Chiefs get down to business
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
The Ronan Chiefs made short work of the Thompson Falls wrestlers in a home dual last Thursday, winning 46-24.
“We had several athletes stand out in this dual,” coach Cory Johnston said. “Many of them worked hard all week to get down to the next weight class to make us a more competitive dual team.”
At 119 pounds, Cole Snyder, who’s working his way down to the 112 weight class, still secured a pin in 47 seconds.
Trae Garcia, at 125, came back from behind on the scoreboard and secured a pin with 15 seconds left in the match for the win.
At 171 pounds, Shelby Grant made an impressive debut for the 2012-13 season with a first-period pin in 1:55.
Colby Roberts, 189, continued his streak of dominance with a first-period pin in 1:18.
“The team came out firing on all cylinders in our first dual meet of the season,” Johnston said. “We won eight of the 10 contested varsity matches and pinned in seven of those eight. Everyone wrestled very well and made a large statement to the western division.”
At the Mining City Duals in Butte over the weekend, several Chiefs turned in standout performances.
Trevar McAllister, 119, went 4-1 on the weekend, winning all four by pin.
“This is very impressive for someone as new to the sport as Trevar,” Johnston noted.
Grant went undefeated on the weekend with an impressive 5-0 record.
“Shelby was never in any danger of losing and was dominant in all phases,” Johnston said.
Roberts proved why he is the No. 1-ranked 189-pound wrestler in the state this weekend with an undefeated weekend going 5-0. He never even got taken down.
“This is an incredible accomplishment for a tournament with as many great wrestlers as the Mining City Duals brings,” Johnston said.
The Chiefs first faced Class B/C Conrad and won the dual 60-12 before moving on to wrestle AA powerhouse Great Falls High. Great Falls won convincingly 72-10, but Johnston said his athletes were competitive in all matches but gave up too many weights to forfeit. The Chiefs then faced class AA Flathead High School. Once again, forfeiting weights costs the team as the Chiefs won five and lost five, but lost the dual 54-31.
Against Class A Columbia Falls, Ronan won seven out of nine contested matches and still lost the dual by a score of 48-37 due to forfeits. The Chiefs’ final dual was against Class B/C Huntley Project, where Ronan won eight out of 10 contest matches and won the dual 48-24.
“The scores of the duals do not show how well we wrestled this past weekend,” Johnston explained. “As a Class B/C school, it is sometimes difficult to fill all of the weight classes, and thus duals are not the best format for our team. In all but one dual, we won as many or more than the team we were wrestling, which is what we are really looking for.”
On Tuesday, Ronan hosted Mission and Flathead. The Chiefs travel to the CMR Holiday Classic this weekend in Great Falls, where Johnston expects his team to shine.
