Ronan wresters take 16th at CMR
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GREAT FALLS - Three Chiefs came away with top-six finishes over the weekend as Ronan wrestled at the CMR Holiday Classic. Ronan finished the varsity tournament 17-14 overall and finished 16th as a team at the event.
“We competed well and we were in most of our matches that went the distance. That’s what we want out of our kids,” Ronan coach Dustyn Azure said. “We want them to go out there and stay aggressive from start to finish. We still have a lot of technical things we need to work on, but that is a given because of how young we are.”
Toby Cheff had the top finish for the Chiefs, earning second in the 189-pound weight class as he fell to Chinook’s Benjamin Stroh via a 58-second pin in the championship matchup.
Despite the high finish, the defending state champion Cheff was unhappy with the loss.
“Toby was pretty disappointed in himself for losing the final. He didn’t wrestle his match. He is making mistakes and he knows it. He just needs to keep himself in better position,” Azure said. “I think we are going to see some big wins from him after this. With this loss, I think it is actually going to turn out for the better for him. Sometimes kids need a little loss to wake them up and make them step up their game.”
Cheff finished the tournament with three pins.
Cole McArthur earned a fourth-place finish for the Chiefs in the 160-pound weight class after going 5-2 at the tournament. McArthur lost to Laurel’s Dylan Kramer in the third-place match via a major decision, 11-2. McArthur pinned two of his opponents at the tournament.
Andrew Tiegan took fifth place in the 125-pound division, pinning Frenchtown’s Cody Ishler in 1:42 in the fifth-place match. Tiegan pinned two opponents during the tournament.
According to Azure, it was another good showing for his young team.
“For our freshmen, it was their first tournament and they had to get used to that. They are building confidence with every match, though. You can really see it out there. By the end of their matches, they can see that they can compete,” he said. “That is something that will just come with experience, though. They all need to figure out their own individual ways to get warmed up and ready to go for their matches.”
Ronan’s wrestlers finished with 12 pins at the tournament, including three from Cheff, two each by Tiegan, McArthur and Brandon Dumont and one each from Shelby Grant, Chase Rhine and Quentin Denton.
While Azure says his team is moving in the right direction, he says there are still many things that they need to work on.
“We really need to work on our match consistency. We were really up and down there,” he said. “We would wrestle one match well and the next match we would not be looking so hot.”
Azure says his team is still having to battle having a lot of open weight classes, but adds that there are several kids on the JV team that should be filling in those holes soon.
Ronan had several kids do well at the JV tournament in Great Falls over the weekend as well as Nate Brook earned first in the 130-pound division, Shelby Grant won the 140-pound division, Jake Stenstrom was second at 125 pounds, Chase Rhine was second at 112 pounds, Austin Hakes was fourth at 135 pounds and Dustin Goldsby was fourth at 145 pounds.
The Chiefs’ season continues Jan. 4 as the team travels to face Whitefish.
Summary
1st-2nd place
189 - Benjamin Stroh, Chinook, pinned Toby Cheff, 0:58
3rd-4th place
160 - Dylan Kramer, Laurel, maj. dec. Cole McArthur, 11-2
5th-6th place
125 - Andrew Tiegan pinned Cody Ishler, Frenchtown, 1:42
Consolation 5th round
160 - Cole McArthur dec. Hunter Chandler, Bozeman, 4-2
First Round
112 - Cree Minkoff, Billings Senior, pinned Chase Rhine, 1:17. 119 - Bryce Weatherston, Belgrade, pinned Brandon Dumont, 3:42. 135 - Colt Harris, Conrad, pinned Austin Hakes, 0:45. 140 - Shelby Grant pinned Tommy Cooper, Laurel, 5:19. 145 - Ryan Miller, Big Sandy, dec. Dustin Goldsby, 9-7. 152 - Brad Nordahl, Frenchtown, pinned Quentin Denton, 3:59. 160 - Cole McArthur pinned Pedro Mundess, Butte Central, 1:20. 189 - Toby Cheff pinned Ethan Foote, Browning, 1:08.
Second Round
125 - Andrew Tiegan dec. Taylor Anderson, Bozeman, 11-10. 140 - Luke Paine, Billings Senior, dec. Shelby Grant, 7-4. 160 - Cole McArthur pinned Jesse Nelson, Dillon, 2:19. 189 - Toby Cheff pinned Jim Boswell, Bozeman, 1:55. 215 - Jorrell Jones, Chinook, maj. dec. Colby Roberts, 12-0.
Quarterfinals
125 - Andrew Tiegan pinned Zach Barber, Glacier, 5:25. 160 - Jordan Malarchick, Belgrade, dec. Cole McArthur, 11-7. 189 - Toby Cheff pinned Taylor Buck, Choteau, 2:47.
Consolation First Round
112 - Chase Rhine pinned Steven Werre, Choteau, 1:25. 135 - Lane Boka, Dillon, pinned Austin Hakes, 2:50. 145 - Sam Whisonant, Missoula Hellgate, dec. Dustin Goldsby, 2-1. 152 - Quentin Denton dec. A.J. Johnston, Dillon, 7-3.
Consolation Second Round
112 - Lawrense Lesofski, Helena Capital, dec. Chase Rhine, 9-4. 119 - Brandon Dumont pinned Kalen Lightner, Choteau, 2:34. 140 - Dexter Trask, Lewistown, dec. Shelby Grant, 6-4. 215 - Colby Roberts dec. Song Stuker, Harlem, 2-0.
Consolation Third Round
119 - Brandon Dumont pinned Kris Whitish, Cascade/Simms, 4:09. 152 - Quentin Denton pinned Sam Wavra, CMR, 1:38. 215 - Colby Roberts dec. Ben Mead, Missoula Hellgate, 5-3.
