Middle School Wrestlers in Malta and Poplar

The Malta Jr High Wrestlers competed in the Poplar Mixer on Thursday, December 1. Teams competing were Circle, Glasgow, Harlem, Poplar, Wolf Point, Glendive and Malta. Most wrestlers got two matches and the Malta wrestlers went 21-13 for the night.

Individual records for the Poplar Mixer are as follows: Colby Wright 1-1, Braun Sims 1-1, Beckett Squires 1-1, Karsten Davis 2-0, Braxton Egger 0-2, Cameron Spencer 1-0, Luke Simanton 0-2, Kallie LaBrie 1-1, Hayden Roberts 2-0, Gabe Oshio 0-2, Lane Spencer 2-0, Beau Merriman 0-2, Steeler Blunt 3-0, Corby Mears 2-0, Tripp Lefdahl 2-0, Kenan LaBrie 2-0, and TJ Nelson 1-1.

The Most Exciting Match for the weekend was wrestled on Thursday as Cameron Spencer won his match with a 17-14 score. It was our most exciting match, and the most exciting match of the night, as everyone in the gym was watching the back-and-forth battle. Both wrestlers had no quit in them and it made for a great match.

The Malta Middle School Wrestling Tournament was on Saturday, December 3 at the high school. Teams competing were Circle, Glasgow, Harlem, Malta, Poplar, and Wolf Point. The wrestlers were separated into two groups: 5th/6th Grade and 7th/8th Grade.

Eight wrestlers competed in the 5th/6th grade division. Braun Sims (67-76 lb) was 2-1 on Saturday. Braun won a match by pin and another by decision. He lost another match by pin. Braun took 2nd place and had a record of 3-2 for the week. Beckett Squires (68-77 lb) had a tough bracket, went 0-2 but lost only by decision and wrestled better. Beckett took 3rd place and was 1-3 for the week. Karsten Davis (74-79 lb) went 2-0 and took 1st place. Karsten was 4-0 on the weekend and shares the Wrestler of the Week Award for this week's competitions.

Karsten was a candidate for wrestler of the week during the Lewistown meet and just keeps improving. Cameron Spencer (85-93 lb) had a tough bracket as well and went 1-2, losing two matches by pin and winning by pin. Cameron got 3rd on Saturday and was 2-2 for the week.

Hayden Roberts (97-101 lb) continues to do well as he went 2-1 on Saturday. Hayden ended up winning 1st in his bracket as three wrestlers swapped victories and he won the weight class by criteria. Hayden was 4-1 on the week.

Gabe Oshio (102-118 lb) was 1-1 on Saturday, winning and losing by pin and taking 2nd place. Gabe won his first match of the year and was 1-3 for the week. Beau Merriman (114-122 lb) won and lost by pin on Saturday and took 2nd place. Beau's pin was in 12 seconds and wins the Quick Pin Award for the week. Beau's record for the week was 1-3. Corby Mears (126-134 lb) won two matches by decision and another by pin, where he was behind by points.

Corby was 3-0 on Saturday and took 1st place. Corby's first win was on Thursday and he was 5-0 for the week. Corby's improvement and success cannot be ignored and he shares the Wrestler of the Week Award with Karsten Davis.

Kallie LaBrie (98-102 lb) competed in the Girls Division. Kallie went 2-1 in Malta, winning by decision and pin and losing by pin. Kallie took 2nd in her weight class and went 3-2 for the week.

Seven wrestlers competed in the 7th/8th grade division. Luke Simanton (80-86 lb) lost 2 matches by pin and won a match by pin. Luke took 3rd place and went 1-4 for the week. Lane Spencer (106-115 lb) went 3-0 on Saturday and took 1st place. Lane had a great match against a Glasgow opponent that had beaten him three times previously. Lane was 5-0 for the week. Steeler Blunt (115-124 lb) won 2 matches by pin and lost a match by pin, earning 2nd place. Steeler was 5-1 on the week and continues to improve his technique. Tripp Lefdahl (127-140 lb) also continues to improve as he received 2nd place with 2 pins and one loss by pin. Tripp had a 4-1 record for the week.

Kenan LaBrie (181-191 lb) had a great debut week. Kenan had 3 pins in a total of two minutes in Malta to take 1st place. Kenan was 5-0 for the week. Skylar Gilkerson (192-204 lb) was unable to wrestle at Poplar due to injury, but made up for it in Malta with two pins in 1:39 to take 1st place. Skylar was 2-0 for the week. TJ Nelson (242-265 lb) was 2-1 on Saturday, winning by pin and decision and losing by pin. TJ took 2nd place in the tourney and went 3-2 for the week.

The Malta Jr High Wrestlers' win-loss record was 29-14 for the tournament and 50-27 for the week. We appreciate everyone that made the Malta tournament a success.