Whitefish places four at Owen Invitational

Whitefish opened the season at the Owen Invitational over the weekend, getting four grapplers on the podium. Landree Aurand won the 132-pound bracket, picking up two falls and one major decision in the bracket and then defeating Frenchtown's Jordan Warner via major decision, 9-1, in the championship bout.

"Landree's semifinal match against Columbia Falls Blake Hoerner was pretty exciting," Whitefish head coach Danny Neff said. "He experienced some adversity from his opponent, and we talked to Landree about being the bigger man, and he went out there and got the pin to move on to the championship."

Neff said that Aurand topping the podium didn't surprise him since the wrestler has put in a lot of work in the offseason and has been working hard to improve.

Overall, Neff said, the Owen Tournament was a happy medium to start the Bulldogs season.

"We started off really hot, winning the first seven of eight matches," Neff said.

Senior Henry Bennetts wrestled well to reach the semifinals in the 170-pound bracket, picking up a fall and decision before experiencing a medical issue and ending up placing sixth.

"Bennetts fractures his ankle, so he will be out for a while," Neff said. "This is our one senior, so we're losing some leadership, but he will still be in the wrestling room and at meets cheering his teammates on."

Neff said that Logan Heyne and Carter Olson also wrestled well for the Bulldogs in the tournament.

On the girls side, Whitefish had two medalists, both at 126 pounds.

"It was exciting to do well at 126 pounds at the tournament," Neff said. "We will probably change that later in the season, so both are wrestling at different weights."

Taylor Dorvall placed third at 126 pounds and picked up five pins en route to a third-place finish. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Samantha Bennetts of Whitefish, who ended up placing fifth. Bennetts had two pins in the bracket.

"Those two girls are kind of the ones Whitefish leans on," Neff said. "They can only get better from here.”

Neff added that the Owen Invitational is one of the bigger ones Whitefish attends in Western Montana.

"There were 20 teams there with 32-and-16 wrestler brackets," Neff said. "The competition is wide, and even a team from Idaho came in. It's good to see wrestlers and teams you don't see throughout the year, some from Class B and C."

Up next for Whitefish wrestling, the boys are traveling to Stevensville on Friday to dual against Libby and Stevensville. On Saturday, the boys will travel to the Bob Kinney Classic in Superior. The Whitefish girls will be at the Flathead Girls Invitational over the weekend.

    Landree Aurand gets a hold of Blue Devil Boone Venema at the Owen Invitational wrestling tournament in Polson on Friday, Dec. 1. (Avery Howe photo)
  

    Bulldog Landree Aurand gets a hold of Blue Devil Boone Venema at the Owen Invitational wrestling tournament in Polson on Friday, Dec. 1. (Avery Howe photo)