Braves blow by field at mat tourney

Flathead has 11 champs, 29 state qualifiers; Glacier has 1 runner-up, 17 qualifiers

The Daily Inter Lake

HELENA - The numbers are simply staggering.

Or if you will, mind-boggling.

Flathead had 17 wrestlers in the finals of the Western AA seeding tournament on Saturday at Helena Capital.

The Braves finished with 11 champions - Zach Reimnitz (98), Steel Hahn (105), Shawn Lau (112), Tanner Beaman (130), Brian Ham (135), Bryce Stacy (140), Tyler Wells (152), David Lau (160), Luke Fischer (171), Ian Damon (189) and Justin Waverek (215) - in the 15 weight classes.

In four of the weight classes where FHS did not have a champion, they had runners-up. That was at 119 (Jeremiah Gaiser), 140 (T.C. Decker) and heavyweight (Tyler Thomas).

Only one weight class - 125 - had no Braves in the final.

And if that wasn't enough, Flathead had 22 wrestlers finish in the top four.

So, Flathead heads to state - Feb. 8-9 in Billings - with plenty of momentum and a record-tying 29 state qualifiers.

"We're just really impressed," FHS coach Jeff Thompson said.

"If you would have given us these numbers at the beginning of the season, we might just have laughed. To see these young men improve so much throughout the season, and just to be surrounded by other wrestlers being successful, it's helped lift up the entire team. Overall, we set ourselves up extremely well for the state tournament."

Missoula Sentinel was second in state qualifiers with 20. Glacier and Missoula Big Sky tied for third place with 17 apiece.

Helena High was fifth, 13, followed by Helena Capital (11) and Missoula Hellgate (7).

No teams scores are kept at this event.

"They by far exceeded our expectations," Glacier coach Mark Fischer said of his wrestlers.

"We're very proud of them. Now we'll just move to the state tournament and see what happens."

For Flathead …

Waverek beat Shaun Sampson of Helena Capital 9-7 in their final. Sampson decisioned Waverek 5-2 last weekend in Kalispell.

"A super-exciting match," Thompson said. "(Waverek) was four points down, came back and dominated the match in the third period."

Damon pinned his way through the tournament.

David Lau dominated Big Sky's Don Widdicombe in the finals, 15-4. Widdicombe took third at state last year.

Ham got a dandy pin in the finals, according to Thompson.

"He had a big throw with Nick Ramsey (of Sentinel)," Thompson said.

"Threw in the legs and pinned him."

And Conner Thomas, a Flathead freshman heavyweight, pulled out a quadruple overtime win in his consolation final match. This is Thomas' first year in wrestling.

Stormy Day, 125, was Glacier's top finisher. He placed second.

Finishing third for the Wolfpack was Boyce Ballard, 189.

Taking fourths were Sam Overton, 112, Jordan Nelson, 130, and Tanner Woodland, 145.

"They're jacked, they're still having a good time," Fischer said of his wrestlers.

"That's good to see at this point of the year."

Western AA Seeding Tournament

Saturday

At Helena Capital

Championship finals

98 - Z. Reimnitz (Flat) dec C. Piasecki (Flat), 8-2; 105 - S. Hahn (Flat) pinned J. Meier (MS); 112 - S. Lau (Flat) pinned T. Christians (HHS); 119 - N. Guymon (HHS) dec J. Gaiser (Flat), 7-0; 125 - J. Love (MS) pinned S. Day (Gla); 130 - T. Beaman (Flat) dec A. Edwards (MS), 3-2; 135 - B. Ham (Flat) pinned N. Ramsey (MS); 140 - Hamilton (MS) dec T.C. Decker (Flat), 6-4; 145 - B. Stacy (Flat) dec R. Thiel (Flat), 8-0; 152 - T. Wells (Flat) defeated C. Allen-Scmid (Flat); 160 - D. Lau (Flat) dec D. Widdicombe (MBS), 15-4; 171 - L. Fischer (Flat) pinned R. Higgins (CHS); 189 - I. Damon (Flat) pinned A. Riordan (HHS); 215 - J. Waverek (Flat) dec S. Sampson (Cap), 9-7; Hvwt - T. Erickson (HHS) pinned T. Thomas (Flat), :53.

Consolation finals

98 - C. Evans (MS) defeated H. Gagnon (MH); 105 - D. Swallow (MBS) tech fall R. Hover (MH); 112 - R. Swelland (Flat) dec S. Overton (Gla), 8-6; 119 - W. Calderon (Flat) pinned J. Maddio (HHS); 125 - J. Conklin (MBS) pinned A. Calderon (Flat); 130 - C. Burrows (HHS) dec J. Nelson (Gla), 8-4; 135 - K. Moyer (MBS) forfeit win P. Alsbury (MBS); 140 - K. Kleinschmidt (CHS) dec V. Mikkola (MS), 5-3 OT; 145 - E. Kindred (MS) dec T. Woodland (Gla), 6-1; 152 - S. Hickey (MS) dec R. Easterling (CHS) 7-3; 160 - Corbin (MBS) dec J. Franchi (Flat), 11-4; 171 - B. Volkman (MS) dec K. Reed (MBS), 15-4; 189 - B. Ballard (Gla) pinned J. Creveling (MS); 215 - B. Alsup (MS) pinned R. Reishus (CHS); Hvwt - C. Thomas (Flat) dec J. Leonard (HHS), 4-2 OT.

5th - 6th

98 - S. Emge (CHS) pinned A. Lundin (CHS); 105 - J. Patrick (Gla) dec J. Stueben (Flat), 11-2; 112 - Marne (MS) dec D. Orr (Gla), 8-6; 119 - J. Boyle (CHS) pinned N. Willis (MS); 125 - D. Jenkins (Flat) dec W. Peterson (Gla), 13-8; 130 - G. Keogh (MBS) dec T. Trowbridge (MBS), 7-6; 135 - J.T. Street (HHS) pinned B. Bagley (Gla); 140 - S. Mantel (Flat) pinned B. Boettcher (HHS); 145 - K. Moreau (MBS) dec S. DeYoung (MH), 12-7; 152 - C. Hamilton (Gla) pinned Lowney (MBS); 160 - N. McMillon (MBS) won forfeit T. Strom (CHS); 171 - Doty (MS) pinned T. Beaman (Flat); 189 - Fitzgerald (MS) pinned C.J. McGurn (CHS); 215 - J. Fransden (Gla) pinned T. Komenda (Flat); Hvwt - Morin (MBS) pinned D. Gilbert (Gla).

7th - 8th

98 - W. Boyer (HHS); 105 - Open; 112 - T. Adamson (CHS) pinned J. Lindsay (MBS); 119 - C. Moore (MBS) pinned C. Schmidt (MBS); 125 - K. Adcock (MH) and J.A. Conklin (MBS); 130 - R. Fuss (HHS) defeated S. Asay (CHS); 135 - D. Nobel (Flat) defeated K. Emge (CHS); 140 - T. Hendrickson (Gla) and L. Cummings (Gla); 145 - Seeberger (MS) defeated P. Legg (CHS); 152 - J. Hamilton (MS) pinned C. Stahly (HHS); 160 - M. Upham (HHS) pinned Degarmo (MS); 171 - C. Jensen (MH) dec B. Block (Gla), 15-2; 189 - P. Streich (Flat) dec J. Criner (Gla), 13-1; 215 - K. Spillis (Gla) forfeit win D. Orr (MBS); Hvwt - N. Alamia (CHS) pinned Daniels (MH).

Semifinals

98 - Piasecki (Flat) dec Gagner (MH), 11-3; Reimnitz (Flat) dec Evans (MS), 6-0; 105 - Hahn (Flat) pinned Hover (MH); Meier (MS) dec Swallow (MBS), 6-4; 112 - Lau (Flat) pinned Overton (Gla); Christians (HHS) dec Swelland (Flat), 6-5; 119 - Guymon (HHS) dec J. Maddio (HHS), 11-3; Gaiser (Flat) dec Calderon (Flat), 6-4; 125 - Love (MS) dec Jenkins (Flat), 6-0; Day (Gla) pinned Conklin (MBS); 130 - Beaman (Flat) pinned Burrows (HHS); Edwards (MS) dec Nelson (Gla), 4-3; 135 - Ham (Flat) pinned Alsbury (MBS); Ramsey (MS) tech fall Moyer (MBS)

140 - Decker (Flat) dec Kleinschmidt (CHS), 5-0; Hamilton (MS) dec Mantel (Flat), 13-2; 145 - Stacy (Flat) tech fall DeYoung (MH); Thiel (Flat) tech fall Woodland (Gla); 152 - Wells (Flat) tech fall Lowney (MBS); Allen-Schmid (Flat) pinned Easterling (CHS); 160 - Lau (Flat) pinned Strom (CHS); Widdicombe (MBS) pinned Franchi (Flat); 171 - Higgins (CHS) pinned Volkman (MS); Fischer (Flat) dec Reid (MBS), 6-0; 189 - Damon (Flat) pinned McGurn (CHS); Riordan (HHS) tech fall Creveling (MS); 215 - Sampson (CHS) dec Fransden (Gla), 10-0; Waverek (Flat) tech fall Alsup (MS); Hvwt - T. Thomas (Flat) dec Leonard (HHS), 4-2; Erickson (HHS) pinned C. Thomas (Flat), :24.