New season, same goal for MatCats

Columbia Falls wrestling team is eager to get back on the mat for a new season following the school’s first team state championship since 1990 last spring.

Head coach Jessie Schaeffer tells the Hungry Horse News he hopes to see 11 returning starters on the squad depending on injuries that carry over from the football team’s state championship game run.

Leading the way for Columbia Falls will be a four-man senior class including Traic Fainter and Billy Gustafson, who both placed in last season’s state championships. Former state qualifier Cash Byrd, and Branden Torpen round out the seniors.

“Last year’s last year and this is a different team, they can’t rest on last year’s performance because we are missing some big horses as well,” Scheffer told the Hungry Horse News. “Hopefully these younger guys will step up and fill out those positions.”

Schaeffer is tasked with filling out a varsity roster with 25-30 wrestlers.

On the girls side Ben Schaeffer, Jessie’s brother, leads the team into their second season.

The program is led by four returners from last year, including All-State wrestler Jaelynn Nace.

The team features nine new wrestlers for this season, including three who were a part of the inaugural junior high school team last year.

Elsewhere in Class A, Libby is returning a strong group of wrestlers including state champion Jace DeShazer, who put on a dominating performance in Billings. DeShazer will be joined by seven state qualifiers this season including three other seniors: Marley Erickson, Zekiah Meyers, and Xavier Reatz.

Whitefish sees three state qualifiers back on the mat this season including seniors Henry Bennetts and Jackson Dorvall and junior Landree Aurand.

Polson returns a trio of state qualifiers for this season including sophomores Max Ramesar and Kyrin Doty. Also returning is junior Durai Mahkuk.

Bigfork sees six state qualifiers return including a pair of seniors in Evan Tidwell and Felix Zambergs as they move to the Class A level for the first time,

Moving over to Class B/C wrestling, Eureka looks to make a run towards a state championship this season.

Head coach Dan Lemer returns seven state qualifiers from last season, four of them placed in Billings in the spring.

Timothy Schmidt returns as a sophomore following a state championship at 113 pounds last year. He is joined by his cousin, senior Blake Lancaster, who finished 3rd last season losing only to Schmidt in the semifinal.

Seniors Caden Pecora and Riley Hume and junior Wes Banks are also expected to make an impact this season after each finished in third in their weight class last spring.

“I expect most of those guys to contend for individual state championships, and winning matchups and getting pins will be big for us,” said Lemer. “(A state Championship) That’s our expectation, we should be able to make a run as long as everyone stays eligible.”

Eureka’s last state championship came in 2017.

Also in Class B Thompson Falls prepares for the season with 4 state qualifiers returning including seniors Diego Long and state champion Max Hannum.

Most of these teams will start their season in Polson at the Owen Invitational Friday and Saturday.