Are FHS' wrestlers the best ever?

Polson, Butte coaches impressed with season turned in by Braves

BILLINGS - Are they the best Montana wrestling team ever?

That was the talk all weekend at MetraPark.

The subject, of course, was the Flathead Braves. The Braves won every tournament they entered this year, from the season opener in Polson through three prestigious regional tournaments. They won every dual and have been ranked as high as 10th in the nation. They capped their season off Saturday night with a breathtaking 410-point performance to win their third straight Class AA state title.

But are they the best ever?

According to two legendary Montana wrestling coaches, the 2008 Flathead Braves just may be the best wrestling team Montana has ever produced.

"That's the best team I've watched," longtime Polson coach Bob Owen said of the Braves.

"You can count on everybody on the team for points," he said.

"In the old days, when we only could have the starting kids score, there might have been teams that were pretty close," Owen said.

"But I totally think that's the best team I've seen.

"They are, top to bottom … they don't have any weaknesses in the lineup. That's a solid group," he said.

"At one time, I looked out there … there was one (Brave) on three mats and two on a fourth one," said Butte coach Jim Street. Street was himself the architect of 13 straight championships for the Bulldogs.

"They've got great depth and they're doing an excellent job. Their kids are all physical specimens and they're working hard.

"What can you say other than we wish that we were like that right now. It kind of reminds me of what we were like," he said.

"They're a great wrestling team. They're making Montana proud again and I think that's good," Street said.

"Just to even be considered is such an honor," said Flathead coach Jeff Thompson.

"You know, I don't know. Point-total-wise, wow … over 400 points in a state tournament. That's just an amazing effort by these young men. It's been quite a year.

"I'm blessed to have an amazing coaching staff. They have so many assets where I have faults. We work so well together. They're my best friends."

But the best ever?

"It's extremely difficult to judge teams at different times in the ages. It's also very, very difficult to judge individuals in different classifications and different times," Street said.

"The only way you can figure it out is if they were wrestling each other. But I tell you what, if they want the bragging rights, they can sure take it, because they're tough. Really tough."

"You dream about having those kind of kids to work with. But they've built it, so they deserve what they have," Owen said.