P-HS grapplers score in Choteau

Building towards a big finish – at the State B-C meet in Billings Feb. 14-15 – the Plains-Hot Springs Savage Horsemen worked the mats with 35 other teams in the Choteau Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Led by senior Conrad Vanderwall, who won sixth place at 138 pounds, the Savage Horsemen scored 19 team points in the two-day tourney.

“It was really tough competition in Choteau, the majority of the top kids in the state were there,” coach Jeff Kujala said. “We wrestled pretty well and now know what we need to work on over the next three weeks.”

Vanderwall advanced to the semifinals before dropping a match, then lost in overtime for the match to get into the consolation, and then suffered misfortune in the fifth-sixth place match.

“We were up by five points going into the third period,” Kujala said, “but got caught in a head-and-arm and ended up losing by one point.”

Mason Elliott (120), Peter Carey (132), Gage Fuhrman (145), Jesse Uski (160) and Stephen Yother (205) also wrestled for P-HS in the main draw in Choteau.

Grappling in the junior varsity tournament held in conjunction with the Choteau Invite and providing one of the biggest highlights for the team, Plains freshman Brady Schrenk won first place in the 113 pound division.

Lillian McDonald also wrestled in the junior varsity tourney for Plains-Hot Springs.

Heading into the 13-team Ted Kato Memorial tournament this Saturday, P-HS grapplers will warm up for the Kato participating in a quadrangular match in Eureka Tuesday (results were not available) and will host a quadrangular in Plains, also involving Bigfork, Mission and Arlee Friday.

Kujala said he is hoping to get a few wrestlers back from injury in the coming weeks, as Taylor Angle, Bert DeTienne, Brody Black and Levi Blood could become eligible to compete soon, hopefully in time for the Kato tourney.