Malta Wrestlers head to Butte for tournament

Last weekend, four wrestlers from Malta attended the State Folk Style tournament in Butte with head coach Ryan Labrie and they fared "very well."

Trey Simanton was the oldest of the wrestlers from Malta at the tournament and according to coach Labrie faced the toughest competition.

"He ended up finishing fourth," he said. "He wrestled up a bracket against some quality opponents that we have seen this year and the top ranking wrestler in the state won the bracket. "He wrestled phenomenally. He ended up coming back from a deficit and came back to win it in overtime. He dug deep, tied it up in the last seconds and then got the overtime takedown to win it. It was probably his best match of the weekend."

The tournament lasted three days and besides Simanton, Shawn Gilkerson, Oren Mackey and Spencer Gibbs attended the event and each wrestled very well according to their coach.

Coach Labrie said that of the four Malta grapplers at the tournament that Spencer Gibbs had the toughest bracket to contend with.

"His only two losses came to the same kid," said Labrie. "He wrestled him better in the second match, but just couldn't get the best of him. He was only one match away from placing so he did a really nice job. He was right in there."

Simanton will next appear at the Middle School National Duals at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa as a member of one of four teams from Montana.

"He will be down there all weekend wrestling," said Labrie.

As for the rest of the Malta wrestlers, the Little Guy State Tournament will also be this weekend. The event will be held in Great Falls.

"Throughout the years, Malta wrestlers have always done very well at the state tournament," said Labrie. "Orin has won in the past and so has Spencer. We have had a lot of places in the past three or four years, so we should have a good showing. It's a fun cap to the season."