Braves in Reno for Nevada Classic

Fourteen wrestlers making the trip to the 96-team, 2-day tournament

There's no holiday break for Flathead's wrestling crew.

The Braves will have 14 grapplers competing in the 31st edition of the Sierra Nevada Classic next week at the Reno Livestock Events Center.

Flathead is coming off a strong showing at last weekend's 34-team Tri-State Tournament in Idaho, where it finished second. The defending champions had 10 placers overall, led by runners-up heavyweight Tyler Thomas (13-1) and 130-pounder Shawn Lau (11-4).

Tanner Beaman (15-1) at 135 and Bryce Stacy (16-1) at 160 both finished third.

"My main goal is to continue what they started at Tri-State," Flathead coach Matt Owen said of what he's looking for his team to accomplish in the 'Biggest Little City in the World.'

"And keep improving.

"The thing I was looking for (at Tri-State) was getting a better feel for our potential," he said.

"We definitely hadn't shown it up to that point. They definitely showed me were they should be. I thought they wrestled great over there (Coeur d'Alene)."

Flathead is one of 96 schools in this year's classic, which is dominated by the California schools. They have the most entrants with 56, while Nevada is second with 23.

Also competing from Montana is Missoula Sentinel. The Spartans finished ninth here last year with 119 1/2 points.

Other states sending schools to Reno are Oregon 'seven), Idaho (two), Washington (2) and Wyoming (one).

"If we're on, we can easily be in the top 10, if not higher than that." Owen said.

"Especially after last weekend."

Flathead competed in a pre-holiday, out-of-state tournament last year in Gillette, Wyo. ? Pat Weede Memorial Duals. The Braves won that title by going 7-0. Lau, Stacy and Thomas were named to that all-tournament team.

Preparations for the trip to Reno began last year.

"You have to send information in and they let you know if you can get in or not," Owen said.

"Since we have a pretty good reputation, they were excited to have us there."

Los Gatos, Calif., is the defending champion (148 1/2) in Reno, and returns to defend its title. The Wildcats have won 15 league championships since 1961 and have finished in the top four 15 times since 1968 in California's Central Coast Section.

Runner-up Caldwell, Idaho, (143 1/2) is also back.

"It's pretty well known," Owen said.

"A nationally-ranked tournament. That was the main draw."

The entry fee is $450 per school, but fundraising by the wrestlers will take care of all the expenses.

The two-day tournament begins Monday with the opening round at 9 a.m.

The seventh, and final round, that day begins at 7:30 p.m.

Wrestling resumes Tuesday at 10 a.m. The championship finals are scheduled for 5:15 p.m., and concludes with an awards ceremony at 8 p.m. for top eight finishers in each weight class and top 10 teams overall.

Flathead was scheduled to leave today, via a yellow school bus, after a morning workout, and travel as far as Twin Falls, Idaho.

The Braves will arrive in Reno on Sunday, and then hold a quick practice.

"It's gonna be a long haul, that's for sure," Owen said.

"I know it's like 18 hours. I didn't look at how many miles. I don't think I want to know."

Owen said the team has had an excellent week of practice.

"They're pretty excited," he said of his wrestlers.

"There is nothing else that we go to that has this many teams at it."

Since there is no 98-pound class at the classic, Jake Tinkel, a freshman, is the odd-man out.

"He kind of got bumped outta there," Owen said.

"He's really young. He will have other opportunities to go to these kind of things."

Each weight class features a 64-man bracket. The tournament is double elimination.

Following the Reno trip, Flathead gets back on the bus for the Pacific Northwest Classic Jan. 2-3 in Spokane. That will be Flathead's fourth major event in 22 days.

"This part of the season is definitely one of our tougher sections," Owen said.

"The next weekend (Jan. 9-10), we don't have anything."

Flathead Lineup

103 ? Caleb Piasecki, so., 11-1

112 ? Ryan Swelland, sr., 11-4

119 ? Alejandro Calderon, sr., 13-3

125 ? Joaquin Calderon, jr., 14-4

130 ? Shawn Lau, jr., 11-4

135 ? Tanner Beaman, sr., 15-1

140 ? Dan Jenkins, sr., 11-4

145 ? Caleb Allen-Schmid, jr., 14-4

152 ? Ryan Thiel, sr., 13-3

160 ? Bryce Stacy, sr., 16-1

171 ? Ian Damon, sr., 13-5

189 ? Jonah Franchi, sr., 7-3

215 ? Paul Streich, sr., 11-5

285 ? Tyler Thomas, sr., 13-1