Flathead tops 1st AA mat poll of season
The Class AA defending state wrestling champions are off to a championship start.
The Flathead Braves are 11-1 in duals thus far, finished second, just three points behind five-time Class A champion Havre, at the Mining City Duals last weekend in Butte, and begin this week as the top-ranked team in AA in the first coaches’ poll of the season.
Flathead is followed in the team rankings by Bozeman, Billings Skyview, Great Falls High, Butte and Billings Senior.
“It’s very exciting to have our team ranked first and so many of our wrestlers in the ranking, but it’s work as usual for our team,” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said.
“We have very high goals for this season and are not satisfied with where we start the season, but where we finish the season.”
The Braves have two individuals ranked first in their respective weight classes — Payton Hume at 170 and Tucker Nadeau at 182. Both are 11-0.
Bozeman had three individuals ranked No. 1 (126, 145 and 152) while Billings Senior (103 and 132) and Butte (120 and 285) have two each.
Flathead has 11 individuals ranked in the 13 weight classes.
Brendan Barnes (12-0) is No. 2 at 103, Bryce Shaffer is third at 113, Dominic Battello is fourth at 120, Tanner Russell is fourth at 145, Kenyon Fretwell is fifth at 152, Garrett Rieke is fifth at 160, Hunter Wellcome is fourth at 205 and Alex Paull (10-1) is third and Michael Lee fourth at 285.
The Braves have no wrestlers ranked at three weight classes — 126, 132 and 138.
Glacier has one wrestler ranked, Dylan Miller is sixth at 103.
Class AA Coaches Wrestling Poll
Teams (Ranked in Order)
Flathead, Bozeman, Billings Skyview, Great Falls, Butte, Billings Senior.
Individuals (Ranked in Order)
103 — Alejandro Madrid, Senior; Brendan Barnes, Flat; Will Queer, But; Wyatt Van Pelt, West; Dre Coles, GFH; Dylan Miller, Gla.
113 — Isaac Romero, Helena; Trevin Welzein, MBS; Bryce Shaffer, Flat; Jaiden James, Boz; Easton Shupe, GFH; Gentry Lamb, Sky.
120 — Gabe Tierney, But; Sterling Quinn, Boz; Bridger Lamb, Sky; Dominic Battello, Flat; Dakota Thomas, Sent; Jalen Rambin, Senior.
126 — Leif Schroeder, Boz; Austin Murphy, Helena; Carter Carroll, CMR; Justin Kovalicky, Sent; Cache Hilliard, GFH; Braydon Terzo, Hellgate.
132 — Charlie Klepps, Senior; Reece Eckley, Sent; Dayton Evans, MBS; Noah Kovick, Cap; Caleb Partride, Sky; Braden Lomas, GFH.
138 — Kai Stewart, CMR; Devin Crawford, Helena; Dougie Swanson, MBS; Beau King, Sent; Brock Rodrigues, Boz; Lee Lambrecht, Cap.
145 — Chance McLane, Boz; Travis Shulte, Cap; Russell Weinholz, GFH; Tanner Russell, Flat; Cameron Hegel, Sent; Kyle Gordon, MBS.
152 — Keegan Mulhill, Boz; Jace Rhodes, West; Cade Kay, Sky; Luke Joy, Sent; Kenyon Fretwell, Flat; Logan Twedell, Sky.
160 — Jordan Komac, GFH; Connor Peterson, Sky; Stormee Kipp, MBS; Carl Anderson, But; Garrett Rieke, Flat; Coy Cohenhour, Boz.
170 — Payton Hume, Flat; Brock Bushfield, Sky; Jacob Fritzler, Senior; Kobe Moreno, But; Elijah Davis, GFH; Reese Rahn, Sent.
182 — Tucker Nadeau, Flat; Travis Tomei, GFH; Brandon Cooper, Boz; Kameron Moreno, But; Brenner Bushfield, Sky; Dylan Goforth, Sent.
205 — Bryar Newbary, Sent; Jarrett Leinwand, Senior; Seth Jensen, Cap; Hunter Wellcome, Flat; Noah Thomas, Sky; Alan LaRoque, GFH.
285 — Jeff Queer, But; Levi Malcolm, West; Alex Paull, Flat; Michael Lee, Flat; KC Buday, CMR; Justin Jenks, Cap.