Bulldog wrestlers show potential on mat
Bulldog Henry Bennetts wrestles Eureka's Michael Watters at the Whitefish Duals on Friday afternoon. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
The Whitefish wrestling team is going into the season with hard work in mind as some experienced grapplers and new faces look to make an impact for their program.
"We have a pretty young squad, but the kids we have in the wrestling room have been working really hard," Whitefish coach Danny Neff said. "Every year, we have a common goal to take a bus to state, and we want to have enough kids to have to use that bus."
Senior Henry Bennetts was one match from the state tournament last year, and Neff said if Bennetts puts his nose down, he could find himself on the podium.
Junior Logan Heyne and freshman Carter Olson look to bolster depth, while junior Landree Aurand placed second at state as a freshman.
"Landree didn't make it to state due to health at divisionals, but if he stays healthy this year, I have some pretty high hopes," Neff said.
August Feliu is also a freshman who could make a big impact.
Neff said girls wrestling is also becoming a bigger deal in the state. At the Owen Invitational this weekend, sophomores Taylor Dorvall and Samantha Bennetts both placed in the 126-pound bracket.
Last season Samantha Bennetts placed several times and was a leader for the team. Bennetts qualified for state last year as a freshman in the girls competition and made it within one match of the placing rounds. Dorvall was out with an injury, but now joins the team as a sophomore ready to compete.
The Whitefish head coach also expressed thanks to his assistant coaches Tim Neff, Brian Sweeney and Jarrod O'Dell. O'Dell is the main volunteer coach who runs the feeder program for the wrestling team, and Addison Watson is the team manager who keeps everything in order.
"She makes sure I'm not forgetting anything come tournament and dual time," Neff said.
The team got their season started last weekend at the Owen Invitational, placing four wrestlers. Whitefish will travel to Stevensville for a dual Friday. Then on Saturday, the boys will travel to the Bob Kinney Classic in Superior and the Whitefish girls will be at the Flathead Girls Invitational over the weekend.