan Yanak, E, won by forfeit; 103: Anwar Mirza, W, pinned Austin Warren, 2:42; 113: Nathan Schmidt, E, pinned Nathan Buckley, no time listed; 120: Kahden Bakkila, E, pinned Carlitos Bertelson, 2:45; 126: Eli Taylor, W, won by forfeit; 132: Hank Dunn, E, pinned Dakota Flannery, 1:53; 138: Jonathan Schmidt, E, tech fall Robert Bertlesen, 17-0; 145: James Dunn, E, pinned Isaac Watts, :48; 152: Cannan Smith, E, won by forfeit; 160: Malik Heydon, W, pinned James Fehr, :31; 170: Damian Byrd, E, won by forfeit.