Flathead's Francis flips after title win

BILLINGS - Sealed with a back flip.

That's what Flathead senior Larry Francis did when he got his state wrestling championship on Saturday night at the All Class Tournament.

"It's tradition. All the older Flathead kids did it, so I figured I had better," Francis said after claiming a 3-2 decision over Billings Skyview's Trey Dillon.

As a team, the Braves wound up 10th in Class AA with 93.5 points. They had four state placers.

"I did it. Finally!" Francis said.

"It feels real good. Real good. It's a weight lifted off my shoulders," he said.

"I was real nervous (beforehand). This was my last year to (win a title)," he said.

It didn't come easily.

Dillon "definitely had me pretty well scouted," Francis said.

Francis led 1-0 after two periods, but cut Dillon loose early in the third.

That gave him an opportunity for the winning takedown.

"I stuck to the stuff that got me here, which is going big!" Francis said.

"He wrestled a really smart match. When he got his opportunity, he took it. He did all the things he needed to do to win today and I'm really excited for him. It's been a long time coming," said Flathead coach Matt Owen.

"He's been so close, taking second twice and third another year. I'm really proud of him. He was the hardest worker in the room this year and it showed. He had a phenomenal season.

"He just picked his spots. He set everything up and when he went, he knew he had it and that was the difference in all his matches," the coach added.

"All of our placers did an awesome job. We finished with all wins, so that last round was great for us," Owen said.

"We had some downs this weekend, but we went out on a high note," he added.