Logger Greenchain is 4-2 at Western Montana Duals

Libby had a strong start at the Western Montana Duals in Ronan this weekend, however the Greenchain wasn't able to sustain it, leaving the tournament with 4 wins and 2 losses under their belts.

"Overall it was a pretty good weekend," said coach Jay Graham. "It wasn't so much that we lost, it's how we lost."

The Ronan hosts won their annual dual, topping Corvallis, 38-34.

Both the Chiefs and the Blue Devils were 5-0 through the eight rounds of duals, which lasted two days.

On Friday, Libby finished off their team matches with wins, beating Thompson Falls 41-22 in the first round, then St. Ignatius/Charlo 51-19 in the third.

However, the tables turned Saturday for Libby, who started off the 5th round with a loss to the Flathead JV, 59-27, who eventually took third overall in the tournament against Class B-C Arlee, 60-29.

"Against Kalispell we were up four or five points at one point," said Graham. "But some of them were intimidated for whatever reason."

Kyle Sweedman, S. Gary, J. Graham, and Brandin Mills pinned their Flathead JV opponents, while Seth Wright (160) decisioned C. Allen-Schmid.

The 6th round resulted in Polson beating Libby, 52-24.

"We could have wrestled harder against Polson," said Graham, noting the difference in scores against Polson earlier this season at home - a one point loss.

"They're both good teams," he said, referring to Polson and Kalispell, "but we made them look better than what they were."

In the 7th and 8th round, Libby came back to beat Deer Lodge 57-18 and Florence, 66-12, respectively.

Graham added they will be working on mental toughness in the weeks ahead.

"Wrestling is 90 percent mental," he said. "That's something that we have to work on as a young team."

He also noted a lot of positives.

"Brandin Mills was 6-0," said Graham. "He looked good - he's finally getting into shape."

Seth Wright and Justin Graham were also 6-0 in the tournament.

Graham said he enjoys the dual tournaments, which give the entire team more opportunities to wrestle when they advance, as opposed to individual tournaments, where the rest of the team sits on the bleachers while only the winners advance.

"When you have a young team, not just your studs get 4 or 5 matches, the whole team gets it."

Looking ahead, Graham is optimistic.

"We're plugging away," he said. "We'll have a tough weekend in Ronan - they have a good squad, so our goal is to improve and wrestle them better than before."

This weekend brings the Rocky Mountain Tournament in Missoula, the second toughest behind Tri-State, according to Graham.

Some of the wrestlers will participate in the Kalispell JV meet at Glacier High School instead of the Rocky Mountain Tournament.