Braves soldier on; Wolfpack shine

The Flathead Braves wrestling team just can't quite get out of adversity's way.

The Braves, who were feeling so good about the Western AA seeding tournament, lost another wrestler before the tournament even began.

Ryan Swelland, 112 pounds, suffered a season-ending injury when he fell and hit his head Friday morning.

"That was really hard on him and the kids," said Flathead head coach Matt Owen.

"He really had good, high goals. He was ranked second in the state and I think he could have won it. It was hard on him and the other guys for that to happen. It shows a lot for these kid to go through that and perform.

"We had a lot of down kids this morning, but as the day went on they started to get a lot more positive and went out there and wrestled hard," Owen said.

The Braves lost their No. 1 189-pounder earlier in the week to illness.

But they spent the rest of the day soldiering on - and in the end, things didn't turn out too badly.

After the first day of the seeding tournament, Flathead has qualified 25 wrestlers for next week's state tournament in Billings. The Braves also put 17 into today's semifinals and have two wrestlers in the semis at 119, 125, 140 and 285.

"Overall, it was a really successful day. We pushed a bunch into the semis, which is what we're looking for," Owen said.

The Glacier Wolfpack also had a terrific first day - it qualified 22 wrestlers for state and has nine in the semifinals.

"We're happy with (22). That's five more than we got last year," said Glacier coach Mark Fischer.

"I think it was a good team effort," he said.

Glacier has two wrestlers in the semis at 135 and 152.

Today's wrestling begins at 9 a.m. at Glacier High School. Everyone who wrestles today has qualified for the state tournament.

The biggest upset of the day for Glacier was Randy Martin in the second round at 189. He pinned Flathead's Jonah Franchi, a No. 3 seed.

Fischer was also impressed with both Clayton Hamilton and Josh Erickson at 160.

Hamilton was leading the No. 2 seed - Sentinel's Josh Hamilton - until the final seconds. He wound up losing a 4-3 decision.

As for Erickson, "he wrestled two pretty tough kids and looked pretty good. I was impressed, " Fischer said.

Flathead's semifinalists are: Zach Reimnitz (105), Caleb Piasecki (112), Alejandro Calderon (119), Cody Tally (119), Joaquin Calderon ( 125), Steel Hahn (125), Shawn Lau (130), Tanner Beaman (135), Jeremiah Gaiser (140), Dan Jenkins (140), Caleb Allen-Schmid (145), Ryan Thiel (152), Bryce Stacy (160), Ian Damon (171), Paul Streich (215), Connor Thomas (285) and Tyler Thomas (285).

Glacier's semifinalists are: Zach Barber (98), Cooper Sipe (119), Tyler Hendrickson (130), Jordan Nelson (135), Shane St. Onge (135), Tanner Woodland (152), Larry Francis (152), Martin (189) and John Frandsen (215).

Western AA seeding tournament

Friday

At Glacier High School

98

First round - Austin Lundin, Cap, p. Jim Mayer, H, 4:46.

Second round - Holden Gagner, Hell, p. Christian Knopp, Gla, 2:47; Alex Markle, Cap, p. Tucker Schmidt, BS, 1:34; Zach Barber, Gla, p. Austin Lundin, Cap., 1:59; Brandon Edwards, Sent, p. Jake Kinkel, F, 1:10.

Consolation second round - Lundin, Cap, bye; Kinkel, F, bye; Jim Mayer, H, p. Knopp, Glac, 1:11; Schmidt, BS, bye.

105

Second round - Zach Reimnitz, F, bye; Lucas Ferguson, Hell, bye; Wyatt Boyer, Hell, bye; Luke Davenport, Sent, bye.

112

Second round - Cliff Evans, Sent, bye; Caleb Piasecki, F, p. Casey Kazimi, H, :21; Brady Bertagnolli, H, p. Zach Orr, Gla, 3:50; Steve Emge, Cap, d. Jake Stueban, F, 12-4.

119

First round - Dominic Driscoll, H, p. Dusty Gates, BS, 3:17; David Marne, Sent, d. Ryan Hover, Hell, 14-7; Kyle Webster, Cap, bye; Cody Tally, F, bye; Jeff Meier, Sent, p. Markle Quinn, Cap, 3:20; Anthony Thomson, BS, p. Jake Walthour, H, 2:17; Cooper Sipe, Gla, bye.

Second round - Calderon, F, p. Driscoll, H, :23; Marne, Sent, p. Webster, Cap, :40; Tally, F, maj dec. Meier, Sent, 14-0; Sipe, Gla, p. Thomson, BS, 2:35.

Consolation second round -Meier, Sent, p. Gates, BS, :27; Hover, Hell, dec. Thomson, BS, 10-4; Quinn, Cap, p. Driscoll, H, 4:13; Webster, Cap, p. Walthour, H, :51.

125

First round - Dexter Orr, Gla, p. Tom Adamson, Cap, 1:16.

Second round - Joaquin Calderon, F, p. Cody Murphy, Cap, 2:31; Steel Hahn, F, p. Jacob Preston, BS, 3:19; Tyler Christians, H, p. Sancho Rides at the Door, Hell, 4:14; Nike Guymon, Hell, tech fall Orr, Gla, 18-3.

Consolation second round - Preston BS, p. Adamson, Cap, 4:56.

130

First round - Simon Asay, Cap, bye; Gabe LaCroix, Sent, p. Casandra Schmidt, BS, 4:36; Reid Rowsey, H, bye; Tyler Hendrickson, Gla, bye; Jacob Conklin, BS, bye; Isaac Asay, Cap, bye; Jarred Maddio, H def. Sam Whisonant, Hell; Shawn Lau, F, bye.

Second round - Asay, Cap, p. LaCroix, Sent; :30; Hendrickson, Gla, tech fall Rowsey Hell, 18-1; Conklin, BS, p. Asay, Cap, :29; Lau, F, p. Maddio, H, :22

Consolation second round - Asay, Cap, p. Schmidt, BS, :55; Maddio, H, bye; LaCroix, Sent, bye; Whisonant, Hell, p. Rowsey, H, 3:55.

135

First round - Joe Bogard, H, p. Guy Nordahl, Cap., 3:15; Maverick Mansfield, Cap, p. Bryce Dahl, Sent, 1:21.

Second round - Tanner Beaman, F, p. Bogard, H, 3:32; Jordan Nelson, Gla, p. Sean King, Sent, 3:16; Kyle Moyer, BS, dec. Mansfield, Cap, 8-6; Shane St. Onge, Gla, p. Wade Robinson, F, 1:15.

Consolation second round: Nordahl, Cap, dec. Mansfield, Cap; Bogard, H, dec. Dahl, Sent, 8-2.

140

First round - Riley Pisk, Gla, maj. dec. Nate Caldwell, H, 10-2; Casey McMillon, BS, p. Matt Michelotti, Cap., 3:12; Lane Armstrong, Gla, dec. Tanner Smith, Sent, 7-3; Nick Nordwick, Hell, p. Tristan McNatt, Cap, 2:32.

Second round - Justin Mikkola, Sent, dec. Pisk, Gla, 10-4; Jeremiah Gaiser, F, p. McMillon, BS, 1:31; Ryan Fuss, H, p. Armstrong, Gla, 1:12; Dan Jenkins, F, dec. Nick Nordwick, Hell, 11-4.

Consolation second round - Armstrong, Gla, dec. Caldwell, H; Nordwick, Hell, p. Michelotti, Cap, 3:55; Pisk, Gla, dec. Smith, Sent; McMillon, BS, p. McNatt, Cap, 2:06.

145

First round - Zach Schweitzer, BS, p. Travis Woodland, Gla, 5:40; David Degarmo, Sent, dec. Can Zeybektekin, Hell, Chase Garner, F, dec. Erik Dewing, Hell, 5-0; Josh Seeberger, Sent, dec. Kyle Emge, Cap, 9-4.

Second round - Caleb Allen-Schmid, F, p. Schweitzer, BS, 1:12; Degarmo, Sent, p. Caleb Spangler, Cap, 4:58; JT Street, H, tech fall, Garner, F, 17-1; Seeburger, Sent, p. Lucas Cummings, Gla, 4:54.

Consolation second round - Woodland, Gla, dec. Garner, F, 4-2; Cummings, Gla, dec. Zeybektekin, Hell; Dewing, Hell, dec. Schweitzer, BS, 8-5; Spangler, Cap, dec. Emge, Cap, 14-3.

152

First round - Kale Kamerzel, H, p. Sawyer Depee, Sent, 1:33; Pat Legg, Cap, p. Eli Kindred, Sent, 5:41; Steven Mantel, F, p. Joe Lesofski, H, 2:26.

Second round: Ryan Thiel, F, tech fall, Kamerzel, H, 18-1; DJ St. John, Hell, p. Taj Lyman, Cap, 1:51; Tanner Woodland, Gla, p. Legg, Cap, 1:01; Larry Francis, Gla, dec. Mantel, F, 7-5.

Consolation second round - Legg, Cap, p. Depee, Sent, 4:58; Kamerzel, H, p. Kindred, Sent, 1:57; Lesofski, H, p. Lyman, Cap, 1:27.

160

First round - Giovanni Pegues, Sent, dec. Trevor Dohlen, Cap, 14-8; Josh Erickson, Gla, p. Tanner Orr, BS, 2:57; Posio Cody, BS, p. Joe Warsinski, H, :14; Clayton Hamilton, Gla, dec. Drew Kammerzel, F, 12-9.

Second round - Bryce Stacy, F, p. Pegues, Sent, :52; Jacob Silberling, H, dec. Erickson, Gla, 9-5; Steven DeYoung, Hell, p. Cody, BS, 2:48; Josh Hamilton, Sent, dec. Clayton Hamilton, Gla, 4-3.

Consolation second round - Dohlen, Cap, dec. Cody, BS; Hamilton, Gla, p. Orr, BS, :51; Pegues, Sent, p. Warsinski, H, 1:41; Erickson, Gla, dec. Kammerzel, F, 3-2.

171

First round - Taylor Heavirland, Gla, p. Taylor Beto, Cap, 1:52; Tait Strom, Cap, p. Derrick Paulson, Sent, :12; Chance Stupak, Gla, p. Jake Nachtigal, BS, 1:59.

Second round - Tanen Doty, Sent, p. Duncan Aylor, F, 1:26; Brandon Olean, Hell, p. Heavirland, Gla, 4:49; Ian Damon, F, dec. Strom, Cap, 7-3; Matt Upham, H, p. Stupak, Gla, : 45.

Consolation second round - Beto, Cap, dec. Stupak, Gla, 5-1; Aylor, F, p. Paulson, Sent, 4:25; Heavirland, Gla, p. Nachtigal, BS, :59.

189

First round - Jeff Rudolph, F, dec. Silos Easterling, Cap, 5-3; Boyce Ballard, Gla, p. Michael Richards, Cap, :42.

Second round - Kody Reed, BS, p. Rudolph, F, :19; Jordan Creveling, Sent. p. Cole Jensen, Hell, 4:25; Randy Martin, Gla, p. Jonah Franchi, F, 3:15; Jace Prideaux, Sent, maj. dec. Boyce Ballard, Gla, 17-6.

Consolation second round - Franchi, F, dec. Easterling, Cap; Jensen, Hell, p. Richards, Cap, 1:40.

215

First round - Shawn Bradshaw, Sent, p. Zack Smith, Cap, 2:48.

Second round - Bentley Alsup, Sent, p. Trevor Beaman, F, 3:20; Nick Alamia, Cap, p. Mack Sutherland, Gla., 5:20; Paul Streich, F, p. Bradshaw, Sent, 5:11; John Frandsen, Gla, p. Ben Mead, Hell, 1:18.

Consolation second round - Beaman, F, p. Smith, Cap, 1:38.

285

First round - Joel Horn, Gla, maj. dec. Tom Larson, Cap; Dan Gilbert, Gla, p. Keogh Paulson, Sent, :26; Seth McCracken, Hell, maj. dec. Josh Wallis, Cap, 8-0.

Second round - Toby Erickson, H, p. Horn, Gla, 1:38; Burton Schilling, Sent, p. Chad Sickels, BS, 1:52; Connor Thomas, F, p. Dan Gilbert, 5:16; Tyler Thomas, F, p. McCracken, Hell, :27.

Consolation second round - Gilbert, Gla, maj. dec. Larson, Cap, 11-1; Horn, Gla, p. Paulson, Sent, 2:47; Wallis, Cap, dec. Sickels, BS, 7-2.