AA state wrestling: Final test for Braves, Wolfpack

Flathead and Glacier high schools have combined for six of the last seven Class AA state wrestling titles, but neither school is likely to emerge from this year’s tournament with a team championship.

Glacier, which won last year’s team title, didn’t dominate the Western AA seeding tournament the way it did a year ago when five wrestlers topped their weight classes and four were runners-up. Flathead also hasn’t shown it has the depth necessary to compete for the team title, qualifying just 15 wrestlers for the state tournament.

But both coaches are still excited for Montana wrestling’s penultimate event, which begins today and concludes Saturday at Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings.

“I’m excited to get there to see what it’s all about,” first-year Flathead coach Scot Davis said.

Davis had a distinguished coaching career in Minnesota and has amassed over 1,000 career dual victories, but this is his first year coaching in Montana.

Glacier coach Mark Fischer called the state wrestling tournament one of the best sporting events Montana has to offer.

“I wish everybody would have a chance to go see that tournament,” he said.

“It’s pretty intense.”

While a team title is unlikely for either school, the individuals who qualified put themselves in a position to succeed with their performances at the seeding tournament.

Flathead 145-pound senior Suny Cheff and 160-pound senior Jake Egley each earned top seeds from Western AA and four other Braves took second at the seeding tournament.

Glacier qualified 19 wrestlers, including seniors Dawson Day and Kaleb Mitchell, who earned Western AA’s top seeds at 171 and 140, respectively.

“We definitely want to get a state champ,” Davis said.

“I’m really focused on that. I really want to get at least one and hopefully more.”

Egley could be poised to do just that. A third-place finisher at 152 a year ago, Egley was at his best at the Western AA seeding tournament and is 21-2 against Class AA opponents. One of those losses was to Glacier’s Jackson Barber. The other was to Billings Senior’s Luke Paine, Class AA’s top-ranked 171-pounder who Egley moved up to wrestle.

“When he’s having fun out there, he’s unbeatable,” Davis said of Egley.

“When you see him too serious, then I have concerns. When he cracks a smile, I know he’s going to win. That’s the way he wrestles. He’s wide open.”

While Egley wins with offense, Cheff succeeds as a defensive wrestler. He is 13-9 in AA matches and Davis believes he’s peaking at the right time.

“He’s wrestled the No. 1-ranked guy twice now and they were very close matches,” Davis said of Cheff.

“He’s very capable. He just needs to open up a little bit more.”

Fellow senior Nick Iavicoli placed second at the seeding tournament, and Davis said he strikes a balance between Egley’s offense and Cheff’s defense.

“He’s not as wide open as Jake, but he’s got more offense than Suny,” Davis said.

“They all have different styles. I think Nick’s a little of both.”

Iavicoli placed fifth at 160 at last year’s state tournament, but battled a sore back early this season. He’s healthy now and has the look of a contender.

“Nick Iavicoli certainly has a good opportunity,” Davis said.

“If he puts it all together, he’s got an opportunity to win it.”

Flathead’s other second-place finishers at the seeding tournament were Dyan Guzman, 105, Gavyn Wilson, 112, and heavyweight Axel Bladholm. Guzman is 13-3 against AA opponents, Wilson is 10-11 and Bladholm is 15-7.

Fischer said his goal at the state tournament is to see his wrestlers compete hard.

“We have to have our best tournament of the season to do a lot of damage, and I think we still could,” he said.

“For me, I’m not really concerned about where we finish in the team race. I just want to see them go out and compete for six minutes each match. I think we have the potential to make a run at a trophy, but if that doesn’t happen we’re going to hopefully go out there and battle.”

Glacier has five seniors who placed at last year’s state tournament in Day, Mitchell, Barber, Grant Tafoya and Lucas Mantel. Day has had the most dominant season of the bunch. The 171-pounder placed fifth in the same weight class a year ago but is a perfect 18-0 against Class AA opponents this season.

“He’s looking really good,” Fischer said.

“He hasn’t been tested a whole lot this year in AA.”

If he reaches the finals, Day will get a huge test against Paine.

Mitchell had an up-and-down regular season, finishing 14-6 against AA opponents, but two of those losses were to Helena’s Cooper Ryan, who Mitchell pinned in the second period of the Western AA championship.

“He tore up the kid in the finals,” Fischer said. “He’s extremely ready to go.”

Mantel and Alek Mitchell placed second at the Western AA seeding tournament at 135 and 145, respectively.

Fischer wasn’t even sure Mitchell would have a chance to qualify for state after breaking his arm midway through the season, but he returned in time for the seeding tournament and advanced to the final where he lost 3-1 on a last-second takedown.

Mantel placed second at 135 at last year’s state tournament. He went 13-3 against AA opponents in the same weight class this season, with all three losses coming against Missoula Sentinel’s Jordan Hegel, the top-ranked wrestler at 135. Mantel was pinned in his first two matches against Hegel and lost an 11-5 decision at the finals of the seeding tournament.

“We’re going to have to think of some different ways to win that match, but we’re getting closer, we’re turning a corner,” Fischer said.

Tafoya and Barber placed third at the seeding tournament at 152 and 160, respectively.

Ryan Danielson, 98, Ryder Day, 125, Quinn Barber, 130, and heavyweight Zach Dennehy were also third at the seeding tournament.

The Class AA state tournament begins today at 10 a.m.