GREAT FALLS – Crosstown wrestling, Great Falls CMR versus Great Falls High. It’s time to take it to the mats under the spotlight at the Great Falls High Old Gym, and athletes from both sides are ready for chaos when they meet in Friday’s dual.
“It seems like the real season of what you’ve been working for starts with crosstown,” said CMR head coach Aaron Jensen. “I know we’ve circled it on our calendar, I guarantee that (Great Falls High) has done the same thing. Hopefully we show up and scrap hard and it’s an entertaining show for the fans.”
“I love crosstown. We’re just all in the spotlight. It’s just a whole lot different than your regular match because your family is there, your whole school is there,” said GFH senior Travis Tomei. “They’re all watching you and cheering you on. It’s really loud, which I feel helps us a lot. It’s just fun.”
“With your town behind you, every match, there’s going to be 800-900 people there, that’s an awesome atmosphere to be wrestling for your hometown,” said CMR junior Carter Carroll.
The Bison have been victorious in 10 consecutive crosstown duals. CMR knows it’s the underdog and looks to surprise some people, with the vibe that these two teams are closer than people realize.
“We’ve improved so much since last year,” said CMR junior Kai Stewart. “It’s a new year and (the Bison) are probably going to go into it thinking, ‘Hey, 10 years in a row, we’ve got them,’ but we’re coming in as the underdogs. No one expects us to do anything, but we’re going to go make some noise.”
“We’ve just got to stay focused. We’ve got to go out there and scrap,” said GFH senior Jordan Komac. “It could be a closer dual than people expect, but our guys have to wrestle tough. They have about four to six matches where it’s going to be pretty tight between us. If we can win those scraps then we’ll be fine in the dual.”
Bonus points have been a big factor in deciding the victor in the past couple of duals.
“I think it’s going to be a very good contest. All crosstowns are, in all sports. (CMR) is a much better team than they’re probably ranked,” said GFH head coach Steve Komac. “Last weekend they were in some good duals with some good teams, so I think it’s going to be a good contest. To be victorious, we have to wrestle to the best of our ability.”
