Flathead grapplers going for 4
Going for a fourth-straight Class AA state wrestling championship this weekend promises to be a lot harder for Flathead than the previous two.
"It's gonna be a lot closer than last year," Flathead coach Matt Owen promised.
"Skyview has an improved team; we lost a couple of kids toward the end of the season that would have scored some points."
And that could turn out being the difference.
Flathead has qualified 25 individuals for state, which begins Friday in Billings, while Eastern AA-favorite Billings Skyview is sending 27.
"I do like that number (25 FHS qualifiers)," Owen said.
"I thought we pretty much qualified everybody I thought we would."
The Braves cruised to an easy state title in 2008, amassing 410 team points to runner-up Skyview's 264 1/2.
Flathead topped the 13-team field in 2007 with 347 1/2 points, well ahead of second-place C.M. Russell, 244 1/2 points.
However in 2006, it was mighty tight. FHS totaled 306 points to finish just 32 ahead of second-place Skyview.
Skyview won state AA titles in 2005, 2002 and 2001.
Flathead will have 14 wrestlers competing this weekend who have placed at state in previous years. Tanner Beaman, a senior at 135, is the team's lone returning champion from last year.
Shawn Lau, a junior at 130, and Bryce Stacy, a senior at 160, were both runners-up a year ago, but were state champions in 2007.
Flathead's Ryan Thiel, a senior at 152, will be looking to place for the fourth-straight year. He finished fourth in 2008 and 2007 and was fifth in 2006.
Flathead's other returning state placers from 2008 are: Zach Reimnitz, a senior at 105 'second), Caleb Piasecki, a sophomore at 112 (third), Joaquin Calderon, a junior at 125 (third), Steel Hahn, a sophomore at 125 (third), Jeremiah Gaiser, a sophomore at 140 (fifth), Dan Jenkins, a senior at 140 'sixth), Caleb Allen-Schmid, a junior at 145 'second), Ian Damon, a senior at 171 (fourth), Tyler Thomas, a senior at 285 'second), and Connor Thomas, a sophomore at 285 'sixth).
"I'm just approaching it this way, we need to go over there and wrestle to our full potential," Owen said.
"If we do that, good things will happen."
Glacier, 12th at its first AA state meet last year, looks to make a big jump in the standings this time around. The Wolfpack have qualified 22 wrestlers, five more than in 2008.
"It was a great boost," Glacier coach Mark Fischer said.
"A lot of our kids are a little bit higher in place (from divisionals' than last year going into the state tournament, so that helps."
Fischer said he didn't know what to expect a year ago in Billings. The Wolfpack had three placers and wound up with 57 points.
This year …
"Our expectations are a little bit higher," he said.
"We're just excited to see where we fit in there. We proved we can compete with a lot of teams in the state (this year)."
Glacier's 22 qualifiers are the third most of any AA school at state.
"We would be very happy with top five," Fischer said.
"That's kind of been our goal the whole season. I think we have a shot at two kids getting into the finals."
The Wolfpack will be led by Western AA seeding champ John Frandsen. The senior at 215 sports a 30-5 marks and placed fifth at state last year.
The other returning state placer is Jordan Nelson, a senior at 135. Nelson, 14-8, finished sixth at state.
Freshman Larry Francis, 152, has the team's best record - 35-7. He finished second at the seeding tourney. Also placing second at that event were Zach Barber, a freshman at 98 (29-13), Cooper Sipe, a freshman at 119 (25-13), and Shane St. Onge, a freshman at 135 (22-10).
Polson
Class A state champ Brock Picard leads a talented, but very young Pirate squad.
"I was happy to get that many kids (to state)," Polson coach Bob Owen said of qualifying 16.
"We're pretty young. It will be exciting to have that many kids there to see what it's all about."
Polson had three individuals claim Northwestern A divisional titles last week in Libby - Nick Howell, a freshman at 112 (16-16), Ty Fouty, a junior at 140 (26-11), and Picard, a junior at 171 (37-2). Picard's state title in 2008 was at 160.
Keio Salmonson, a senior at 130 (23-11), was a divisional runner-up.
Polson finished 13th at state in 2008 with 80 points.
"I'd be real happy if we could break the top six," Owen said.
"I think it will be hard for anybody to break into the top two with Havre and Belgrade there. They kind of had a dual meet in their divisional final.
"Sidney (will be tough). From there on, it will be a little bit better of a dogfight."
Ronan, last year's state runner-up, should place in the top five. The Chiefs are the Northwestern A divisional champs.
Polson's last state championships were back-to-back efforts in 1995-96. They were also the last Northwestern A team to win state.
Columbia Falls
Of the Wildcats' 12 state qualifiers, half finished either first or second at the Northwestern A divisional last weekend. Winning divisional titles were Sal Bacarro, a sophomore at 98 (23-9), Shawn Whitman, a junior at 135 (18-16), and Kodie Kenfield, a senior at 289 (23-9).
Runners-up were Justin Whitman, a freshman at 105 (23-10), Doug Woodworth, a sophomore at 189 (12-6), and Kelly Houle, a junior at 215 (32-3).
Houle is the team's only returning state placer, finishing second in 2008 at 189. Also advancing, but not placing, were Bacarro, Whitman, Gross and Kenfield.
"Two of his (Houle's' losses are to the same kid (Libby's Justin Graham)," Columbia Falls coach Jesse Schaeffer said.
"One was in overtime, one was by a point. They're the No. 1 and 2 kids in the state right now (at 215)."
Houle and Graham are in opposite brackets, so they could meet in the finals.
"We're looking at six to place," Schaeffer said.
"That would be a good showing for us. Some will have to wrestle above their ability to get into the finals."
Columbia Falls finished 12th at state in 2008 with 82 1/2 points. The Wildcats last state title was 1990. They also won it in 1975.
Libby
Three individuals with state experience will be looking to improve on last's year performance in Billings.
Returning for the their season finales are seniors Seth Wright, at 171 (8-5), Justin Graham, at 215 (37-2, 110-26 career), and Brandin Mills, at 285 (23-12).
Graham finished third at state at 189, Wright was fourth at 152 and Mills fifth at heavyweight.
All total, Libby has qualified 12.
"I like the way some of them are wrestling," Libby coach Jay Graham said.
"My son is wrestling pretty tough, he only has two losses on the season. He'll be in the mix."
One wrestler not to overlook is junior Kyle Sweedman, at 152 (33-5). Although he's not ranked in the Class A coaches poll, coach Graham expects his divisional champion to be a factor.
"If we wrestle well, I think we can get top seven (as a team)," coach Graham said.
"It would be nice to get into the top five since we're taking 12 kids."
Libby will have five seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and four freshman in its state lineup.
"We've worked on some specific things all week," coach Graham said.
"Talked to each one on what they had to work on. They were real positive. We'll see (what happens). It will be fun."
The coach says Havre should repeat for a third-straight year, but the Blue Ponies can expect a stiff challenge from Belgrade.
Libby was 11th at state last year with 83 points.
Libby's last state titles were 1987-1988.
Whitefish
Whitefish has qualified six wrestlers for state, of which three have state experience.
Junior's Tanner Benedict, 145, and Derek Crittenden, 215, advanced last year, while Kaleb Prestegaard, a senior at 152, went in 2007.
Prestegaard was one of four Bulldogs finishing second at last week's Northwestern A divisional. The others: Zach Berger, a junior at 112, Jonathan Reimer, a sophomore at 119, and Benedict.
Dalton Rice, a junior at 130, is the team's other qualifier.
"Getting these six to the state tournament was a big accomplishment," second-year Whitefish coach Ryan Hoffman said.
"Now they need to continue to wrestle well at the state tournament. The end is here, and this is the time of year that matters most."
Whitefish finished last at state a year ago with 11 1/2 points.
Eureka
Taylor Brown, a junior at 152, and Taylor Vaughn, a sophomore at 145, have both enjoyed stellar seasons to date.
Brown is 41-10 and placed first at the Western B-C divisional last Saturday. Vaughn is 40-6 and a divisional runner. He leads the team in pins with 21.
Vaughn finished sixth at state a year ago.
"They are both wrestling very strong right now," Eureka coach Danny Lemer said.
"They both seem focused, ready to go."
Randy Kirkedahl, a senior at 125, is the team's No. 2 pinner with 18. Kirkedahl was a divisional runner-up last week and has a record of 30-12.
"He has that senior mentality - he doesn't want to lose," Lemer said of Kirkedahl.
"He's pretty determined."
Colin Gillard, a sophomore at 152, has shown remarkable progress in his first year on the mats in going 32-16. Lemer calls him an "amazing athlete." He has won 17 times by pin.
Cyle Cook did not wrestler last year despite finishing second in the Class A divisional the year before.
"He's just now starting to hit his stride," Lemer said.
Cook is 15-6.
Eureka finished 12th in Class B-C at state in 2008 with 52 points.
Wrestling Lineups
Flathead (25)
Individual Records Not Available
98 - Jake Kinkel, fr.
105 - Zach Reimnitz, sr., 2nd at state in 2008, 5th in 2007
112 - Caleb Piasecki, so., 3rd at state in 2008
112 - Jake Stueben, so.
119 - Alejandro Calderon, sr.
119 - Cody Tally, so.
125 - Joaquin Calderon, jr., 3rd at state in 2008, 4th in 2007
125 - Steel Hahn, so., 3rd at state in 2008
130 - Shawn Lau, jr., 2nd at state in 2008, 1st in 2007
135 - Tanner Beaman, sr., 1st at state in 2008, 5th in 2007
135 - Wade Robinson, jr.
140 - Dan Jenkins, sr., 6th at state in 2008, 3rd in 2007
140 - Jeremiah Gaiser, so., 5th at state in 2008
145 - Caleb Allen-Schmid, jr., 2nd at state in 2008, 6th in 2007
152 - Ryan Thiel, sr., 4th at state in 2008, 4th in 2007, 5th in 2006
152 - Steven Mantel, sr.
160 - Bryce Stacy, sr., 2nd at state in 2008, 1st in 2007
171 - Ian Damon, sr., 4th at state in 2008
171 - Duncan Aylor, sr.
189 - Jonah Franchi, sr.
189 - Jeff Rudolph, sr.
215 - Paul Streich, sr.
215 - Trevor Beaman, jr.
285 - Tyler Thomas, sr., 2nd at state in 2008, 6th in 2007
285 - Connor Thomas, so., 6th at state in 2008
Glacier (22)
98 - Zach Barber, fr., 29-13, 2nd place seeding
112 - Zach Orr, fr., 7th place seeding
119 - Cooper Sipe, fr., 25-13, 2nd place seeding
125 - Dexter Orr, sr., 5th place seeding
130 - Tyler Hendrickson, jr., 21-14, 4th place seeding
135 - Shane St. Onge, fr., 22-10, 2nd place seeding
135 - Jordan Nelson, sr., 14-8, 4th place seeding, 6th place state at 130
140 - Lane Armstrong, fr., 4-2, 5th place seeding
140 - Riley Pisk, fr., 15-15, 6th place seeding
145 - Lucas Cummings, jr., 23-15, 3rd place seeding
145 - Travis Woodland, jr., 2-2, 7th place seeding
152 - Larry Francis, fr., 35-7, 2nd place seeding
152 - Tanner Woodland, jr., 22-12, 3rd place seeding
160 - Clayton Hamilton, sr., 25-15, 4th place seeding
160 - Josh Erickson, fr., 6th place seeding
171 - Taylor Heavirland, so., 8th place seeding
189 - Randy Martin, jr., 4th place seeding
189 - Boyce Ballard, so., 5th place seeding
215 - John Frandsen, sr., 30-5, seeding champion, 5th place state at 215
215 - Mack Sutherland, sr., 8th place seeding
285 - Dan Gilbert, jr., 7-4, 4th place seeding
285 - Joel Horn, so., 20-10, 5th place seeding
Polson (16)
98 - Dakotah Jensen, so., 13-19, 3rd at divisional
105 - Jessie Alfiero, so., 18-14, 3rd at divisional
112 - Nick Howell, fr., 16-16, 1st at divisional
119 - Alex Nystrom, fr., 11-19, 3rd at divisional
125 - Jacob Young, so., 26-13, 3rd at divisional
130 - Keio Salmonson, sr., 23-11, 2nd at divisional
135 - Randy Kelley, jr., 17-17, 3rd at divisional
135 - Brock Bleazard, fr., 21-12, 4th at divisional
140 - Ty Fouty, jr., 26-11, 1st at divisional
145 - Trae Fouty, jr., 7-2, 4th at divisional
152 - Logan Clay, jr., 18-20, 3rd at divisional
171 - Brock Picard, jr., 37-2, 1st at divisional, 1st at state in 2008 at 160
171 - Jose Quinones, so., 13-16, 4h at divisional
189 - Ben Messer, jr., 2-21, 4th at divisional
215 - Josiah Clairmont, fr., 14-21, 3rd at divisional
285 - Kaden Thomas, jr., 14-11, 2nd at divisional, 3rd at state in 2008 in Alaska
Columbia Falls (12)
98 - Sal Bacarro, so., 23-9, 1st at divisional
98 - Travis Province, fr., 5-19, 4th at divisional
105 - Justin Whitman, fr., 23-10, 2nd at divisional
112 - Brendan Moseman, fr., 4-12, 3rd at divisional
119 - Adam Richardson, fr., 11-24, 4th at divisional
125 - Travis Pete, sr., 16-20, 4th at divisional
135 - Shawn Whitman, jr., 18-16, 1st at divisional
145 - Jarrett Smith, jr., 19-15
160 - Joe Gross, jr., 26-16, 3rd at divisional
189 - Doug Woodworth, so., 12-6, 2nd at divisional
215 - Kelly Houle, jr., 32-3, 2nd at divisional, 2nd at state
289 - Kodie Kenfield, sr., 23-9, 1st at divisional
Libby (12)
125 - Kyle Leir, fr., 21-13, 2nd at divisional
130 - Tate Wilson, fr., 13-10, 3rd at divisional
135 - Cody Elliott, so., 22-13, 2nd at divisional
140 - Dylan Berget, fr., 14-17, 3rd at divisional
145 - Charlie Berget, sr., 11-23, 3rd at divisional
152 - Kyle Sweedman, jr., 33-5, 1st at divisional, 80-30 career record
160 - Josiah Coker, fr., 11-8, 4th at divisional
171 - Seth Wright, sr., 8-5, 2nd at divisional, 4th at state in 2008, 79-31 career record
171 - Dean Willey, jr., 17-9, 3rd at divisional
189 - Evan O'Brien, sr., 12-17, 3rd at divisional
215 - Justin Graham, sr., 37-2, 1st at divisional, 3rd at state in 2008, 6th in 2007, 110-26 career record
285 - Brandin Mills, sr., 23-12, 3rd at divisional, 5th at state in 2008
Whitefish (6)
Individual Records Not Available
112 - Zach Berger, jr., 2nd at divisional
119 - Jonathan Reimer, so., 2nd at divisional
130 - Dalton Rice, jr., 4th at divisional
145 - Tanner Benedict, jr., 2nd at divisional
152 - Kaleb Prestegaard, sr., 2nd at divisional
215 - Derek Crittenden, jr., 4th at divisional
Eureka (5)
125 - Randy Kirkedahl, sr., 30-12, 2nd at divisional
145 - Taylor Vaughn, so., 40-6, 2nd at divisional, 6th at state in 2008
152 - Taylor Brown, jr., 41-10, 1st at divisional
152 - Colin Gillard, so., 32-16, 3rd at divisional
215 - Cyle Cook, sr., 15-6, 2nd at divisional