Local grapplers compete in round robin

In what coach Kelly Morford categorized as a “weird” weekend, the grappler of the Greenchain broke out of an early season slump and brought a new focus and energy to their competition. There were no individual places awarded, nor were team scores kept, but the Greenchain wrestlers performed well, Morford said.

“The boys had a great week of practice over Christmas break and I think they really took a big step forward,” he said. “They worked hard to focus on being more precise in their technique and honing in on some areas where we really needed to improve. As a team, we need to get better on our feet and we saw some improvement in that area on Saturday. We were also a lot more aggressive on the top, which was good to see. Almost every win we had came from a pin, and in some of those, we were losing at the time.”

Dylan Parrish was the team’s top performer, winning all four of his matches.

“Dylan had a great weekend,” Morford said. “One thing about him is that he is willling to go out there and try different stuff. The coaches were talking that we think Dylan ran, or at least tried, just about every move we run. That willingness to go out there and let it hang out serves him well on the mat. We use him as an example often as to how to open up and trust what we do in practice.”

Tanner Wood and Clancy Gout both wrestled to 2-1 records Saturday, which Morford credited to hard work and growing confidence.

“Clancy is really starting to come into his own as his confidence improves and he gets more comfortable with our system,” Morford said. “He is learning how to use his strength to his benefit and is really getting after some guys. I am excited to see him continue to get better every week. I think Tanner had a light bulb go off in Polson that if he revs things up a little, he can have a lot more success. Coach Love challenged him to wrestle with a lot more energy and speed on a continual basis and he has responded to that well. He has found a different gear out there and is much improved because of it. I was proud of his improved approach this weekend.”

Greenchain newcomer, Eureka transfer Tim Carvey, has struggled early in the season with injuries, but Morford said Carvey was coming into his groove as the season progresses. He was two-and-two for the tourney.

“Tim kind of had a slow start due to being in a new program and he has also had multiple dings and injuries,” Morford said. “He is starting to find his groove and is really wrestling well. He had some good wins at Mission and I look for him to keep getting better as we go along.”

In the 103-lb class, Buddy Doolin was 2-1 and Colten Clemons was 1-2; Mason Sams went 1-2 in the 113-lb class. Reed Christensen was also 1-2 at 132, with Laine Young at 2-2 at 138. Overall, Morford was pleased with the progress but said much work remains before the season comes to a close.

“As a whole, we have a long way to go but we are on the right track,” he said. “I thought our progression stalled out a little before break but I have been really pleased with our effort and improvement after Christmas. We had a good dose of Class B/C opponents at Mission and I think it was an eye-opener as to how well we will need to wrestle at divisionals to qualify for state. We need to keep working hard and getting better every day to give ourselves the best chance to compete at the end of the season.”