Greenchain wrestlers sweep dual against CFalls, Bigfork

The Libby Logger Greenchain wrestling squad swept two dual meets last week against Columbia Falls and Bigfork.

Thursday, Jan. 10, Libby hosted its Northwest Class A foes while claiming a 66-18 win over the Vikings and a 42-38 win over the Wildcats. Columbia Falls also scored a 50-12 win over Bigfork prior to the Greenchain taking the mats.

Forfeits played prominently in all the matches as the visiting teams struggled to fill weight classes. The Greenchain had eight wins by forfeit over the Vikings and six over the Wildcats.

Freshman Levi Nick got Libby started with a pin at 103 pounds before Tristan Rogers claimed a forfeit win at 110.

Junior Bridger Bache scored a pin in 29 seconds at 126 pounds to make it 18-6. Senior Jeremiah Thomas’s forfeit win at 132 and junior Nick Campbell’s pin at 138 made it 30-6.

Six straight forfeit wins ballooned Libby’s lead to 66-6.

Against the Wildcats, three forfeit wins to begin the match by Nick, Rogers and Jack Hayven propelled the Greenchain to an 18-0 lead.

At 138 pounds, Campbell’s pin made it 24-10. Junior Gabe Kosters and senior Connor Benson each picked up forfeit wins to make it 36-10. 

But the Wildcats got a forfeit at 157 pounds, then three straight pins to cut the deficit to two points, 36-34. A major decision at 215 pushed the Wildcats to a 38-36 lead, but Libby 285-pounder Hunter Nelson claimed a forfeit win to make the Greenchain winners.

At the Western Montana Invitational Jan. 3-4 in Ronan, the Greenchain had one champion and four other placewinners while placing fifth with 173.5 points. Frenchtown won with 243.5, Eureka was second, Ronan was third and Corvallis was fifth.

Campbell was 5-0 at 138 pounds, improving to 14-4. Campbell won two matches by technical fall, one by major decision and two by decision. 

In the championship match, Campbell claimed a 13-6 decision over Florence’s Max Rosenthal.

At 118, Bache was 3-1 and placed second. All of his wins were by fall as he improved his record to 11-7.

At 150, Boe Miles was 6-1 and placed third. Miles scored four pins and improved to 19-6.

Rogers was fourth at 103 after a 4-2 performance that featured two pins and a major decision.

Nick was sixth at 103 pounds. He was 2-3.

The Greenchain lost 126-pounder Riley Orr to injury in a first-round match to Corvallis’ Sean Davis.

Libby wrestles at the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula this weekend.

    Libby wrestler Nick Campbell scored a pin over his Columbia Falls opponent in a 42-38 win Friday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Libby wrestler Levi Nick scored a pin over his Bigfork opponent in a 66-18 win Friday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)