Six Kalispell grapplers heading to nationals

Kalispell eighth-grader Trae Vasquez will have company at this year’s AAU Middle School National Wrestling Tournament.

After being Kalispell Wrestling Club’s only representative at middle school nationals each of the last two years, Vasquez will be joined by five teammates at this year’s tournament April 11-15 in Iowa.

Vasquez qualified for Montana’s A team by finishing first at the state AAU tournament in Great Falls March 8-10. Fellow Kalispell eighth-graders Triston Knopp, Payton Hume and Bryce Shaffer made the B team, Hunter Rush qualified for the C team and Cody DeVall made the D team.

“This is the first time we’ve gone with more kids than Trae,” said Rich Vasquez, Kalispell Wrestling Club coach and Trae’s father. “That’s great for us to see those numbers. You have five extra kids, that’s a pretty big jump for one year.”

Trae wrestled for the B team a year ago and was on the C team two years ago.

“It means a lot to me because I get to go there to Iowa and represent Montana,” Trae said.

As someone who had never been to nationals, DeVall said qualifying for the tournament was his primary goal entering the season.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “Just to be able to make it to this team and go all the way across the country and wrestle against the best in the nation.”

While Trae, DeVall, Knopp, Rush and Shaffer have grown up together, Hume is new to Montana after moving from Arizona, and coach Vasquez said he’s been a great addition to Kalispell Wrestling Club.

“I’m pretty impressed with him,” Vasquez said. “As far as attributes like intensity and stuff, he’s got all that. A few other things as far as growing into his body, agility stuff, he needs to improve, but that’ll come with time.

“It’s great to have him, especially for Trae, because he’s bigger and it gives him a guy he can wrestle hard with.”

All six were in action Saturday at the Western Montana Little Guy state wrestling tournament and five earned titles. DeVall needed just 31 seconds to pin Frenchtown’s Owen Inderland in the 85-pound championship match, Hume pinned Eureka’s Kahden Bakkila 56 seconds into the second period of the 105-pound championship and Trae scored a 15-0 technical fall over Columbia Falls’ Winfield West for the 100-pound title.

Rush topped Shaffer 7-0 in an all-Kalispell final at 80 pounds. After scoring the initial takedown, Rush rode out the second period, scored a reversal and a near fall in the second and maintained control in the third. While Rush dominated the match, he said his bouts with Shaffer are usually nip and tuck.

“We go back and forth in practice,” he said. “We’re pretty even.”

The key, Rush said, was neutralizing the taller Shaffer’s length.

“Just not letting him get what he’s good at,” he said. “He’s good at a lot of things, but I’m also good at a lot of things. It just helped not letting him get what he’s good at. He’s long, so he likes to get the body locked and cradles and stuff like that.”

Knopp prevailed 11-9 in the 171-pound final against Polson’s Ryan Burlan, avenging a loss from last weekend’s Inter-Valley divisional tournament in Eureka. Knopp trailed 7-4 in the third period before scoring a reversal to cut his deficit to 7-6. He was on the verge of a pin seconds later when a slip allowed Burlan to reverse. Knopp scored another reversal with three seconds remaining to pull out the win.

“I was thinking I had to get points because this kid beat me last weekend,” Knopp said. “This is one of my goals this year and I wasn’t letting him beat me. I had to go all out.”

Knopp and DeVall said the Western Montana Little Guy tournament served as a tough tune-up as they prepare for nationals. They’ll face stiffer competition in Iowa, but Coach Vasquez said it will be good for their development as wrestlers.

“We wrestle a lot for being here in Montana in the little corner we’re in, but those (Iowa) guys can walk out their back door and wrestle five or six guys that are ranked,” he said. “We have to travel to wrestle guys like that. It’s a little bit harder for us to get that competition level, so some of them will be surprised, those guys that haven’t been there before, but they’ll adjust quick.”