Wrestling: Wolfpack, Braves meet on mat

Coming off a successful trip to the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic, both Flathead and Glacier are looking to roll into the last few weeks of the season. That road starts tonight as the two schools meet for the eighth crosstown dual, hosted at 7 p.m. at Glacier.

Flathead, which leads the series 4-3 after picking up a win in last season’s meeting, enters with two wrestlers ranked in Class AA.

Trae Vasquez, the state’s second-ranked wrestler at 113 pounds,  has been a force in his freshman season. He placed third at Jug Beck, and is among a wealth of young talent for the Braves.

Braves senior Dyan Guzman is ranked fourth at 126 and sophomore Cody DeVall finished eighth at 103 at Jug Beck.

“We definitely have some tough matchups all the way around,” Flathead coach Rich Vasquez said.

“They have six kids that can compete with anybody in the state. But, I think our guys match up well. Where they’re tough, I have some tough guys as well.”

Glacier also has a pair of state-ranked wrestlers in seniors Isaac Saenz, third at 182, and Quinn Barber, fourth at 152.

Barber finished fifth at Jug Beck, one of four Wolfpack wrestlers to place at the tournament. Justin Gibson topped DeVall for seventh at 103, Ryder Day finished sixth at 126 and Cody Decker was eighth at 138.

“I don’t know. When it comes to crosstown, all that stuff gets thrown out the window and it comes down to a battle of wills,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said.

“We can be favored at a weight or they can be favored at a weight and that not mean too much.”

Both coaches are expecting a tight dual as they prepare for the Class AA duals this weekend.

“I think it’s going to be a barn-burner. It’s going to come down to bonus points,” Dankers said. “It will definitely be a tight match, fun to watch.”