Maroon/Gold Dual hits the mat tonight

Time is ticking away on the Montana State University-Northern wrestling team. And before the Lights know it, their season-opening tournament will be upon them.

But, before the matches start for real, the Lights will do battle with each other, with varsity spots on the line. Northern will hold its annual Maroon/Gold Dual tonight at 7 at the Armory Gymnasium, before opening the season Nov. 1 at the Trapper Open.

Tonight’s dual should feature eight bouts, with several of those determining who will start for the Lights in their dual lineup this season. But tonight’s dual isn’t just about those varsity spots, it’s also about getting better, and getting ready to face some stiff competition over the next four months.

“It will be interesting Thursday night,” Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge said. “We’ve been working hard, and we got our feet wet with the Alumni Dual. But this will be the first night these kids step on the mat where it’s kind of for real. And we look at it as another opportunity to get better.”

The Alumni Dual did get Northern started off on the right foot, as the Lights were as competitive against the Alumni team as they have been in several years.

But tonight’s intra-squad dual will also be a test for many MSU-N grapplers.

Of the planned eight matches tonight, several could be for varsity spots, and others will determine possible red-shirt status’ for some Northern grapplers. And other matches will just be to get some experience for veterans as they head into the regular season.

One of the headline matches of the night will be at 174 pounds. Northern senior Jared Miller is a returning All-American and finished second at the national tournament a year ago. Miller will be pitted against teammate, and former rival Cole McCarthur, who transferred to MSU-N this year from Northwest College in Wyoming.

“Cole is a kid we recruited out of high school, and now we got him here,” Thivierge said. “And we’re really excited about that. He and Jared (Miller) were 1-1 against each other last year, so that will be interesting to see how that goes. But having Cole here makes us really deep at 174 again.”

The dual will also end with a mixed match featuring 197-pound returning All-American Garret DeMers against sophomore heavyweight Jorrell Jones. Jones was also part of Northern’s national tourney team last spring.

At 125 pounds, veteran Riley Miller will take on Andrew Caballa. Caballa is new to the Lights this season and will red-shirt.

“He’s (Caballa) a kid we’re really excited about,” Thivierge said. “He’s going to definitely red-shirt this season, but he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’s a tough kid. And Riley Miller is a kid who’s won a lot of big matches for us. He was really good the second half of last season, and he’s looking really good so far this year. So that will be an interesting match.”

Brenton Beard and Justin Rodgers will square off at 133 pounds tonight, and that match could have varsity implications. The same goes for the match at 141 pounds between Rainier Montes and Bradyn Rooks, as well as the 149-pound match between Drew Randall and Logan Foster. At 157 pounds, now veteran Tommy Cooper will face fellow veteran Terry Mason, while three-time All-American Ethan Hinebauch will battle Andrew Bartel at 165 pounds.

Tonight’s Maroon/Gold Dual starts at 7 at the Armory Gymnasium. The Lights will open the regular season at the Trapper Open Nov. 1 in Powell, Wyoming. MSU-N’s first home dual is the highly-anticipated matchup between the Lights and the UGF Argos Nov. 13.