Braves pound Pack
Flathead junior Hunter Wellcome takes down Glacier senior Brandon Olsen during a dual at Glacier on Tuesday. Wellcome won the 182-pound match by major decision 13-2. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead freshman Garret Reike gets near-fall points as he wrestles Glacier's Andrew Glynn during their 160-pound match at the crosstown wrestling dual on Tuesday. Reike pinned Glynn in 1:14. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead junior Payton Hume attempts to turn Glacier's Adam Bartlett in their 152-pound match. Hume pinned Bartlett with 5.3 seconds in the second period. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
By JOSEPH TERRY
The Daily Inter Lake
Glacier wrestling got the first win of the night in its crosstown dual with top-ranked Flathead on Tuesday at Glacier High School.
Only four matches later, Flathead had a team victory secured in what would turn into a 66-3 rout for the Braves.
The Braves brawlers dominated the matchup, earning seven pins, a tech fall and a major decision in the win.
“We came to wrestle,” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said. “Crosstown is always such an emotional match. We told them to keep their head in the game and wrestle with intensity. Do what we’ve been doing all year. I felt like we really did that.”
Glacier’s Justin Gibson opened the dual with a 7-1 decision over Flathead’s Bo Meyer at 138 pounds, controlling the match with takedowns in each of the three periods. Gibson was unable to quite turn Meyer, however, settling for the decision.
It was the last points the Wolfpack would get.
Kenyon Fretwell earned Flathead’s first points of the dual with a 10-4 decision at 145 pounds, recording four takedowns in the first two periods and a reversal in the third.
Braves 152-pounder Payton Hume earned the first pin of the dual with five seconds remaining in the second period, tucking Adam Bartlett in a cradle at 3:55 after a dominating match that included three takedowns and three near falls.
“I went out aggressive and pretty strong,” Hume said. “I did what I needed to do to go out there and get the win for our team.
“I wasn’t riding top a whole lot, my coach wanted me to stay on my feet more and work a little bit. Get a few solid takedowns. He was pretty good at fighting off his back.”
Freshman Garrett Reike earned a pin in 1:15 for Flathead at 160 pounds and Tucker Nadeau earned an 18-3 tech fall in the third period at 182 pounds.
When Hunter Wellcome recorded a major decision at 182 pounds with a 13-2 win, Flathead had already secured a team victory with a 24-3 lead and two open weights still on the docket.
Even with the result in hand, the Braves finished out the dual in style, closing with five straight pins. Matt Gash-Gilder earned the quick pin of the dual at 205 pounds, in just 57 seconds, and Michael Lee earned a pin at heavyweight in 2:27. Hunter Rush, the state’s top 103-pounder, got a pin in 1:12, Bryce Shaffer in 3:09 at 113 punds and Cody DeVall in 1:43 at 120 pounds.
The Braves won the final two matches by forfeit, Jaden MacNeil at 126 pounds and Trae Vasquez at 132 pounds. Vasquez, the state’s top wrestler at 132 pounds, capped the win with a backflip in the center of the mat.
“Our goal was to work some new technique, try something that they haven’t done the last few matches,” Thompson said. “We really like where we’re at at this point of the season.
“Glacier didn’t give up anything. They worked hard out there. Looking at the score it’s not as close as some of those matches really were. My hat goes off to Glacier, they worked hard and really got after it.”
“Our goal is always to focus on our attitude and our effort. Everyone came out and gave it their best,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said.
“We’re focused on the process of getting better and not scores and wins and losses until the end of the season.”
Flathead and Glacier wrestle at the Class AA duals in Great Falls on Saturday.
Flathead 66, Glacier 3
138—Justin Gibson, G, dec. Bo Meyer 7-1; 145—Kenyon Fretwell, F, dec. Adam Hussein 10-4; 152—Payton Hume, F, pin Adam Bartlett, 3:55; 160—Garrett Reike, F, pin Andrew Glynn, 1:15; 170—Tucker Nadeau, F, tech fall Neh-J Johns, 18-3; 182—Hunter Wellcome, F, maj. dec. Brandon Olsen, 13-2; 205—Matt Gash-Gilder, F, pin Spencer Stubbert, 0:57; 285—Michael Lee, F, pin Larrison Stevens, 2:27; 103—Hunter Rush, F, pin Dylan Miller, 1:12; 113—Bryce Shaffer, F, pin Caden Willis, 3:09; 120—Cody DeVall, F, pin Lane Wilson, 1:43; 126—Jaden MacNeil, F, win by forfeit. 132—Trae Vasquez, F, win by forfeit