Hot, cold Braves meet goal

Flathead puts 12 wrestlers in finals, nets four champions

Day two of the Western AA Seeding Tournament on Saturday was a bit like day two of the state tournament last year - Flathead had great success in the early-morning rounds, but not so much in the placement matches.

The Braves put 12 wrestlers into championship matches and another 13 into 3rd/4th, 5th/6th or 7th/8th matches but came away with just nine wins in the final round, netting four individual titles.

"Kind of a hot and cold day, mixed emotions," FHS coach Jeff Thompson said. "We just couldn't get the momentum going today, and momentum in tournaments like this is huge.

"Overall, very happy. Getting 12 in the finals, we met our goal there. Four champions, we would have liked to have had a few more champions, but at least we set ourselves up pretty good for that state tournament."

Austin Zapata (112 pounds), Mikey Kuehne (145), Chris Thompson (189) and Brandon Hoffenbacker (heavyweight) all won divisional championships for the Braves, who will defend their state title starting Friday in Billings.

Thompson and Hoffenbacker made it look easy, recording first-period pins in the semifinals and finals.

"Chris Thompson just dominated the field," coach Thompson said. "Right now he is wrestling so well, so smart, just controlling every single match."

Hoffenbacker put a scare into the crowd early in his semifinal match when he went down and grabbed his right knee. After getting checked out by a trainer, Hoffenbacker resumed the match and put a quick end to things with a pin at the 52-second mark.

Kuehne and Zapata had tougher times of it. Zapata eked out a 3-2 decision over teammate Ricky Janes and Kuehne outlasted Helena Capital's Kasey Halcro for a grueling 3-2 win, scoring a takedown late in the third to break a 1-1 tie.

"That's a great kid, that Kasey Halcro," Thompson said. "Mikey wrestled very smart, his endurance paid off, very proud of him."

Ryan Nelson, 135 pounds, knocked off two-time state placer Richie McEwen in the semifinals, then hung tough with top seed Will Cusker of Missoula Big Sky before dropping a 7-3 decision.

"Ryan Nelson had an outstanding tournament," Thompson said. "His semifinal match was against a very tough Richie McEwen and he controlled the whole match, and wrestling Cusker in the finals, Cusker has already beat him two times this year and he went after him, and that's all we can expect."

An early disappointment for the Braves came at 125 pounds in the semifinals when Brandon Mitchell, leading 9-3 at the time, got caught in a scramble and got pinned with 45 seconds left in the match. He rebounded with a pin in consolation and took third on a major decision.

"As a team we went after it," Thompson said. "We lost a lot of close matches, but we feel like if we lose them now, hopefully we'll win those close matches at the state tournament.

"This just builds up their confidence for that state tournament."

The Braves will practice Monday through Wednesday, then leave after practice Wednesday, traveling to Butte where they will spend the night before heading on to Billings.

The all-class state tournament starts Friday morning at the MetraPark Arena.

Saturday's Results

Teams

Flathead (Fla), Helena Capital (Cap), Helena High (Hel), Butte (But), Missoula Sentinel (Sen), Missoula Big Sky (BS), Missoula Hellgate (Hgt).

98 Pounds

Championship

Tyler McLaughlin, But, pinned Brian Ham, Fla, 2:25.

Third/Fourth Place

Brad Boettcher, Hel, pinned James Delger, BS, 1:30.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Keny Lindon, Hgt, dec. Tyrell Liebell, But, 7-4.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Geoff Keogh, BS, pinned Casey George, Cap, 1:34.

Semifinals

McLaughlin, But, pinned Delger, BS, :40; Ham, Fla, pinned Boettcher, Hel, 2:21.

Consolation Third Round

Liebell, But, dec. Keogh, BS, 14-12 (OT); Lindon, Hgt, pinned George, Cap, :50.

Consolation Fourth Round

Delger, BS, pinned Liebell, But, :30; Boettcher, Hel, pinned Lindon, Hgt, 1:30.

105 Pounds

Championship

Flalan Klienschmidt, Cap, pinned T.C. Decker, Fla, 3:15.

Third/Fourth Place

Mike Pfaff, BS, dec. Kyle Richie, Sen, 6-2.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Kenny Tritz, BS, dec. Joel Ahles, Fla, 3-0.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Cole McDonald, But, pinned Cole Stevenson, Hel, 1:45.

Semifinals

Klienschmidt, Cap, pinned Richie, Sen, 3:27; Decker, Fla, dec. Pfaff, BS, 5-2.

Consolation Third Round

Ahles, Fla, dec. McDonald, But, 14-11; Tritz, BS, dec. Stevenson, Hel, 8-4.

Consolation Fourth Round

Richie, Sen, pinned Ahles, Fla, 2:13; Pfaff, BS, dec. Tritz, BS, 6-3.

112 Pounds

Championship

Austin Zapata, Fla, dec. Ricky Janes, Fla, 3-2.

Third/Fourth Place

Nick Ramsey, BS, dec. Dan Hamilton, Sen, 15-10.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Jeremy Conklin, Hgt, pinned Abel Dallas, Hel, :45.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Jace Jaap, But, dec. Calvin Penrose, But, 6-4.

Semifinals

Janes, Fla, dec. Hamilton, Sen, 5-2; Zapata, Fla, maj. dec. Ramsey, BS, 10-1.

Consolation Third Round

Dallas, Hel, dec. Jaap, But, 4-2; Conklin, Hgt, pinned Penrose, But, 2:45.

Consolation Fourth Round

Hamilton, Sen, dec. Dalls, Hel, 3-2; Ramsey, BS, pinned Conklin, Hgt, 4:11.

119 Pounds

Championship

T.J. Renz, But, pinned Coby Hurt, Cap, 3:22.

Third/Fourth Place

C.J. Kissell, But, maj. dec. Zach Bingham, Hgt, 16-2.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Shawn Potter, Cap, pinned Brandon Leyva, Hel, 1:38.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Nick McMillon, BS, dec. Chris Rodriguez, Hgt, 13-11.

Semifinals

Renz, But, pinned Potter, Cap, :42; Hurt, Cap, pinned Leyva, Hel, 1:58.

Consolation Third Round

Kissell, But, pinned McMillon, BS,:23; Bingham, Hgt, pinned Rodriguez, Hgt, :54.

Consolation Fourth Round

Kissell, But, pinned Potter, Cap, 2:01; Bingham, Hgt, dec. Leyva, Hel, 13-10.

125 Pounds

Championship

Brody Verrall, But, maj. dec. Rob Gerbasch, Hel, 20-7.

Third/Fourth Place

Brandon Mitchell, Fla, maj. dec. Tyler Johnston, But, 17-7.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Krist Knutson, Cap, pinned David Anderson, Fla, 2:08.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Kasey Holden, BS, maj. dec. Michael Bowler, BS, 10-1.

Semifinals

Verrall, But, dec. Johnston, But, 11-4; Gerbasch, Hel, pinned Mitchell, Fla, 5:15.

Consolation Third Round

Knutson, Cap, pinned Bowler, BS, 2:15; Anderson, Fla, pinned Holden, BS, 2:00.

Consolation Fourth Round

Johnston, But, pinned Knutson, Cap, 2:12; Mitchell, Fla, pinned Anderson, Fla, 1:30.

130 Pounds

Championship

Cole Dallaserra, But, pinned Duran Flaget, Fla, 5:00.

Third/Fourth Place

Mike Haynes, But, dec. John Boelman, Sen, 9-1.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Dustin Jenkins, BS, dec. Bryon Warren, Hel, 15-7.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Derak Hall, BS, pinned Josh Olsen, Cap, 3:00.

Semifinals

Dallaserra, But, pinned Jenkins, BS, 3:46; Flaget, Fla, dec. Haynes, But, 2-1.

Consolation Third Round

Boelman, Sen, pinned Hall, BS, 1:32; Warren, Hel, pinned Olsen, Cap, 1:19.

Consolation Fourth Round

Boelmn, Sen, dec. Jenkins, BS, 4-2; Haynes, But, maj. dec. Warren, Hel, 13-0.

135 Pounds

Championship

Will Cusker, BS, dec. Ryan Nelson, Fla, 7-3.

Third/Fourth Place

Devon Sherley, Cap, pinned Richie McEwen, But, 2:02.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Don Widdicombe, BS, dec. Jeremy Burrows, Hel, 5-2.

Seventh/Eighth Place

D.J. Renz, But, maj. dec. Andy Love, Sen, 13-3.

Semifinals

Cusker, BS, maj. dec. Sherley, Cap, 18-7; Nelson, Fla, dec. McEwen, But, 6-2.

Consolation Third Round

Widdicombe, BS, dec. Renz, But, 7-5 (OT); Burrows, Hel, maj. dec. Love, Sen, 19-10.

Consolation Fourth Round

Sherley, Cap, maj. dec. Widdicombe, BS, 16-2; McEwen, But, dec. Burrows, Hel, 7-0.

140 Pounds

Championship

Nick Haynes, But, dec. Jack Lowney, BS, 4-2.

Third/Fourth Place

Tyler Wells, Fla, pinned Jarrod Klienschmidt, Cap, 2:54.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Matt Felber, Hel, dec. Colter Lane, Fla, 12-10 (OT).

Seventh/Eighth Place

Jesse LaPlante, Sen, dec. Brandon Penrose, But, 4-2.

Semifinals

Lowney, BS, dec. Klienschmidt, Cap, 10-5; Haynes, But, tech. fall Wells, Fla, 15-0.

Consolation Third Round

Felber, Hel, maj. dec. LaPlante, Sen, 17-5; Lane, Fla, dec. Penrose, But, 7-3.

Consolation Fourth Round

Klienschmidt, Cap, dec. Felber, Hel, 11-4; Wells, Fla, dec. Lane, Fla, 7-4.

145 Pounds

Championship

Mikey Kuehne, Fla, dec. Kasey Halcro, Cap, 3-2.

Third/Fourth Place

Mike Walker, BS, dec. Adam Witt, But, 7-5.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Andrew Lowney, BS, pinned Keegan Shea, But, 1:24.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Tucker Hankinson, Fla, pinned Chris Donohue, Hel, 3:36.

Semifinals

Kuehne, Fla, maj. dec. Witt, But, 22-9; Halcro, Cap, tech. fall Walker, BS, 21-5.

Consolation Third Round

Shea, But, pinned Hankinson, Fla, 1:58; Lowney, BS, pinned Donohue, Hel, 4:14.

Consolation Fourth Round

Witt, But, pinned Shea, But, :54; Walker, BS, dec. Lowney, BS, 4-1.

152 Pounds

Championship

Drake Lemm, Sen, dec. David Lau, Fla, 7-2.

Third/Fourth Place

Curtis Gardner, Cap, dec. Mario Schonsberg, But, 3-1.

Fifth/Sixth Place

J.C. Widdicombe, BS, dec. Nate Caldwell, Hel, 19-18.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Rusty Higgins, Cap, dec. Ryan Ross, Fla, 9-8.

Semifinals

Lau, Fla, dec. Schonsberg, But, 10-2; Lemm, Sen, dec. Gardner, Cap, 5-4.

Consoaltion Third Round

Widdicombe, BS, dec. Ross, Fla, 10-7; Caldwell, Hel, pinned Higgins, Cap, 2:06.

Consolation Fourth Round

Schonsberg, But, dec. Widdicombe, BS, 6-1; Gardner, Cap, pinned Caldwell, Hel, 3:27.

160 Pounds

Championship

Austin Oulette, Hgt, pinned Taylor Pearce, Cap, 3:50; Pearce DQ'd, flagrant misconduct.

Third/Fourth Place

Zach Johnson, But, dec. Josiah Nelson, Fla, 5-4.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Drew Watkins, Fla, dec. Kevin West, Hel, 7-5.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Austin Lord, Sen, pinned Cole Cooper, BS, 2:22.

Semifinals

Oulette, Hgt, pinned Nelson, Fla, 2:49; Pearce, Cap, dec. Johnson, But, 14-6.

Consolation Third Round

West, Hel, dec. Lord, Sen, 4-3; Watkins, Fla, tach. fall Cooper, BS, 17-2.

Consolation Fourth Round

Nelson, Fla, dec. West, Hel, 2-1; Johnson, But, pinned Watkins, Fla, 4:05.

171 Pounds

Championship

Ryan Fetherston, Hel, dec. Levi Holt, Fla, 11-4.

Third/Fourth Place

Joel Nay, Cap, pinned Scott Cassel, Fla, 5:28.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Brandon Robinson, But, edc. Bobby Bordner, Sen, 7-5.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Danny Laforge, Sen, dec. Osborne, But, 8-3.

Semifinals

Holt, Fla, dec. Cassel, Fla, 4-3; Fetherston, Hel, pinned Nay, Cap, 1:41.

Consolation Third Round

Robinson, But, pinned Laforge, BS, 1:45; Bordner, Sen, dec. Osborne, But, 8-2.

Consolation Fourth Round

Cassel, fla, dec. Robinson, But, 7-3; Nay, Cap, pinned Bordner, Sen, 1:42.

189 Pounds

Championship

Chris Thompson, Fla, pinned Colton Sherley, Cap, 1:22.

Third/Fourth Place

Dameon Matule, But, pinned Roy Protchett, Hgt, 1:19.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Russell Dalton, Cap, dec. Damien Farrier, Fla, 10-4.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Cody Schrantz, BS, pinned Curtis Quigley, Hel, 2:28.

Semifinals

Thompson, Fla, pinned Pritchett, Hgt, 1:33; Sherley, Cap, pinned Matule, But, 2:41.

Consolation Third Round

Farrier, Fla, pinned Schrantz, BS, 1:59; Dalton, Cap, pinned Quigley, Hel, 4:30.

Consolation Fourth Round

Pritchett, Hgt, dec. Farrier, Fla, 10-8; Matule, But, pinned Dalton, Cap, 1:36.

215 Pounds

Championship

Ben Schmidt, But, pinned Garrett Woodson, Fla, 1:52.

Third/Fourth Place

Casey Poier, Fla, pinned Alex Stroud, BS, 4:24.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Cory Tallon, But, dec. Rob Hollingshead, Hgt, 5-2.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Jake Lesofski, Hel, won by inj. default over Charlie Talarico.

Semifinals

Scmidt, But, pinned Stroud, BS, 1:12; Woodson, Fla, pinned Tallon, But, :27.

Consolation Third Round

Hollingshead, Hgt, dec. Talarico, BS, 6-2; Poier, Fla, pinned Lesofski, Hel, :51.

Consoaltion Fourth Round

Stroud, BS, pinned Hollingshead, Hgt, 2:09; Poier, Fla, dec. Tallon, But, 10-6.

275 Pounds

Championship

Brandon Hoffenbacker, Fla, pinned Trevor Hass, But, 1:44.

Third/Fourth Place

Jeff Mahana, Cap, dec. Cash Field, Sen, 9-2.

Fifth/Sixth Place

Calvin Rucker, Cap, dec. Brad Stemberg, Hel, 9-7.

Seventh/Eighth Place

Trevor Kolden, BS, pinned Andy Noel, Fla, 2:51.

Semifinals

Hoffenbacker, Fla, pinned Field, Sen, :51; Hass, But, pinned Rucker, Cap, 1:56.

Consolation Third Round

Stemberg, Hel, pinned Kolden, BS, 3:29; Mahana, Cap, pinned Noel, Fla, 4:39.

Consolation Fourth Round

Field, Sen, dec. Stemberg, Hel, 7-5; Mahana, Cap, pinned Rucker, Cap, 2:10.

Eastern AA Seeding Tournament

Saturday

At Great Falls High

Championship

98-Seth Goodell, Skyview, dec. Zach Mendenhall, Great Falls, 8-2; 105-Darren Pulver, Senior, dec. Brendon Halsten, Skyview, 8-1; 112-Ben Spencer, Great falls, def. Lester Plotner, West, 19-2 (tech fall); 119-Kody Tolliver, Great Falls, dec. Jeff Jones, Skyview, 5-3; 125-Craig Moline, West, dec. Zach Gregoire, Great Falls, 8-0; 130-Matt Schieno, West, dec. Malcolm Kintzing, Skyview, 8-2; 135-Vince Salminen, Skyview, pinned Nick Lang, Bozeman, 2:47; 140-Jordan Duffield, Skyview, dec. Tay Todd, Bozeman, 5-1; 145-Danny Whitby, Senior, dec. Tel Todd, Bozeman, 4-2; 152-Tom Daniels, CMR, pinned Darrin Williams, Skyview, 4:52; 160-Kirk Devore, Bozeman, dec. Derek Maciel, Skyview, 11-9; 171-Ryan Shilhanek, Senior, dec. Chase Gazzerro, CMR, 3-2; 189-Mike Keyser, Bozeman, dec. Zach Jones, Skyview, 6-3; 215-William Wine, Senior, dec. Kevin Klaboe, West, 5-4; Hwt-Preston Lyles, Senior, won by injury default over Drew Stensland, West

3rd-4th place

98-Mike King, Senior, dec. Matt Snyder, Great Falls, 6-1; 105-Trenton Starkey, CMR, dec. Ray Brunmier, Senior, 11-0; 112-James Cunningham, Skyview, dec. Casey Berish, Senior, 2-1; 119-Trent Sprenkle, Senior, pinned Billy Barker, Senior, 2:10; 125-Jeff Yoder, CMR, dec. Casey Malia, Skyview, 10-1; 130-Spencer Bailey, CMR, pinned Caleb Schlender, Bozeman, 2:52; 135-Bobby Vinson, Great Falls, pinned Andy Kohn, Skyview, :47; 140-Josh Beeman, Senior, dec. Joe Binkoski, Skyview, 5-4; 145-Mike Hart, West, dec. Ron Lashley, Great Falls, 4-0; 152-Corey Shilhanek, Senior, dec. Ty Vinson, Great Falls, 3-2; 160-Ryan McCracken, CMR, pinned Caleb Scott, Skyview, 3:33; 171-Chance Scally, Skyview, dec. Andy Fogerty, CMR, 12-7; 189-Paul Klaboe Jr., West, dec. Zach Deffinbaugh, Great Falls, 2-1 in OT; 215-Brandon Bouchee, Senior, dec. Erick Meyer, Skyview, 16-5; Hwt-Pat Pitman, Skyview, pinned Brad Schaeffer, Bozeman, 2:21

5th-6th place

98-Stetson Fancher, Senior, dec. Alex Gairrett, Skyview, 4-2; 105-Frank Ramsey, Great Falls, dec. Derek Kloberdanz, CMR, 3-0; 112-Josh Vasquez, CMR, pinned Cavin Engle, Skyview, 4:07; 119-Kyle McCracken, CMR, won by default over Lloyd Odgen, CMR; 125-Eric Potuzak, Bozeman, pinned Andrew McClure, West, 1:22; 130-Logan Mendenhall, Great Falls, dec. Jeff Pacheco, Senior, 8-0; 135-Jesse Kruse, CMR, pinned Cody Croskey, Bozeman, 3:30; 140-Cole Pryor, West, dec. Michael Graham, CMR, 4-0; 145-Alex Davies, Skyview, dec. Logan Monts, Bozeman, 7-6; 152-Toby Bender, Great Falls, dec. Jon Wendland, Bozeman, 2-1 in 2 OT; 160-Jonathon Lombardo, Great Falls, dec. Konner Kelsey, Bozeman, 9-3; 171-Cameron Prinzing, Great Falls, won by disqualification over Danny Neiter, Senior; 189-Kory Landwehr, Skyview, dec. Colt Hilliard, Senior, 8-1; 215-James Kaiser, Bozeman, dec. Kevin Schey, West, 14-4; Hwt-Riley Bouchee, Senior, pinned Andrew Voorhees, CMR, 3:27

7th-8th place

98-David Driscoll, Bozeman, dec. Chris Magis, CMR, 11-2; 105-Jesse Willems, Bozeman, dec. Josh Schwarz, West, 6-4; 112-Jimmy Norris, Great Falls, pinned Brendan Phillips, Bozeman, 1:55; 119-Robert Deese, West, pinned Kyle Costellano, West, 2:18; 125-Shay Nealy, Skyview, def. Josh Horner, Bozeman by tech fall (4:03); 130-Josh Dean, Skyview, dec. Daren Rummel, CMR, 7-5; 135-Nathan Kobold, West, pinned Adam Dunlap, West, 2:16; 140-Jace Oeleis, CMR, dec. Tanner Schmid, Great Falls, 12-7; 145-Kam Christenson, Skyview, pinned Jeremy Strong, Great Falls, 1:45; 152-Mike Hitt, Skyview, pinned Mike Erdmann, Senior, 5:48; 160-Steve Hystad, Great Falls, won by disqualification over Matt Odegard, CMR; 171-Jake Henderson, Bozeman, pinned Mike Rider, West, 4:46; 189-Dan Brattain, CMR, pinned Tyler Carter, Great Falls, :59; 215-Cory Richardson, Skyview, pinned Troy McGillvray, Great Falls, :11; Hwt-Isaiah Dewald, Skyview, pinned Cory Dueringer, Bozeman, 2:29

Championship semifinals

98-Mendenhall, Great Falls, pinned Fancher, Senior, 3:13; Goodell, Skyview, pinned Snyder, Great Falls, 1:36; 105-Pulver, Senior, pinned Ramsey, Great Falls, 1:32; Halsten, Skyview, pinned Starkey, CMR, :37; 112-Spencer, Great Falls, pinned Cunningham, Skyview, 1:48; Plotner, West, dec. Berish, Senior, 6-5; 119-Tolliver, Great Falls, pinned Barker, Senior, 1:48; Jones, Skyview, dec. Sprenkle, Senior, 5-1; 125-Moline, West, pinned Malia, Skyview, 1:51; Gregoire, Great Falls, pinned Yoder, CMR, :57; 130-Schieno, West, dec. Schlender, Bozeman, 6-0; Kintzing, Skyview, dec. Bailey, CMR, 7-0; 135-Salminen, Skyview, pinned Kruse, CMR, 1:49; Lang, Bozeman, dec. Vinson, Great Falls, 4-0; 140-Todd, Bozeman, dec. Beeman, Senior, 3-2; Duffield, Skyview, dec. Binkoski, Skyview, 5-2; 145-Whitby, Senior, dec. Hart, West, 13-4; Todd, Bozeman, pinned Lashley, Great Falls, 1:52; 152-Daniels, CMR, dec. Bender, Great Falls, 3-2; Williams, Skyview, dec. Shilhanek, Senior, 13-8; 160-Maciel, Skyview, pinned Lombardo, Great Falls, 1:41; Devore, Bozeman, dec. McCracken, CMR, 6-2; 171-Gazzerro, CMR, dec. Fogerty, CMR, 6-2; Shilhanek, Senior, dec. Scally, Skyview, 12-5; 189-Jones, Skyview, pinned Klaboe, West, :24; Keyser, Bozeman, dec. Deffinbaugh, Great Falls, 4-2; 215-Wine, Senior, dec. Schey, West, 12-4; Klaboe, West, dec. Bouchee, Senior, 5-3; Hwt-Lyles, Senior, pinned Schaeffer, Bozeman, 3:14; Stensland, West, pinned Pitman, Skyview, 3:35