Panther wrestlers grappled through All-State competitors, hefty team rosters and long-standing rivalries to finish the week 3-1 after taking on Columbus-Absarokee, Whitehall, Conrad and Manhattan.
Columbus-Absarokee and Whitehall traveled to Boulder Friday, Jan. 22 to take on the Panthers on their home turf.
Columbus-Absarokee was the first dual of the day with the matches starting at 103 pounds. Dominick Davis (103 lbs.), Leo Anderson (113 lbs.) and Christian Davis, (120 pounds) all put points on the board with the Davis twins each winning by pin. Columbus-Absarokee scored next with a forfeit at 126 pounds, followed by Zack Supalla being defeated at 132 pounds. John Armstrong (138 lbs.) registered a pin, but Zack Supalla (132 lbs.) and Keaton Poulsen (145 lbs.) were defeated.
The dual was a see-saw battle with Jefferson being on top 21-18 at this point. Jace Oxarart and Kaden Johnson stapled their opponents at 152 and 160 pounds, respectively, blowing the dual wide open. Miles Dodge would score points at 170 pounds and Braeden Jones registered a pin at 182 pounds. Jefferson would forfeit 205 pounds. Matt Riehl pinned his opponent to end the dual with a 51-24 victory.
Up next was county-rival, the Whitehall Trojans.
Once again Jefferson went on a scoring run in the lighter weights with Anderson scoring a pin and both Davis twins putting points on the board as well. The Trojans would win the next two matches by forfeit and a victory over Supalla. Armstrong would score by pin next in the dual. At this point, Whitehall would go on a scoring run. Oxarart, Poulsen and Johnson were defeated. Dodge broke through with a pin, but the Trojans managed to take the final two weight classes against Jones and Riehl. Whitehall would win the dual 43-27.
The Panthers traveled to Manhattan on Saturday, Jan. 23, with the first match against Conrad. The dual started at 103 pounds with Anderson scoring a narrow 3-2 victory. Dominick Davis, Christian Davis and Supalla added to the point total to put the Panthers up 21-0. Colman Thornton and John Armstrong were defeated next, but it was all Panthers after this point. Oxarart and Kaden Johnson each scored pins, while Jones and Riehl added to the point total. Jefferson would win the dual with a commanding 45-15 score.
In the second dual of the day, Jefferson went up against Manhattan, with a 24-point scoring run as Anderson, the Davis twins, Supalla and Thornton all got their hands raised. Armstrong and Jones won by pin with Poulsen picking up a victory as well. In the final match of the day, Matt Riehl was able to secure a victory in overtime. The Panthers would win by a dominant 51-6 score. The only points scored against Jefferson were forfeit points at 160 pounds where the Panthers did not have a competitor.
Coach’s comments: We had another great weekend of wrestling by going 3-1 in duals. The dual with Columbus-Absarokee should have been really close, but we turned it into a blowout. We outscored our opponents 99-21 in Manhattan to prove we are a team to look out for.
Thornton was selected by his coaches as the JHS Panther Wrestler of the week. Thornton, who is in a back-up role at 138 pounds, was matched up against some tough opponents and managed to go 2-2 on the weekend. Thornton showed a “never give up” attitude during his matches.
Dominick Davis had the quick pin of the week for the Panthers when he pinned his opponent in 28 seconds during the Columbus-Absarokee dual.
The next action for the Panthers wrestling team will be a home dual on Friday, Jan. 29 against Three Forks at 3 p.m. and Cut Bank at 5 p.m. The team travels to Fairfield on Saturday, Jan. 30 with action getting underway at 1 p.m.
