Whitefish freshmen wrestlers continue to perform on the mat
The Whitefish wrestling team saw some success at the large Rocky Mountain Classic tournament in Missoula last weekend.
Bulldog freshman Landree Aurund had the best finish for the team as he placed eighth in the 120-pound weight division. Aurund wrestled well all week including a small mixer at Polson High School on Thursday before heading to Missoula for the Classic.
“Landree Aurund wrestled really well as a freshman, overall he had a great week,” Whitefish head coach Danny Neff said. “His tournament at the Rocky Mountain was really good… If he had ended up winning (the quarterfinal) he would’ve probably been sneaking into the championship. He showed a lot of improvement and he just goes out there and wrestles really hard.”
Whitefish’s Carter Moran had a strong showing at the Rocky Mountain Classic as well. Wrestling in the 138-pound division, Moran lost in the opening round on a 5-2 decision. However, he worked hard in the consolation tournament and a couple of wins earned him a spot wrestling on the second day of the tournament.
“Carter Moran wrestled really well,” Neff said. “He’s finally down to 138 pounds and that’s just the perfect weight for him. He ended up getting us two wins, made it to the second day at the Rocky.”
Whitefish has been battling injuries and, along with several other Montana schools, battling sickness and meet cancelations. A promising Bulldog freshman Logan Heyne who started out the year strong has been sitting out with an injury for the last three weeks, according to Neff.
Despite that, Heyne did get some time on the mat at a smaller tournament in Big Sky on Saturday and he ended up winning his division.
“Our freshmen have great talent and they’re leaders on the mat, so it's really nice to see,” Neff said.
At 160 pounds, Whitefish senior Jack Akey is also working through a nagging shoulder injury, which pulled him from the Classic.
Bulldog Caleb Flemming took second at the Big Sky tournament as well.
Neff says he’s hoping to get his team healthy and at top performance level by early February.
“Our main goal is to be at the peak of our ability and conditioning come divisionals in early February, and then take that on to state,” he said.
Coming up this week, Whitefish will head to the Class A Duals in Livingston on Friday and Saturday.
Rocky Mountain Classic
Missoula
Friday-Saturday
Champ. Round 1
120 - Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 won by decision over Carson Harris (Havre) 3-2 (Dec 6-0)
126 - Karson Pumnea (Butte) 21-10 won by fall over Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 0-2 (Fall 2:53)
138 - Wyatt Matthews (Lake City) 11-8 won by decision over Carter Moran (Whitefish) 3-2 (Dec 5-2)
160 - Darius Rappe (Ferris) 2-10 won by fall over Jack Akey (Whitefish) 0-2 (Fall 0:47)
Champ. Round 2
120 - Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 won by major decision over Dylan Delorme (Columbia Falls) 14-4 (MD 14-6)
Quarterfinal
120 - Max Dillon (University High) 8-6 won by decision over Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 (Dec 5-3)
Cons. Round 2
126 - Owen Zitek (East Valley (Spokane)) 7-11 won by fall over Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) 0-2 (Fall 3:30)
138 - Carter Moran (Whitefish) 3-2 won by decision over Evan Hansard (Gallatin) 0-2 (Dec 7-3)
160 - Hunter Rowan (Belgrade) 6-9 won by fall over Jack Akey (Whitefish) 0-2 (Fall 2:44)
Cons. Round 3
138 - Carter Moran (Whitefish) 3-2 won by fall over Fortino Silva (Ronan) 10-6 (Fall 4:48)
Cons. Round 4
120 - Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 won in sudden victory - 1 over Connor Johnson (Glacier) 3-2 (SV-1 7-5)
138 - Cade Gardner (Flathead) 19-6 won by fall over Carter Moran (Whitefish) 3-2 (Fall 1:37)
Cons. Round 5
120 - Fabian Torres (Ferris) 22-9 won in sudden victory - 1 over Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 (SV-1 12-10)
7th Place Match
120 - Will Rossi (Coeur d Alene) 13-8 won by decision over Landree Aurund (Whitefish) 3-3 (Dec 13-6)
Polson Mixer
Champ. Round 1
120 - Landree Aurund (Whitefish) over Izayus Prewett (Polson) (Fall 2:49)
126 - Micah Craig (Polson) over Rylan McDaniel (Whitefish) (Fall 4:55)