Whitefish grapplers prepare for divisionals
The Whitefish wrestling team’s final week of the regular season was light in competition, but the Bulldogs are looking forward to the Western A Divisional Tournament set to kick off on Friday.
Whitefish has had outstanding performances all season long from a number of its wrestlers and Neff said last week he was expecting that several would place and be headed to state.
“We’re just excited to see all of the competitors, all of the athletes under one roof so we can get after it,” Neff said on Feb. 15 regarding divisionals. “Our goal is to take a bus to state, that’s what we’ve been talking about all year.”
Last week Whitefish had one dual against Bigfork and lost 48-27. The Bulldogs again were forced to give up several forfeits, making a team victory difficult. However Whitefish had outstanding matches from various wrestlers.
Whitefish senior Nathan Sproul pinned Bigfork’s Json Merringer in 12 seconds in the 113 pound weight division. At 160 pounds Rylee Creasey also got a pin over Bigfork and Bulldog senior Camren Ross won by decision, 7-2, over Bigfork’s Joseph Ferrier.
The Bulldogs were supposed to have more duals on Saturday in Columbia Falls against teams they hadn’t seen yet, Dillon and Butte Central, however those teams pulled out of the quadrangular competition. Whitefish also decided not to attend the duals.
As the regular season wrapped up, Whitefish finished as a team with a 12-11 record in duals and was ranked eighth in the latest Class A Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Feb. 18.
A number of Bulldog wrestlers finished the season with winning records as well.
Ross has been the most consistent force on the mat for Whitefish this season. In the coaches poll he is ranked fourth in Class A at 170 pounds. When it comes to pins, he has a 12-2 record, but also won several matches by decision and one by forfeit making his overall record 20-3.
Sproul was not with the team for a period earlier in the season, but since returning he has made his presence known. He’s tallied eight pins while only getting tacked down on his back twice this season. Sproul is now ranked fifth in Class A at 113 pounds.
Whitefish also has senior 126 pound Angelo Castro with a 6-4 win by fall record. Sophomore Rylee Creasey, who was out with a concussion for the first half of the season, has an 8-3 overall record with six pins at 160 pounds. Freshman Henry Bennetts proved to be an asset for Whitefish as well — he tallied 10 pins and had an overall 15-5 winning record.
Whitefish wrestlers will head to Libby this weekend for the Western A Divisional Tournament taking place Feb. 26-27.
Bigfork 48, Whitefish 27