Braves blank Hellgate
Flathead freshman Tilynne Vasquez pins Missoula Hellgate freshman at the 1:28 mark in the first period. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead junior Michael Lee throws Missoula Hellgate junior Dakota Friesen to the mat during the 285-pound match to open the dual at Flathead on Tuesday. Lee pinned Friesen at 1:20 in the first period. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Payton Hume and Tilynne Vasquez had more competition with teammates during their warm-up session than in their matches Tuesday evening in a Class AA wrestling dual with Missoula Hellgate at Flathead High School.
Hume registered a lightning-quick takedown in four seconds and left the mats with a pin 12 seconds later in his 152-pound match.
Earlier, Vasquez had her foe on the defensive just 10 seconds after the opening whistle and scrambling to get off his back. Her pin time at 103 was 32 seconds.
It was that kind of performance for top-ranked Flathead, which finished with 10 pins, five under 60 seconds, en route to 73-0 verdict.
“It’s super fun to wrestle a team that hasn’t done well,” Hume said of lopsided dual wins.
“We can practice in those matches and still have a good match.”
Practice time, however, was short for Hume and Vasquez, along with Kenyon Fretwell (145), Matt Gash-Gilder (205) and Michael Lee (285), who registered pin times of 51, 49 and 40 seconds, respectively.
“It’s kind of an ego boost a little bit,” Hume said of pins.
“Say you came off a bad tournament where you didn’t do as well as you wanted to, a pin brings your ego back.”
Hume (21-4 overall) didn’t have to worry about pumping up his confidence heading into this dual as he was coming off a strong showing at the Pacific Northwest Classic last weekend in Spokane. He went 5-1 at that talent-rich event to place third. He pinned Collin Freeman from Othello, who he lost to earlier in the tournament, in 1:48 in the medal round.
Hume had three pins in Spokane.
“It’s been a good learning experience,” the junior said so far this season.
“I haven’t won all the matches I’ve wrestled, but the ones I’ve lost have taught me lessons to help me get better.”
Dual action with Hellgate opened at heavyweight with Lee. Vasquez followed, putting Flathead quickly on top 12-0.
“I got nervous,” she said before her match.
“I just wanted to get it done (tonight).”
Vasquez, a freshman, has been trading varsity time at 103 with Hunter Rush, a senior. This was her second pin on the season.
“Most of the boys in the state look at me as competition,” she said.
“They know I’m a tough opponent. I’ve been around here (wrestling) since I was 6 years old.”
Regarding her pre-match jitters ...
“I always get them. It’s a good thing because it means your are focused on wrestling.”
Also winning by pin for Flathead were Cody DeVall (120), Trae Vasquez (132), Bo Meyer (138), Tucker Nadeau (170) and Hunter Wellcome (182).
Bryce Schaffer (113) won by forfeit while freshmen Tanner Russell (126) and Garrett Reike (160) posted decisions.
“Sometimes being a freshman, with the spotlight (over the mats) and the crowd, they experience that deer in the headlights thing a little bit,” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said of his two youngsters.
“But they both gutted out wins and were part of a 73-0 win that will be a memory they will have for the rest of their lives.”
Reike prevailed, despite being less than 100 percent health wise.
“He was sick all last week,” Thompson said.
“He was hurting (out there). His gas tank was almost empty, but he pulled out a win against one of their tougher kids.”
Reike decisioned Ken Woods, 14-9.
Russell won by major decision, 14-2.
“I thought it was a great crowd,” Thompson said for the team’s first home dual of the season.
“Especially for a Tuesday night. There was a lot of excitement.”
This was the first shutout of the season for the Braves, who trailed just once in this outing — Reike was down 3-2 early in the first period — and tied once — 2-all in Fretwell’s. The rest of the night it was all Flathead.
Up next for the Braves is the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic on Friday and Saturday in Missoula. Trae Vasquez, a junior, finished first last year at 120 pounds and was third his freshman season at 113. Hume finished second at the Rocky at 138.
Team wise, the Braves were seventh.
Flathead 73, Missoula Hellgate 0
285 — Michael Lee, F, pinned Dakota Friesen, :40; 103 — Tilynne Vasquez, F, pinned Nick Ramsey, :32; 113 — Bryce Schaffer, F, won by forfeit; 120 — Cody DeVall, F, pinned Conner May, 1:33; 126 — Tanner Russell, F, maj. dec. Bridger Hall, 14-2; 132 — Trae Vasquez, F, pinned Nate Brown, 1:27; 138 — Bo Meyer, F, pinned Ben Crow, 1:30; 145 — Kenyon Fretwell, F, pinned Jace Lewis, :51; 152 — Payton Hume, F, pinned Izaac Sessums, :16; 160 — Garrett Reike, F, dec. Ken Woods, 14-9; 170 — Tucker Nadeau, F, pinned Abraxas Brydon, 1:56; 182 — Hunter Wellcome, F, pinned Luke Wilson, 1:51; 205 — Matt Gash-Gilder, F, pinned Larz Sorrell, :49.