Braves, Wolfpack ready to rumble
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Glacier
The series: Flathead has won all five meetings - three in the crosstown duals and at the AA Duals and Mining City Duals.
Last year: The Braves won 46-21. They had just three pins - by Jeremiah Gaiser, Larry Francis and Travis Ozegovich, but won 11 of 15 weight classes. Glacier had two pins - by Zach Barber and Shane St. Onge.
It will be a donnybrook: "The kids are fired up," said Glacier coach Mark Fischer. "We're 0-5 against Flathead. (The Wolfpack) want to cross this hurdle. They're ready to go, I think."
"I'm sure they're hungry for a win," said Flathead coach Matt Owen.
"We're really excited about the opportunity to wrestle Glacier. They have an outstanding team this year," he said.
"Fischer is doing a great job with Glacier. For them to be in their fourth year and already have a really competitive team like they do, it's quite an acomplishment for him," Owen said.
The Kalispell community should be excited about this dual, Owen added.
"They have two of the best teams in the state and they don't have to drive to go see them," he smiled.
"This is one of the most exciting matchups people have seen in a long time. The teams match up really well," Fischer said.
"I really think it's going to be a great venue to watch wrestling - two quality teams," he added.
Glacier's tentative line-up - 98:Open; 105: Christian Knopp (Jr); 112: Kaleb Mitchell (Soph); 119: Alek Mitchell (Soph); 125: Zach Barber(Jr.); 130: Lucas Mantel (Soph); 135:Cooper Sipe (Jr.); 140: Jackson Barber (Soph); 145: Grant Tafoya (Soph); 152:Shane St. Onge (Jr); 160: Riley Pisk (Jr)/Dawson Day (Soph); 171:Lane Armstrong (Jr) Dawson Day (Soph); 189: Boyce Ballard (Sr); 215:Mack Sutherland (Jr); 285:Joel Horn (Sr.)
Flathead's tentative line-up - 98: Gavyn Wilson (Fr); 105: Open; 112: Billy Allen (Soph); 119: Caleb Piasecki (Sr); 125: Cody Tally (Sr); 130: Coty Piasecki (Soph); 135: Jake Stueben (Sr); 140: Jacob Egley (Soph); 145: Jeremiah Gaiser (Sr); 152: Steel Hahn (Sr); 160: Larry Francis (Jr); 171 : Josh Erickson (Jr); 189: John Collins (Jr); 215: Travis Ozegovich (Sr); 285: Connor Thomas (Sr).
Loaded with talent: The Braves have eight returning state placers who will be wrestling tonight while the Wolfpack has six.
Must-see match: According to Owen, there will be a lot of them. He expects a tight dual from start to finish.
"It's going to be a great dual. I see it being within a couple points by the end. It's going to be a lot of fun.
"The way we match up, most of the matches are going to be pretty solid. Pretty much every match will be huge," he said.
"I see a lot of them that are going to be pretty tight. It's going to come down to who wants it more. Those are of the kind of matches that people like watching - and I like to coach," Owen said.
But when pressed, both coaches agreed that 152 - Flathead's Steel Hahn versus Glacier's Shane St. Onge - could be fascinating.
St. Onge rallied to pick up a pin in their last meeting.
"They're both just brawlers. They go after each other. They're both strong and they have a lot of the same styles," Fischer said.