Class AA Braves 'in driver's seat'

BILLINGS — Flathead looked in championship form on the opening day of the Montana All-Class State Wrestling Tournament on Friday at the MetraPark.

The Braves pushed nine wrestlers into the semifinals and hold a 33-point lead on second place Bozeman.

“We had a great quarterfinals round,” Braves coach Jeff Thompson said.

“We lost a few close ones there at the end with our big boys, but they came back here in the consolation. That’s wrestling. You’re not going to win every single close match. We still have a little pain from a few of those we lost but overall just a great day.

“We’re really proud of our team, where we’re at right now and we’re excited for tomorrow. We’re in the driver’s seat. As long as we continue to do what we’re doing we can pull away with the state championship.”

Flathead started fast. Braves 103-pounder Hunter Rush secured a pin in just 51 seconds to notch one of the first victories of the tournament, and a few mats over Tilynne Vasquez recorded a pin in the second round of her opening match to give the Braves 12 points in their first two matches.

It was a theme that carried even through some upsets, with 14 wrestlers winning in the first round.

None did so faster than heavyweight Michael Lee, who barely broke a sweat in a 10-second pin to start his tournament. Just as the starting whistle rang out, Lee got his oppenent into a bear hug and hip tossed him to the mat, securing a pin almost immediately.

“I was just going out there hard and going out there to compete,” Lee said. “(My goal) is to go out there and compete, work hard and get points for my teammates.”

The quarterfinals turned out well for the Braves, even if they didn’t get double digits into the semis like had been planned.

In the afternoon session, Rush again opened the round with gusto for Flathead, securing a pin in 1:01 to be the first to punch his ticket into the seminfinals.

Bryce Shaffer kept the momentum rolling at 113 pounds, securing a tough pin in the third round, locking in a cradle and rolling his opponent into a pin on the edge of the mat.

“He was stong, he was good on his feet,” Shaffer said. “Once I got that cradle locked up I knew it was over from there.”

Cody DeVall slugged out a 9-8 decision at 120 to edge into the next round and Tanner Russell followed up a 48 second pin in the first round with a pin in 1:46 in the quarters.

Trae Vasquez, looking to tie a school record with his third individual state title, got off to a perfect start, laying down a pair of pins at 132 pounds. Payton Hume did the same at 152 pounds along with Leet.

Tucker Nadeau and Colby Martin each worked their way into the semifinals at 170 pounds, Nadeau with a tech fall and Martin with a well-earned 7-2 decision.

Many of the Braves that didn’t make the semis made up for early losses in wrestlebacks.

Tilynne Vasquez (103 pounds), Kenyon Fretwell (145), Hunter Wellcome (182), Matt Gash-Gilder (205) and Alex Paull (285) are all still in the running to place after closing out the day with a win in the consolation rounds.

“You’re never comfortable,” Thompson said. “We’re pretty happy with where we’re at. Our kids are excited. (Saturday is) going to be an awesome day for Flathead wrestling.”

Glacier struggled on the opening day, but will have two wrestlers available for today’s final rounds.

Justin Gibson dominated in the first round, pinning his opponent in just 26 seconds. He followed up that gem with a 7-1 decision in the semifinals.

“(My strategy) was to come out firing, be aggressive and go in and dominate the match,” Gibson said.

He was the only Wolfpack wrestler to make it to the quarterfinals and one of just three to win a match.

Caden Willis won both of his consolation matches by decision after a first-round loss, and will wrestle in the morning for a spot in the placing rounds. Glacier 145-pounder Adam Hussein lost in the first round but earned a pin in the first wrestlebacks before falling out of the tournament.

The Wolfpack currently sits in 13th place.

Wrestling begins again at 9:30 a.m. today with championship semifinal and consolation quarterfinal matches. Championships are 3:15 p.m.