Bulldogs take small but tough squad to Kinney Classic
Only a handful of Bulldog wrestlers competed over the weekend, but the ones that did had a good showing.
Whitefish wrestlers continue to deal with injuries and meeting the practice requirements to compete, but despite less numbers, the Bulldogs still came in eighth place out of 14 teams at the Bob Kinney Classic in Superior, Montana Saturday.
In the 120-pound division, Whitefish’s Sam Bennetts competed to a fourth-place finish. She, who is the only girl on the Bulldog team this season, defeated three opponents on her way to the third-place match. In the match, Bennetts was pinned by Florence’s Jon Post.
Her brother, Henry Bennetts, also competed in Superior. He took third place after defeating Wyatt Elwell of Bigfork in the final match. Henry Bennetts was out the first week of the season due to an elbow injury and is now back on the mat.
“I was really excited how Sam Bennetts and Henry Bennetts, a brother and sister, competed,” Whitefish coach Danny Neff said. “Sam took fourth, and she was the only girl to place in the whole tournament. So that was really cool to see. I’m excited to see the path she continues on, she’s definitely been a leader on the mat. She goes out there, doesn’t matter who it is, boy or girl, and gets the job done.”
At 132, Whitefish sophomore Landree Aurund topped the podium. Aurund defeated Corvallis’ Seth Allen in a 5-4 decision in the championship match. He stayed undefeated through the tournament, taking down athletes from Thompson Falls and Libby on the way to the final round. Aurund is 6-1 in matches thus far this season.
Another great story of the Kinney Classic for Whitefish was the performance of Jackson Dorvall. He recently returned to wrestling after taking a few years off. Dorvall wrestled his way through the bracket to the championship match where he fell to Corvallis’ Jason Davis, a state finalist last year, who pinned Dorvall in 4:38 seconds. Dorvall pinned Grady O`Connor of Arlee and won by a 4-1 decision over Mason Elliott of Plains to qualify for the championship.
“The big story was Jackson Dorvall… His progression and how much he’s grown in the last few weeks is really eye-opening,” Neff said. “He’s got a motor in him. Still some things we can work on, but he moves really well on the mat.”
Bulldog Rylan McDaniel dropped his quarterfinal match but came back to win in the consolation round.
The Bulldogs are focused on getting their athletes healthy and a strong team that will be ready to compete in the postseason.
“Once we get all our kids back and healthy we’ll be a solid team,” Neff concluded.
Whitefish will have a triangular with Browning and Columbia Falls on Thursday in Browning. Then the team will head to the Holiday Classic in Great Falls over the weekend.
Bob Kinney Classic
Whitefish results
120
3rd Place Match - Jon Post (Florence) 6-3 won by fall over Sam Bennetts (Whitefish) 5-3 (Fall 0:32)
Cons. Semi - Sam Bennetts (Whitefish) 5-3 won by major decision over Boone Venema (Corvallis) 2-2 (MD 12-3)
Semifinal - Micah Acker (Superior) 6-2 won by fall over Sam Bennetts (Whitefish) 5-3 (Fall 0:56)
Quarterfinal - Sam Bennetts (Whitefish) 5-3 won by fall over Harvey Jessop (Corvallis) 1-2 (Fall 2:35)
132
1st Place Match - Landree Aurand (Whitefish) 6-1 won by decision over Seth Allen (Corvallis) 3-1 (Dec 5-4)
Semifinal - Landree Aurand (Whitefish) 6-1 won by fall over Marley Erickson (Libby) 2-2 (Fall 3:43)
Quarterfinal - Landree Aurand (Whitefish) 6-1 won by tech fall over Trevor Peterson (Thompson Falls) 1-4 (TF-1.5 2:15 (17-1))
138
Cons. Round 3 - Seth Wilson (Florence) 9-3 won by fall over Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 3-4 (Fall 1:04)
Cons. Round 2 - Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 3-4 won by fall over Tate Bosker (Thompson Falls) 1-4 (Fall 3:19)
Quarterfinal - Zekiah Meyers (Libby) 3-1 won by fall over Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 3-4 (Fall 0:56)
Champ. Round 1 - Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 3-4 won by fall over Bo Daniel (Powell Co. (Deer Lodge)) 0-4 (Fall 4:43)
145
1st Place Match - Jason Davis (Corvallis) 3-0 won by fall over Jackson Dorvall (Whitefish) 3-3 (Fall 4:38)
Semifinal - Jackson Dorvall (Whitefish) 3-3 won by decision over Mason Elliott (Plains/Hot Springs) 4-1 (Dec 4-1)
Quarterfinal - Jackson Dorvall (Whitefish) 3-3 won by fall over Grady O`Connor (Arlee) 2-4 (Fall 3:32)
160
3rd Place Match - Henry Bennetts (Whitefish) 3-1 won by major decision over Wyatt Elwell (Bigfork) 6-4 (MD 14-0)
Cons. Semi - Henry Bennetts (Whitefish) 3-1 won by major decision over Chance Bockman (Saint Ignatius/Charlo) 4-4 (MD 14-4)
Semifinal - Eli Ratliff (Thompson Falls) 11-0 won by tech fall over Henry Bennetts (Whitefish) 3-1 (TF-1.5 5:16 (17-1))
Quarterfinal - Henry Bennetts (Whitefish) 3-1 won by fall over Wyatt Elwell (Bigfork) 6-4 (Fall 3:52)
205
Cons. Round 2 - Jaxson Green (Superior) 5-1 won by fall over JJ McKay (Whitefish) 0-4 (Fall 1:02)
Champ. Round 1 - Jacob Roth (Florence) 2-2 won by fall over JJ McKay (Whitefish) 0-4 (Fall 1:08)