Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

The Blue Hawks wrestlers were on the road last week, first for a set of duals in Ronan on December 14, then for the two-day CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.

Coach Mike Thilmony was proud of his team’s performance in the Great Falls tournament, which he says is one of the toughest competitions of the season in Montana. “We had some devastating losses and tough matches but you go in prepared for that,” Thilmony said. The Hawks finished 21st in the competition of more than 50 teams.

Three Hawk wrestlers placed in the CMR Classic. Senior Trae Thilmony placed second, Elijah Ratliff finished sixth and Shane Reishus was eighth. “We’re pretty pleased with our team performance up there,” Coach Thilmony said, adding that Trae lost to a Class AA state champion from Missoula Big Sky in the championship match. “He wrestled great all weekend long and beat some tough kids. That championship match was a match we definitely feel we can win.”

Ratliff was a No. 3 seed going into the tournament, but got beat in the first round. He battled back for sixth place. “We were really happy to see him battle back in a tough tournament,” Thilmony said. “We lost a couple close matches in the consolation bracket.”

Reishus wrestled his way to the quarterfinals before losing late on the first day of the tournament. Max Hannum also wrestled well in the tournament. He went into the CMR Holiday Classic as a No. 6 seed but was upset in the first round. Coach Thilmony said Hannum lost a close match in double overtime Friday. “Those are the kind of matches you’re going to get into.” Westin Brown wrestled at 132 and got a win in the tournament, his first time in the CMR Classic. “That’s a positive for him to get a win in that kind of environment,” Thilmony noted.

The Blue Hawks girls also wrestled in the CMR Classic, with Veronica Bewick picking up her first high school wrestling victory, going 1-2 in the tournament. “She was pretty excited,” Thilmony said. Desani Bewick also wrestled but was unable to pick up a win. The CMR Classic had 175 girls, presenting some great competition for the Blue Hawks.

“We like that tournament and getting into those high intensity matches that you sometimes don’t see until the postseason,” Thilmony added. “It gives us a lot to go back and work on.”

The Hawks also traveled to Ronan on December 14 for duals against Ronan and Whitefish. Thompson Falls lost to Ronan 48-24 and Whitefish 36-30, but Thilmony said they got some great matches. The coach is happy with what he saw from his team in December. The Hawks wrestled a pair of duals at home with Mission and Superior Tuesday before going on Christmas break. Results of those duals will be published in next week’s Ledger.