Area wrestlers succeed at Holiday Classic

The Havre Blue Ponies aren't the only wrestling team on the Hi-Line which is off to a great start this season. And the Ponies weren't the only area team to find success at this weekend's CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.

Known as one of the best prep wrestling tournaments in Montana each and every year, several local grapplers made noise on the mats Friday-Saturday at the CMR Fieldhouse.

Harlem's Shay Snider led the way. He captured the 112-pound championship at the CMR tournament, defeating Havre's Dylan Stewart in a classic match, 2-0 Saturday night. Snider remains unbeaten this season, and is the top 112-pounder in all of Class B-C wrestling. And with his CMR title, he might just be the best in all of Montana.

As a team, the Wildcats scored 61 points over the weekend and wound up finishing in the top half of the tournament. Harlem was fourth among B-C schools in the field.

Chinook scored 40 points this weekend and had two grapplers place. Senior Rob Klingaman finished fourth at 198 pounds, falling to Ronan's Cody Roberts in the consolation final. Jake Norby placed fourth for the Beeters at 112 pounds as well.

The Chester/J-I Hawks tallied 31 points, most of which came form heavyweight Shalon Norick, who finished third. Norick beat Donovan Huck of Class A Dillon with a pin in the consolation final. Big Sandy also had a placer as senior Lane Martin wound up sixth for the Pioneers, who scored 22 points. Martin was defeated by Lewistown's Ethan Blythe in the 171-pound, fifth-sixth matchup. Blythe is the top-ranked 171-pounder in Class A so far this season.