Braves, Lions eye state titles
By DAVID LESNICK
Daily Inter Lake
To use a baseball metaphor, it looks like Flathead and Eureka have all their bases covered for the all-class state wrestling tournament this weekend at the Metra in Billings.
Now all that’s needed is a successful conclusion to the 2016-17 season for both battle-tested schools.
Flathead, third last year at state, is the top-ranked team in AA thanks to a 19-2 dual record.
The Braves have won the Rocky Mountain Classic and CMR Holiday Tournament, were second in the Pacific Northwest Classic in Spokane and the AA Duals and finished third in Mining City Duals.
Flathead will have two wrestlers in every weight class at state except for 138, where it has none, while 160 and 170 has one qualifier each.
“We are very pleased with our performance at (the seeding tournament in Helena last Saturday),” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said.
“We set ourselves up, with our seeds, very nicely to compete for a state championship. We had 22 place in the top six with 11 in the finals and seven champs. We didn’t have any wrestlers place in the seventh or eighth place matches.
“For us to win the state title we have to first off show up and focus on what we have control of, and that is ourselves, our matches, our team and just do our job. We have as good of a shot as any team to win it. We need to take it one match at a time.”
Thompson figures the Braves main challenger will be Bozeman.
“I feel it is a two team race for the title, in a dead heat for the AA state championship,” he said.
“I also feel, after looking at the seeding tournament results, that (Billings) Skyview and (Missoula) Big Sky have the best chance for the third-place trophy.”
If Flathead can pull it off, this would be the fifth state championship and seventh (top three trophy) for Thompson and assistant coaches Jeff Anderson and Dallas Stukers.
Assistant coach Tyler Wells was on the 2008 state championship squad that was ranked in the top 10 in the country.
Eureka is ranked No. 2 in B/C. The Lions picked up their first state tournament trophy in 25 years a year ago with their runner-up performance.
The Lions opened the season with a third-place showing at the Polson Invitational, finishing behind AA Missoula Sentinel and A Columbia Falls.
Eureka won its Buzz Lucey Invitational, the Whitefish Duals and the Western B/C divisional last Saturday for the third year in a row while placing second behind A Havre at the Cut Bank Invitational.
The Lions have qualified 13 for state, up three from last year, when it finished second behind Colstrip.
“Leaving the state tournament last year as runner-up the guys were hungry to improve and win it this year,” Eureka coach Danny Lemer said.
“With most of the wrestlers being on the state football championship, they have the experience to perform on the big stage. The team has one goal this weekend and that is to win every time they step on the mat. We know the potential we have and where we plan on finishing, but we are going to take it one match at a time.”
Eureka has never won a state mat title.
In Class A, Columbia Falls and Polson hope to be in the running for a top three finish. They are ranked No. 7 and 9, respectively, in the coaches’ poll.
Class AA
Flathead
Thompson has devoted practice this week to one thing — “we are just trying to fine tune our technique, keep up our tempo and stay relaxed,” he said.
“We are not trying to change anything or add any new moves. As a team, we are going to just enjoy the moment and do our best.”
Junior Trae Vasquez (105-4 overall career record) is looking for his third state championship. If he pulls that off, he will join Burke Tyree and Shawn Lau as the school’s other three-time state winners.
Vasquez (132) won state last year at 120 and 113 as a freshman.
Other state placers back are Hunter Rush (103), who was second; Tucker Nadeau (170), Matt Gash-Gilder (205) and Michael Lee (285) were all fifth.
Rush, Bryce Shaffer (113), Tanner Russell (126), Vasquez, Peyton Hume (152), Nadeau and Lee were seeding tournament champs in Helena.
Cody DeVall (120), Colby Martin (170), Hunter Wellcome (182) and Matt Gash-Gilder all finished second.
Tilynne Vasquez, 22-7 overall on the season, is believed to be the highest placing girl in AA seeding tournament history in Montana, according to Thompson. She was fourth in Helena.
“She could become the first girl to place in the AA state tournament,” he said. “She placed third at Cadet Nationals last summer. Her goal is to make the Women’s Junior World Team this summer.”
Vasquez is a freshman.
All but one of Flathead’s state qualifiers has a winning record. Five have more than 30 wins — Russell (31-10), Hume (35-6), Nadeau (36-3), Gash-Gilder (34-5) and Lee (34-6).
Rush (29-4), Fretwell (29-11) and Garrett Reike (28-11) should pass the 30-win mark this weekend.
Reike, a freshman, wrestles at 160.
Braves State Qualifiers
103 — Hunter Rush (12) 29-4; 1st in seeding
103 — Tilynne Vasquez (9) 22-7; 4th in seeding
113 — Bryce Shaffer (11) 25-6; 1st in seeding
113 — Dominic Battello (10) 21-14; 6th in seeding
120 —Cody DeVall (12) 24-13; 2nd in seeding
120 — Cody Moats (10) 23-9; 5th in seeding
126 — Tanner Russell (9) 31-10; 1st in seeding
126 — Jaden MacNeil (10) 18-13; 6th in seeding
132 — Trae Vasquez (11) 25-2; 1st in seeding
132 — Braden Comer (10) 18-17; 5th in seeding
138 — Open
145 — Kenyon Fretwell (11) 29-11; 3rd in seeding
145 — Kade Quinn (12) 11-10; 6th in seeding
152 — Payton Hume (11) 35-6; 1st in seeding
152 — Paxton Boyce (9) 27-12; 6th in seeding
160 — Garrett Reike (9) 28-11; 5th in seeding
170 — Tucker Nadeau (11) 36-3; 1st in seeding
170 — Colby Martin (10) 24-12; 2nd in seeding
182 — Hunter Wellcome (11) 23-11; 2nd in seeding
205 — Matt Gash-Gilder (12) 34-5; 2nd in seeding
205 — Daniel Long (11) 19-7; 6th in seeding
285 — Michael Lee (11) 34-6; 1st in seeding
285 — Alex Paul (11) 24-6; 4th in seeding
Glacier
The Wolfpack finished last at state in 2016 and had no state placers.
That should change this weekend with seeding tournament champion Justin Gibson (138) on the mats.
He’s two wins away from 40 and has lost just five times.
He’s 19-5 against AA competition.
“I really love Justin’s attitude and how he approaches the sport,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said.
“He is always willing to learn and grow in the sport, and is hungry to learn during and after practice.
“He has seen some adversity throughout the year taking some losses, however with his personality and drive to be the best that can be a benefit. I expect him to do what he always does, work hard all six minutes he is on the mat and give his best effort. He has been in this atmosphere before and won some tough matches as he placed fifth as a freshman and fourth as sophomore. He was unable to compete last year due to a broken arm.”
Glacier will have four freshmen and five sophomores in Billings.
“It is really encouraging to be able to double your state entrances from the previous year,” Dankers said.
“I think it is a step in the building process for the program. We will be returning 12 of these state entrants next year, which is something we have not had over the last couple years.
“I think we come into the tournament an underdog even with qualifying more than five other AA schools, as we had a fair amount of 7th and 8th placers,” he added.
“That being said I think we are in a really good spot mentally, physically and technically. When someone is feeling their best at the end of the season, that can go a long way in producing some upsets.”
Wolfpack State Qualifiers
103 — Dylan Miller (10) 10-21 (6-11 AA); 7th in divisional
103 — Bridger Beach (9) 7-15 (2-4); 6th in divisional
113 — 10th Caden Willis (10) 13-18 (5-12); 7th in divisional
120 — Wilson Lane (11) 13-22 (8-13); 7th in divisional
132 — Cole McCollam (9) 1-18 (1-8); 8th in divisional
138 — Justin Gibson (12) 38-5 (19-5); 1st in divisional
145 — Adam Hussein (11) 14-17 (7-11); 7th in divisional
152 — Andrew Glynn (11) 17-23 (9-14); 7th in divisional
152 — Caden Gilmond (9) 4-9 (3-6); 8th in divisional
170 — Mason Torrez (10) 5-16 (2-7); 8th in divisional
182 — Brandon Olsen (12) 17-18 (7-12); 7th in divisional
205 — Tre Krause (10) 5-7 (4-6); 7th in divisional
205 — Camryn Vergeront (9) 6-11 (2-5); 8th in divisional
285 — Ashton Thompson (10) 13-11 (7-8); 7th in divisional
Class A
Columbia Falls
The good news — 16 wrestlers from divisionals advance to state. Leading the group is divisional champion Ben Windauer (145), runners-up Winfield West (120) and Mason Fetters (152) along with third-place finishers Austin Nelson (113), Hunter Peterson (132), Colten McPhee (160), Storm Kemppainen (170), Jakob Freeman (182) and Kyler Koski (285).
Five state placers are back: Fetters was second, Windauer third, Hunter Peterson fourth, West and Kemppainen fifth and McPhee sixth.
“The outlook is good to punch in our 145 (Windauer) and 152 (Fetters) pounders (for state titles),” Columbia Falls coach Jessie Schaeffer said.
“In order for the ’Cats to bring home hardware this year we are going to need eight athletes to make the podium.”
Columbia Falls finished fourth at state last year, 1 1/2 points behind third-place Hardin.
MatCats State Qualifiers
103 — Garret Salminen, 8th in divisional
113 — Austin Nelson 3rd in divisional
120 — Winfield West 2nd in divisional
126 — Ayden Role 4th in divisional
132 — Hunter Peterson 3rd in divisional
132 — Easton Sempf 7th divisional
138 — Nathan Hader 5th in divisional
138 — Brandon Thomas 6th in divisional
145 — Ben Windauer 1st in divisional
145 — Braydon Stone 6th divisional
152 — Mason Fetters 2nd in divisional
152 — Keenan O’Keefe 7th divisional
160 — Colten McPhee 3rd in divisional
170 — Storm Kemppainen 3rd in divisional
182 — Jakob Freeman 3rd in divisional
285 — Kyler Koski 3rd in divisional
Polson
The Pirates, state runners-up a year ago, should be in the trophy chase once again.
Western A divisional champions Parker Adler (138) and Hunter Fritsch (160) along with second-place finisher Bridger Wenzel (126) have the best shots at high podium finishes.
“Parker has wrestled the top-ranked wrestler, Sawyer Degan from Belgrade, to a very close match at the Rocky Mountain Classic Tournament in Missoula earlier in January,” Polson assistant coach Bob Owen said.
“We have had some time to analyze the match and improve on some technique to counter Degan’s funky style.
“Bridger had a little bit of rust from his time away from the mat in January and was upset in the finals of the divisional. This will place him on the same side of the bracket with the top-ranked wrestler from Havre at state. His thought is that he would have had to beat him to win it and it does not matter where he will meet him on the bracket.
“Hunter came off of his injury and was right back to championship form,” Owen continued.
“He is on a par with any of the wrestlers in his weight and will just have to wrestle without mistakes to get to the top of his bracket.”
Wenzel, Mateo Quinones (113) and Cameron Brown (145) lost state semifinal matches in 2016 and finished third.
Adler was fourth.
“He came off of a season-long injury to wrestle extremely well this past weekend (at divisional),” Owen said Brown.
“We look for him to place high in his weight class.
“We were very pleased to get so many of our younger wrestlers into the state tournament,” he added.
“The experience will be invaluable to them next season.”
Of the 14 qualifiers, there are four freshmen and five sophomores.
Pirates State Qualifiers
103 — Kendrick Baker (9) 30-9; 2nd in divisional
113 — Mateo Quinones (11) 32-12; 4th in divisional
120 — Owen Targerson (9) 11-18; 8th in divisional
126 — Bridger Wenzel (10) 20-8; 2nd in divisional
138 — Parker Adler (11) 37-9; 1st in divisional
145 — Cameron Brown (11) 4-1; 3rd in divisional
145 — Kaleb Unger (9) 10-24; 8th in divisional
152 — Garrett Croft (9) 13-26; 5th in divisional
160 — Hunter Fritsch (10) 23-7; 1st in divisional
170 — Koby Garcia (10) 3-3; 4th in divisional
182 —Noah Humphrey (11) 21-19; 4th in divisional
205 — Jasper Drake (10) 12-17; 6th in divisional
205 — Kordel Walker (10) 1-2; 7th in divisional
285 — Ryan Burland (12) 14-26 ; 6th in divisional
Whitefish
Senior Travis Catina (205) looks to wrap up his prep career with a memorable performance this weekend.
He did not place as a sophomore or junior.
He has a little momentum on his side, however, having won a divisional championship last weekend and has lost just once this season.
“Travis Catina wants to win a state title and he’s going to do whatever he can to achieve it,” Whitefish coach Ryan Boyle said.
“He is a very strong and quick for a 205-pound wrestler. He is one of the most determined young men I have ever met.”
Dakota Flannery (132) and Malik Heydon (160) were the team’s next highest placers at divisional, both taking fourth.
“Both of these wrestlers have been getting better every week,” Boyle said. “They are peaking at the right time.”
Whitefish has qualified 10 wrestlers, three better than last year’s state total.
“I am really excited to watch all of our wrestlers at the state tournament.” Boyle said.
“Dakota Flannery was wrestling particularly well at divisionals. Malik Heydon, Eli Taylor and Carlitos Bertelsen are wrestling better than ever and if they keep progressing they will be close to the (podium) stand on Saturday.”
Whitefish finished 16th at state last year.
Bulldogs State Qualifiers
103 — Anwar Mirza (12) 10-15; 6th in divisional
113 — Nathan Buckley (9) 5-11; 8th in divisional
120 — Carlitos Bertelsen (9) 8-12; 6th in divisional
126 — Sidney Cooke (10) 2-11; 8th in divisional
126 — Eli Taylor (12) 9-8; 6th in divisional
132 — Dakota Flannery (9) 7-5; 4th in divisional
132 — Jack Eisenbarth (20) 7-11; 8th in divisional
138 — Robert Bertelsen (so) 6-8; 7th in divisional
160 — Malik Heydon (12) 7-8; 4th in divisional
205 — Travis Catina (12) 23-1; 1st in divisional
Class B/C
Bigfork
Matt Farrier (170) was on the mat for the final day of state competition last year, but lost in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket.
He hopes to advance further this time around and end his prep career with a top-six showing.
Bigfork has qualified four for state, matching last year’s total.
The Vikings tied for 30th in 2016 at state.
“It has been a good season for growth as a team,” Bigfork coach Dave Laird said.
“This is the second year wrestling for Matt Farrier. He is 1-1 with Jake Sorenson from Thompson Falls. Sorenson is ranked second in state. Farrier has a good opportunity to win state, he just needs to show up for work and get it done.
“Tyrell Holman has come a long way in this season,” Laird continued.
“I expect good things from him at state and look forward to having him for the next two years. Castor Conley is doing well this season and should do very good at state. We are looking forward to him improving for next year as well as being a key wrestler and leader for us. Logan Kaminsky is a first-year wrestler and is improving rapidly. We plan on him doing well at state and look forward to having him next year.”
Vikings State Qualifiers
126 — Tyrell Holman (10) 17-7; 4th in divisional
132 — Castor Conley (11) 15-5; 3rd in divisional
170 — Matt Farrier (12) 16-5; 2nd in divisional
205 — Logan Kaminsky (11) 15-5; 3rd in divisional
Eureka
It’s been a perfect season thus far for Garrett Graves (182) and the senior hopes it continues to be just that.
The divisional champion is 35-0.
The last grappler to do that — have an undefeated season — for the Lions was Howard Mee in 1999.
“He has what it takes, he is an amazing athlete,” Lemer said of Graves. “He wrestles hard and has the mental attitude to beat anyone.”
Eureka had seven divisional champs last week, which it won for the third straight year.
The other six champs were: Kahden Bakkila (120), Jonathan Schmidt (138), James Dunn (145), Cannan Smith (152), Joe Fehr (205) and Kaelan Yanak (285).
Yanak has been just as dominant at Graves, posting a 38-1 record.
“Kaelan Yanak is focused to win a state title,” Lemer said.
“For a big guy he is very athletic and agile. He has a lot of stamina and is quicker then most of his opponents, which wears them down late in the match.”
Eureka has eight wrestlers with at least 30 wins and eight seniors taking the mats for the final time.
“Nathan Schmidt has turned it on lately and is in great position to bring home state hardware,” Lemer said.
“Kahden Bakkila is wrestling at a high level. He has shown he can beat anyone he steps on the mat with.
“Hank Dunn is having a great freshman year. He has the ability and attitude to beat anyone he wrestles.
“Jonathan Schmidt has only two losses this season, one to a two-time state champ in Idaho and one to the No. 1 ranked wrestler in AA. At the state tournament last year, Jonathan was fatigued and gassed. After the tournament he was diagnosed with diabetes. He has altered his diet and monitors it daily. He is feeling much more energetic then he was last year.
“James Dunn missed last season’s post tournaments due to injury and part of this year. He is poised to finish out his career on a high note.
“Cannan Smith is looking to return to finals at the state tournament. He has a tough road, but he has shown over and over he has the ability to beat anyone. He always comes back and wrestles someone he has lost to much better. He improves and wins.
“Levi Garcia is only a four-year wrestler. He has amazing natural talent and is just hitting his stride.
“Colby Hammack is a senior determined to finish his career on the podium at state. He is a smart wrestler who doesn’t make many mistakes and wrestles until the end.
“Sam Johnson (285) missed almost all of the season with a knee injury,” Lemer ended.
“He could be a wild card for us (this weekend), scoring additional needed points.”
Lions State Lineup
113 — Nathan Schmidt (9) 30-12 ; 3rd in divisional
120—Kahden Bakkila (12) 32-3; 1st in divisional
126 — Hank Dunn (9) 37-8; 2nd in divisional
138 — Jonathan Schmidt (11) 28-2, 1st in divisional
145 — James Dunn (12) 20-3; 1st in divisional
152 — Cannan Smith (12) 34-2; 1st in divisional
160 — Levi Garcia (12) 28-7; 4th in divisional
170 — Colby Hammack (12) 32-8; 3rd in divisional
182 — Garrett Graves (11) 35-0; 1st in divisional
182 — Austyn Sherwood (12) 23-6; 3rd in divisional
205 — Joe Fehr (12) 35-3; 1st in divisional
285 — Sam Johnson (11) 8-4; 3rd in divisional
285 — Kaelan Yanak (12) 38-1; 1st in divisional
Libby
The Loggers, ranked eighth, hope their strong showing at the divisionals — third place — will continue.
“I think we competed well at divisionals and hopefully we are set up to do well at state,” Libby coach Kelly Morford said.
“It isn’t always fun to compete in such a tough division, but it should really help prepare us for the state tournament.”
Buddy Doolin (103), a divisional champ, was a state runner-up last year as a freshman. With a 38-7 record, he has a chance to pass the 40-win mark.
“Buddy has what is probably his toughest challenge in the semifinals with the (Tanner) Cook kid from Shepherd,” Morford said.
“That will be a key match right away on Saturday morning and I know Buddy is ready for it. The kid beat Buddy the first weekend of the season in Havre and Buddy was able to beat him in Cut Bank. All of their matches have been really close so it should be another great match this time around. Buddy has been really focused all season and has been working a long time for this opportunity to go win a state title. I have all of the confidence in the world that he is ready for the challenge.”
Doolin is the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class for B/C. Cook is second.
Reed Christensen (132), Laine Young (138) and Clancy Gout (205) made the finals at divisionals with Doolin, but were second-place finishers.
“Looking at the draws, we have some pretty tough draws on the championship side of the bracket but anything can happen and we just want to wrestle to our abilities and compete every time we step on the mat,” Morford said.
“If we can do that, we will end up in pretty good shape. I think all seven of our guys have a realistic shot at placing if they wrestle at their best. Hopefully we can go and have our best tournament of the year and get as many of those guys on the podium as possible.”
Libby finished 20th at state last year.
Loggers State Qualifiers
103 — Buddy Doolin (10) 38-7; 1st in divisional
113 — Dillon Yeadon (9) 24-15; 4th in divisional
132 — Reed Christensen (12) 28-16; 2nd in divisional
138 — Laine Young (11) 34-12; 2nd in divisional
152 —Tim Carvey (11) 22-17; 4th in divisional
170 — Dylan Parrish (12) 17-10; 4th in divisional
205 — Clancy Gout (11) 26-18; 2nd in divisional