HHS Wrestling State Champs Tab 2015

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STATE CHAMPIONS GRAYSON BRENNA #132

PARKER FILIUS #145

JASE STOKES #160

JACE BILLY

#205

TRAVIS ADAMS HWT

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MAT KINGS

Blue Ponies rumble to a 3-Peat in Billings Chris Peterson

consolation final at 126 pounds.

BILLINGS — The Havre High wrestling team went to the All-Class state wrestling tournament with one objective: win a third consecutive Class A state championship.

And after a record-breaking performance over two days, it was mission accomplished for the Blue Ponies.

It didn’t always come easy for the Ponies and despite an incredible opening day Friday at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings, Havre still had work to do Saturday to wrap up the coveted 3-peat, which was just the second in school history.

Yet, when it mattered most, HHS wrestled its best and scored a Class A record 297 points to beat secondplace Sidney, which finished with 268 points. Columba Falls finished a distant third. At tournament’s end, Havre claimed five individual state titles and placed 13 Ponies on the medal stand.

“This was a fun one,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “The kids wrestled up to their abilities and we had a blast. We welcomed the challenge (from Sidney). It was nice that they came and competed. It was nice that (Sidney) had a team that could push us a little bit and it was a lot of fun.”

Speaking of fun, the Ponies had plenty of it Friday in the first day of the tournament, when they went an incredible 31-4. All 16 Havre wrestlers won at least two matches and 13 advanced into the semifinals, which set a new HHS record.

Thanks to that performance, the Ponies lead over Sidney following day one was 146-124, which seemed insurmountable. However, the Eagles were not about to roll over, and they won seven of nine semifinal matches Saturday morning, compared to just six of 13 for Havre, making things interesting as the Pony lead shrank to three after the semifinal round was complete.

Havre still had six wrestlers get into the finals, which tied a school record, but it was not enough to separate from Sidney. Yet, HHS did exactly that in the consolation semifinals and finals.

The Ponies ended up winning 11 of 13 matches in the final two rounds of consolation and no victory was more important than junior Logan Pleninger’s, who advanced to the

With Havre clinging to a threepoint lead entering the round, Pleninger squared off against Sidney’s Brady Gorder. Up to that point, the Eagles had all the momentum, but Pleninger and the Ponies stopped them in their tracks and after the junior’s 9-0 victory, Havre once again had control of the tournament.

“That was the most important match of my weekend,” Pleninger said. “I was able to beat him and get bonus points with a major (decision) so that was really good. We knew we just had to keep going and come back. They came close but we had a really good round. Then, in the next round, they didn’t win any (matches) and we won almost all of ours, so that was really big, too.”

It was big and Pleninger was not the only Pony to notch a key victory. Ryan Stewart, Dane Flammond, Kody Pribyl, Tyler Schaub and Jordan Schroeder all won in the consolation semis, which pushed the Havre lead back to nine at 256-247.

Then, in the consolation finals, Havre won five of seven matches as Stewart (103), Pleninger (126), Flammond (138) and Schroeder (182) all finished third. Pribyl (152) and Schaub (170) took fourth, while Keegan Kennelly (120) was fifth.

“It’s always the kids in the wrestle backs that salt it away for you,” Filius said. “The kids in the finals get the last hurrah because they are up last, but it’s your kids in the back that make the difference. Jim Street (former Butte High wrestling coach, who won 14 state titles) did that for a 100 years. He outcoached everybody’s bottom end. Our coaches coach all our kids. We have great coaches that put a lot of time and that has lot to do with (Havre’s success).”

Schroeder in particular had an exciting day as the senior won his consolation semifinal over Devin Blythe of Lewistown in overtime 8-6, then pinned Sam Burdette of Corvallis to wrap up third place. That flurry of excitement closed out his career in memorable fashion, especially considering he missed most of the season due to injury and returned to the mat little more than a month ago.

“It feels really good, I could have beat the kid in the semis but came out flat. But it felt good to come all the way through the back door (for

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Jace Billy raises his arms after winning the 205-pound Class A state championship Saturday night at the All-Class state tournament at the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park in Billings. Billy was one of five individual champions for Havre, while the Ponies won their third straight state championship by placing 13 wrestlers and scoring a tournament-record 297 points. third),” Schroeder said. “It feels great to help your team. Win or lose, I helped them out as much as I could. It will be hard to leave coach Filius, he has meant so much to me, but my career is over and I finished it with a bang.”

While the Ponies dominated the consolation finals, they were even better in the championship round as Havre crowned five individual champions in Grayson Brenna (132), Parker Filius (145), Jase Stokes (160), Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (heavyweight) Saturday night.

Gunnar Aageson also qualified for the finals after the senior pinned his first three opponents in the 145-pound weight class. He ended up falling to Parker Filius in an allHavre final but that did nothing to taint a clutch performance that was an essential part of HHS capturing the team championship.

“This experience really differed from all the other times I’ve been (at state),” Aageson said. “Normally, I never even made it to the second day, this year, I made it to the finals. It’s just crazy. I think it was my senior year. I wanted to be a bigger part and score more points and do more to help the team.”

Aageson also produced one of the iconic moments of the tournament for Havre in the quarterfinals Friday. Aageson, who was wrestling Colton Gove of Columbia Falls, got a key pin to earn a berth in the semifinals. It was such an important win that it prompted coach Filius, who is not prone to showing emotion, to pump his fist in the air and shout with joy in the direction of the Havre fans in attendance.

“I felt like I had just won the state tournament,” said Aageson as he chuckled. “I was so happy and so proud of myself. It was a great

accomplishment. It was kind of the perfect senior year. I could never imagine being in the finals, and it was a perfect end to my career.”

And even though they did not place, John Chinadle, Zacc Schroeder and Dylan Stewart also contributed to the team championship by winning two matches apiece, meaning for the second straight year, every single Havre wrestler scored points in the team competition.

The Ponies’ astounding two-day performance was yet another reminder of Havre’s dominance under Filius. The title was not only Havre’s third in a row but also the seventh in nine years and the 10th of the Filius era.

“This is the most recent so it’s the most fun,” Filius replied when asked where his 10th championship ranked among the others. “But they are all special. This is fun. The kids wrestled pretty dog gone well.”

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Hungry: The Ponies will defend their Central A Divisional title ■ From Page 30 story below).

Essentially, the 98-pound class and the 106-pound class were combined into the 103-pound weight class, while the 195 pound and 220 pound weight classes had the same fate and were combined into the 205-pound weight class.

“It certainly takes two guys out of our lineup because we had the numbers to fill everything, so it’s kind of frustrating from that standpoint,” Filius said. “It’s going to make the state tournament more competitive, considering there were 15 weights and now there are just 13. It will make those weights around there more competitive and more competitive is always a good thing. It hurts us more than other teams, because typically we have been full and have been able to fill those weights.”

When asked if he supported the measure Filius said he did, because it was what is best for the sport of wrestling.

“I didn’t pen it but I didn’t fight it either,” Filius said. “I thought it was the best thing for the sport even though it certainly wasn’t the best thing for Havre. But it will

make it tougher for some teams too that could skate by at some of the weights and now they won’t be able to do that.”

Another change on the horizon for Havre is to the divisional format. This will be the last season that Havre will compete solely against the Central A at divisionals. Next season, the tournament will include the Central A and the Eastern A, meaning Havre and Sidney, the two powerhouses of Class A will compete for divisional as well as state championships every year, starting in 2015-16.

“I don’t think it will change much,” Filius said. “We proposed it years ago and have got resistance from other people and I think most of that resistance was from other people thinking it doesn’t give someone an advantage. I think if people didn’t like the four divisional tournaments and thought it gave someone a leg up, they would have voted for the two a long time ago.”

In terms of this season, even though the Ponies will not do battle with Sidney at divisionals, the Eagles are still the biggest threat to

stop Havre from a three-peat, which they will be determined to do after finishing as the runner-up to Havre at state two years running.

Central A rival Belgrade along with Columbia Falls, Hardin and Corvallis are other traditional contenders that will be looking to unseat Havre this season.

However, that task of knocking off the Ponies will prove extremely difficult and even though the new weight class rules may hurt Havre’s ability to score points, it will make the team on the mat even better, with the competition fierce to earn a spot in the Pony lineup.

The veterans with spots in the lineup in hand are Parker Filius, a state champ at 138 pounds a year ago, Stokes, a state champ at 152 and Jace Billy, who won state at 195 pounds. This season, Billy will man the 205-weight class, while Parker Filius will move up to 145 and Stokes will bump up to 170.

Kennelly will wrestle at 120 pounds this season after a secondplace finish at state in the 105-pound class last season. At 103 pounds, the Ponies will have Ryan Stewart and

at 126 pounds will be Pleninger, who finished third at state at 113 pounds last year. He will compete against Dylan Stewart, who will also wrestle in the 126-pound class after a fifth-place finish there at state.

Brenna, who finished third at 120 pounds a year ago, after winning a state title as a sophomore, will wrestle at 132 pounds this season for Havre, while at 138 pounds, Havre has a trio of wrestlers fighting it out with Dane Flammond, Jazz Schroeder and T.J. Lovenguth all battling it out for a spot in the lineup. At 152 pounds, there will be Pribyl, who finished fourth at state at 145 pounds last season as well as Gunner Aageson, who will see time at 152 pounds and 160 pounds. Walter White will also be in the mix at 160 pounds.

Rounding things out in the upper weights will be John Chinadle and Tyler Schaub in contention at 182 pounds, followed by Travis Adams in the heavy weight class, who is last but certainly not least after finishing runner-up at state at 220 pounds last season. Adams lost to older brother, Tyler in the state title

match a year ago.

The Ponies will open their season this Friday at the Havre Invitational and from there they will navigate a busy schedule starting in Butte from Dec. 11 to Dec. 13, where they will compete in the Butte Central Mixer and Mining City Duals. Then, on Dec. 19 and Dec.20, the Ponies will test their strength against one of strongest wrestling fields in the state at the CMR Holiday Classic. In the second half of the season, HHS will compete in the Cut Bank, Chester and Missoula invitationals, while also squaring off in duals against Great Falls High, CMR, Malta and, in the Class A Duals, Belgrade Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.

The Ponies will defend their Central A Divisional title in Livingston on Feb. 7 with their state title defense set to begin at the All-Class State Wrestling meet at the Metra in Billings on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.

The Havre Invitational, which features teams from along the HiLine as well as Lewistown and both CMR and Great Falls High will get underway Friday at 1 p.m.

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Hungry for More

Havre High wrestling team is loaded yet again Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The word dynasty sometimes gets thrown around a bit loosely in sports, but when it comes to the Havre High wrestling team, there really is no other way to describe its success over the last 17 years other than to call it what it is — a dynasty.

Since 1997, HHS has won nine Class A State championships under head coach Scott Filius, two of which came in 2013 and 2014, when the Ponies captured back-to-back titles. Now, armed with three defending individual state champions and seven returning wrestlers who finished in the top three at state a year ago, the Ponies have their sights set on a three-peat for just the second time in school history.

“I think that at the start of the year, everyone has the goal of being an individual state champ or winning a team state championship,” Filius said. “I don’t really get caught up in doing it year-to-year or anything like that. I think you start out each season the same. You have the same goal and try to achieve it and then everything just takes care of itself.”

Of course, if the Ponies are going to win their third consecutive state title, it would put them in elite company, but surprisingly it would be the third time in the last 17 years that a team has been able to pull off the feat.

The first to do it in that time was the Sidney Eagles, who have been the Ponies’ biggest rival for the past 17 seasons and are second behind Havre with five state championships since 2000, including four in a row from 2003-2006.

After Sidney went on their run, Havre went on a four-year run of its own, capturing the state title in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Laurel and Corvallis managed to sneak away with championships in 2011 and 2012 before the Ponies returned to dominance two years ago. In all, HHS has won six of the last eight titles in Class A and shows no signs of slowing down.

“We got a great group of kids,” Filius said. “They work really hard, they have wrestled together for a long time now. They travel well together, they compete well together.

They also do a very good job in the class room. They are just a great

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Ponies crown five on finals night Havre once again steals the show on finals night with six in and five state champions Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High's Grayson Brenna, top, battles Sidney's Gresh Jones at the 2014 Class A state tournament last February in Billings. Brenna, a senior, and the Blue Ponies are the two-time defending Class A state champions. group of kids to work with and that really makes it a lot of fun.”

From top to bottom, the 2014-15 Pony team is loaded with talent.

Whether it’s Keegan Kennelly, Logan Pleninger and Grayson Brenna in the lighter weights, Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Kody Pribyl in the middle weights or Jace Billy and Travis Adams in the upper weights, there are few weaknesses in the Havre lineup.

Depth has always been a strength of the Havre wrestling program and it’s part of the reason why the team has been so successful under Scott Filius. Yet, this offseason, the Montana High School Association passed a rule that once again changed around the weight class and reduced the overall number of them from 15 to 13.

This is the second straight year in which MHSA has made changes to the weight classes after the member schools adopted the National Federation’s weight class with the exception of the 98-pound class prior to the 2013-14 season. (See related

n See Hungry Page 31

Havre Daily News/File Photo Blue Pony sophomore Jase Stokes is one of three returning state champs for HHS this season.

BILLINGS — There is nothing quite like finals night at the Montana All-Class state wrestling tournament. And once again this year, the Havre Blue Ponies made quite sure that they left their mark on it.

After qualifying 13 wrestlers for the semifinals on day one of the tournament Friday at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park, Havre put six wrestlers into the finals and for the second straight year had an allHavre championship. By Saturday night’s end, the Blue Ponies walked away with five individual titles, and of course, a third straight Class A team title.

The all Havre final took place at 145 pounds, where sophomore Parker Filius, who came into the tournament in search of his second individual title, squared off against senior Gunnar Aageson. Aageson, who made a Cinderella run to the finals, couldn’t quite conquer Filius, who completed the second leg of his quest to be a four-time state champion by pinning Aageson in 1:07 to lock up the title.

“It meant a lot,” Filius said. “It was my goal all year to win one.

It was fun. I just tried to focus on wrestling my match all weekend.

“It was extremely weird for my first time in the finals and having to wrestle your own teammate — it was weird. I didn’t know what to expect,” Aageson said. “But I am glad that it was against Parker. He’s a great guy and glad that it was me and him that got a matchup here.”

Outside of Filius and Aageson, four other Havre wrestlers made it to the finals, including Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

Brenna, who won an individual title in 2013 but finished third a year ago was desperate to get back into the winner’s circle on finals night and he did just that with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Graveline of Columbia Falls. Early on, the match was a stalemate and was tied at zero after the first period. But then, after a series of takedowns and a near fall, Brenna built a big lead and made sure to hang on for his second career title.

“It feels good,” Brenna said af-

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre's Parker Filius, right, and Gunnar Aageson square off in the 145-pound Class A state title match Saturday night in the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park in Billings. Aageson's run to the final made it the second year in a row in which the Ponies had an all-Havre final. Filius won the match for his second state championship. For more photos, go to www.havredailynews.com. ter his victory. “I have really been working hard. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my coaches, teammates, my family, our fans and especially my dad. All of them pushed me to be where I am at now.”

Brenna was happy to win and he was not alone. His head coach, Scott Filius was also pleased to see him go out on top where he belonged.

“Grayson has been a leader for us for the last three years,” Scott Filius said. “This year, he has been lights out. He has prepared mentally as strong as any kid that we had all year. I am very confident putting him out there and even though there was a styles conflict in the last match, he just flat outworked him.

He’s been fun, I’m going to miss Grayson.”

After Brenna and Filius took home titles, it was Stokes’ turn and once again the superbly talented sophomore took care of business.

Stokes, who wrestles at 160 pounds, not only pinned all three of his opponents on the way to the finals, he made it a clean sweep by notching a seemingly effortless pin over Doug Rooney of Sidney in just 1:21.

The win was significant for two reasons. The first was that it puts Stokes, along with Parker Filius at the halfway mark to becoming fourtime state champions, the rarest of feats for wrestlers. The second was that Stokes’ victory officially clinched the team championship for Havre by making it mathematically impossible for Sidney to catch the Ponies.

“It feels good and I just have to keep aiming for the next year,” Stokes said. “I just want to take it one year at a time but hopefully I can do it (win four state titles).”

Once Stokes officially wrapped up the title for Havre, the only question that remained was how many individual champions Havre would get and next up for the Ponies was Billy, who was looking to cap his senior season with a second straight title.

Billy, who will wrestle for Montana State University-Northern next season, was dominant all weekend and even surprised himself by how well he wrestled in the 205-pound finals.

Billy was wrestling Hunter Severson of Sidney and after being in

a dog fight for much of the match, he led just 2-0 in the middle of the second period. But that’s when Billy struck with his patented cradle maneuver and once he applied it the match was over. In the end, he pinned Severson in 3:48 to end his Pony career in style.

“I’m just so surprised by what just happened,” an ecstatic Billy said immediately after the match.

“He’s a good kid and I thought it was going to the third or maybe even overtime. I was expecting a dog fight so that pin really shocked myself. I cracked his cradles like crazy than I got him locked up tight and usually once I get (other wrestlers) into it, they are not getting out.”

Last but not least on finals night for Havre was Adams. Last year, Adams lost to his brother Tyler in the finals and after tasting defeat in the championship round as a sophomore, he was determined to become an individual champion.

After getting two falls and a technical fall on his way to the heavyweight finals, Adams continued his domination on the biggest stage in Montana wrestling by pinning

Bryce Blumenschein of Belgrade in just 1:33.

“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” Adams said. “I felt just awesome. The key was hard work, the lord Jesus Christ and unrelenting stubbornness on my part. I’m hard headed.

I have always wanted to come away with the title since my freshman year and this year, I finally had the ability to do that.”

The lone defeat for Havre on finals night was Aageson, who fell at the hands of Parker Filius, but even though he lost, he put together the best state tournament of his Havre wrestling career and was a big reason why Havre went on to win the Class A team title.

“Gunner wrestled well,” Scott Filius said. “He went up against three kids that we thought he could beat and he beat them. So you have to give a lot of credit to him.”

When all was said and done, the Ponies stole the show on finals nights, finishing with five victories and just one loss, which came at the hands of a Havre wrestler as they cruised to a third straight team championship and a seventh in the last nine years.

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Havre and the Hi-Line showed me what I'd been missing Havre crowns five state champs, places a record 13, while Chinook adds to the fun with Class C title Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com BILLINGS — There is a saying about the Masters golf tournament that it’s a tradition unlike any other. Well, when it comes to high school sports in Montana, the All-Class State wrestling tournament is an event unlike any other.

I have to admit that before this weekend, I had never been to the state wrestling tournament at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings, never as a fan and never as a reporter. So, as I watched the spectacle that was state wrestling over the course of Friday and Saturday, I had to ask myself what took me so long to get here?

To be honest, I have never been a big fan of wrestling. Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed covering it, I just mean that I never followed it recreationally as a kid like I did football, basketball, baseball or even golf. Yet, when I worked for the Havre Daily News the first time around a few years back, I covered Havre High wrestling and grew to really enjoy the sport. It took me awhile to understand everything about it but, once I did, it was hard not get hooked.

I have respect for every single high school athlete, regardless of sport because being an athlete, no matter what the level, is not easy.

It takes hard work, sacrifice and dedication.

Yet, I tend to hold wrestlers in an even higher regard than most for a number of reasons.

Unlike in football or basketball, wrestlers are out there on an island, alone. Yes, it’s a team sport, but it really is a team of individuals.

Your teammates can’t help you when you get stuck in a cradle or are about to be pinned.

They can only stand by and watch you try desperately to fight your way out. It’s man-vsman, head-to-head and the kids that have the strength and courage to put themselves out there like that should be commended win or lose.

So as I walked into the Metra Friday morning and saw some 600 wrestlers, the best of the best, getting ready to put it on the line as Havre head coach Scott Filius said to me a short time ago, “n front of God and everybody,” I couldn’t help but be awe-struck.

The second you walk through the doors and see the thousands of fans pouring in from all over Montana, you can just feel how important it is. I’ve been to plenty of big-time sporting events — NFL games, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, major college football and each time you knew what a big deal it was the second you stepped foot into the stadium.

Friday, I got that same exact feeling when I found my way to the floor of the Metra As the weekend continued, that feeling grew stronger. I watched as the wrestlers of Havre

and Chinook and others from along the HiLine poured everything they had of themselves, their heart, their mind and their soul onto the mat in pursuit of victory. You could just sense the blood, the sweat, the tears and the sacrifice each individual made to get to state, which is why the victorious are so exalted and the defeated are so distraught.

Fortunately, the Blue Ponies, the team I am most familiar, with had fewer defeats than most as an incredible 13 of 16 wrestlers for Havre found their way to the podium Saturday night. Yet, even those that didn’t should hold their head high because they all scored points and for a while Saturday it appeared that the Class A state title race between Havre and Sidney could come down to a matter of just a few points.

In the end, it didn’t and the Ponies won a third consecutive state title with relative ease.

I don’t mean to say at all that it was easy, Havre just makes it look that way. For that matter, so did the Chinook Sugarbeeeters, who essentially wrapped up the Class C state championship by the close of business Friday. The Beeters brought seven to Billings and placed three. Yet again, everyone played a part. Every Beeter wrestler scored points and they all got it done, which capped an incredible sports year thus far for Chinook, which also made it to the Class C state football championship just a few months prior.

In my heart of hearts, I know I will never be a diehard wrestling fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great sport but I don’t see myself setting my DVR to record college wrestling matches anytime soon. But with that said, I’d be lying if I said that from the second the state tournament started, I wasn’t captivated.

In a world where sports have become so monetized and commercialized, it was refreshing to get back to the roots of athletic competition in its truest form. Yes, the stage was big and at times the moment was even bigger but, at the end of the day, all these kids wrestled because they love it, not for fame or fortune.

And when I saw a big, tough 18-year old kid smile from ear-to-ear like a little boy after winning a state title, I remembered exactly why I love sports so much.

The kids that achieved their goals in Billings wouldn’t trade that accomplishment and the feeling it gave them for anything. It’s priceless and something that can never, ever be taken away. That’s why it matters. And that’s why more than anything else, I hope my first state wrestling tournament is not my last. In fact, I’m determined to never miss it again, even if I have to pay my own way as a fan because watching all those kids compete at such a high level both for themselves and for each other, is more than worth the price of admission.

2015 Class A State Tournament Results TEAM SCORES 1, Havre 297; 2, Sidney 268; 3, Columbia Falls 154; 4, Belgrade 96; 5, Corvallis-Darby 93.5; 6, Polson 82; 7, Hardin 76; 8, Lewistown 72.5; 9, Dillon 71, 10, Laurel 70; 11, Glendive, 69; 12, Libby-Troy, 66; 13, Frenchtown-Alberton, 64.5; 14, HamiltonVictor, 51; Butte Central, 39.5; 16, Whitefish, 38; 18, Browning, 22; 19, Anaconda, 21; 20, Livingston, 13. 21, Miles City, 5; 22, Stevensville, 3.

Championship Round 103: Ben Stortz, DCG, dec. Bridger Grover, FELE, 8-3; 113: Sawyer Degen, BELG, p. Caleb Birdwell, FELE, 5:44; 120: Trace Jones, SIBA, dec. Kohltin Starkel, BCDT, 5-2; 126: Gresh Jones, SIBA, p. Haze Bell, COFA, :54; 132: Grayson Brenna, HAVR, maj. dec. Kaleb Gravelin, COFA, 11-3; 138: Jarrett Degen, BELG, p. Shonn Roberts, COFA, 5:36; 145: Parker Filius, HAVR, p. Gunnar Aageson, HAVR, 1:07; 152: Ryan Chatterton, SIBA, p.

Zach Hart, BUCE, :51; 160: Jase Stokes, HAVR, p. Doug Rooney, SIBA, 1:21; 170: Garret Chapel, LITR, p. Cody Johnson, :48182: Cody Christian, SIBA, maj. dec. Connor Murdock, HARD, 15-3; 205: Jace Billy, HAVR, p. Hunter Severson, SIBA, 3:48; 285: Travis Adams, HAVR, p. Bryce Blumenschein, BELG, 1:33.

Consolation Finals 103: Ryan Stewart, HAVR, dec. Kaleb Ripley, LAUR, 10-3; 113: Travis Kinn, DCG, maj. dec. Wyatt Van Buren, SIBA, 12-0; 120: Brenden Roan, HARD, p. Cody Warner, FRAL, 4:12; 126: Logan Pleninger, HAVR, dec. Clay Stillwagon, BUCE, 9-6; 132: Brent Tezak, BCDT, dec. Ethan Graves, SIBA, 4-3; 138: Dane Flammond, HAVR, dec. Parker Dean, SIBA, 3-1; 145: Colton Gove, COFA, dec. Jon Blanchard, FRAL, 8-3; 152: Zach Crace, LITR, dec. Kody Pribyl, HAVR, 5-4; 160: Riley Jessop, CODA, dec.

Tyler Kutzler, DCG, 7-4; 170: Cody Lucke, BROW, dec. Tyler Schaub, HAVR, 2-0; 182: Jordan Schroeder, HAVR, p. Sam Burdette, CODA, 1:44; 205: Michael Bumgarner, HAVI, p. Mike Corrigan, POLS, 1:37; 285: Spencer Ross, COFA, p. Christian Gomez, SIBA, 2:48.

Fifth Place 103: Mateo Quinones, POLS, dec. Caleb Bagnell FRAL, 9-4; 113: Cameron Brown, POLS, p. Eric LaFontaine, HARD, :50; 120: Keegan Kennelly, HAVR, p. Hunter Braaton, BICE, 1:52; 126:

132 – Grayson Brenna (State Champion)

160 – Jase Stokes (State Champion)

1st rd – pinned Drew Vaughn, ANA, :49; Quarterfinals – dec.

Ethan Graves, SID, 9-3; Semifinals – pinned Brent Tezak, DIL, :59; Championship – maj. dec. Kaleb Gravelin, CF, 11-3.

1st rd – pinned Mason Griffin, STV, 1:40; Quarterfinals – pinned Tyler Klapp, GLE, 3:29; Semifinals – pinned Riley Jessop, COR, 2:47; Championship – pinned Doug Rooney, SID, 1:21.

132 – Jazz Schroeder

170 – Tyler Schaub (4th Place)

Havre Individual Results

1st r d- pinned Drew Schmitt, COR, 4:34; Quarterfinal – pinned

by Clayton Carter, LAU, 5:16; Consolation 2nd rd – lost dec. Tyler Ishler, FTN, 4-3.

103 – Ryan Stewart (3rd Place)

138 – Dane Flammond (3rd Place)

1st rd – pinned Alex Yeadon, LIB, 3:21; Quarterfinals – maj. dec.

Brandon Becker, HAR, 20-7; Semifinals – lost maj. dec. Garrett Chapel, LIB, 13-3; Consolation Semis – dec. Tele Seelman, POL, 7-6; Consolation Final – lost dec. Cody Lucke, BRO, 2-0.

1st rd – pinned Kon Speelmon, MC, 1:04; Quarterfinals – pinned Austin Nelson, CF, :51; Semifinals – lost dec. Ben Stortz, GLE, 9-3; Consolation Semis – maj. dec. Caleb Bagnell, FTN, 10-1; Consolation Final – dec. Kaleb Ripley, LAU, 10-3.

1st rd – pinned Jesse Cooper, ANA, 4:34; Quarterfinals – dec. Pat Comstock, BLC, 4-1; Semifinals – lost maj. dec. Shonn Roberts, CF, 11-1; Consolation Semis – dec. Connor Ludwig, LAU, 6-0; Consolation Final – dec. Parker Dean, SID, 3-1.

120 – Keegan Kennelly (5th Place)

145 – Parker Filius (State Champion)

1st rd – maj. dec. Jace Johnson, SID, 9-1; Quarterfinals – dec.

Parker Adler, POL, 7-0; Semifinals – pinned by Trace Jones, SID, 3:19; Consolation Semis – pinned by Brendan Roan, HAR, 3:58; Fifth/Sixth – pinned Hunter Braaton, BLC, 1:52.

1st rd – pinned Dustin Copeland, HAM, :20; Quarterfinals – tech. fall John Blanchard, FTN, 17-1; Semifinals – pinned Robert Few, HAM, 1:29; Championship – pinned Gunnar Aageson, HAV, 1:07.

120 – Dylan Stewart

145 – Gunnar Aageson (2nd Place)

1st rd – pinned Hunter Braaten, BLC, 1:33; Quarterfinals – lost dec. Cody Warner, FTN, 7-5; Consolation 2nd rd – pinned Jace Johnson, SID, :35; Consolation 3rd rd – pinned by Brendan Roan, HAR, 3:40.

1st rd – pinned Brevlin Thompson, ANA, 1:48; Quarterfinals – pinned Colton Gove, CF, 4:12; Semifinals – pinned Alex Wickens, LEW, 1:37 – Championship – pinned by Parker Filius, HAV, 1:07.

126 – Logan Pleninger (3rd Place)

152 – Kody Pribyl (4th Place)

1st rd – pinned Dylan Neutgens, BLC, 1:35; Quarterfinals – pinned Brandon Bisch, ANA, 1:53; Semifinals – lost dec. Gresh Jones, SID, 9-0; Consolation Semis – maj. dec. Brady Gorder, SID, 9-0; Consolation Final – dec. Clay Stillwagon, BC, 9-6.

1st rd – maj. dec. Baylee Burt, COR, 12-3; Quarterfinals – dec.

Patrick Toyne, HAR, 7-3; Semifinals – lost dec. Zach Hart, BC, 5-3; Consolation Semis – dec. Patrick Griffin, DIL, 9-3; Consolation Final – lost dec. Zach Crace, LIB, 5-4.

Chase Conner, CODA, p. Brady Gorder, SIBA, 2:47; 132: Clayton Carter, LAUR, dec. Tyler Ishler, FRAL, 5-0; 138: Pat Comstock, BICE, dec. Connor Ludwig, LAUR, 6-5; 145: Alex Wickens, FELE, dec. Robert Few, HAVI, 6-4; 152: Patrick Griffin, BCDT, dec.

Manny Rivera, HAVI, 12-9; 160: Judah Prestegaard, WHIT, won by injury default; 170: John Preller, LAUR, dec. Tele Seemann, POLS, 3-2; 182: Devin Blythe, FELE, dec. Philip Whitney, HAVI, 6-0; 205: Parker Tezak, BCDT, dec. Grady Blewett, BELG, 6-4; 285: Luke Channer, CODA, p. Cole Schmitt, CODA, 3:37

170 – John Chinadle 1st rd – pinned by Tele Seeman, POL, 5:27; Consolation 1st rd – pinned Chris Carson, DIL, :53; Consolation 2nd rd – pinned Brandon Becker, HAR, 2:20; Consolation 3rd rd – lost dec. John Preller, LAU, 7-2.

182 – Jordan Schroeder (3rd Place) 1st rd – pinned Tristan Austin, FTN, :55; Quarterfinals – pinned Phillip Whitney, ANA, :45; Semifinals – pinned by Connor Murdock, HAR, 5:33; Consolation Semis – dec. Devin Blythe, LEW, 8-5 OT; Consolation Final – pinned Sam Burdette, COR, 1:44.

205 – Jace Billy (State Champion) 1st rd – pinned Travis Catina, WF, :41; Quarterfinals – dec. Parker Tezek, DIL, 8-2; Semifinals – pinned Mike Corrigan, POL, 2:57; Championship – pinned Hunter Severson, SID, 3:48.

HWT – Travis Adams (State Champion) 1st rd – pinned Eli Marley, GLE, :36; Quarterfinals – tech. fall Cole Schmitt, COR, 16-1; Semifinals – pinned Spencer Ross, CF, 1:20; Championship – pinned Bryce Blumenschein, BEL, 1:33.

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February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Havre Invite will be first look at new weights George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor For the second straight season, the Montana High School Association is changing weight classifications for wrestling Starting with this weekend’s season-opening tournaments around the state, there will be 13 weight classes in MHSA sanctioned wrestling competition. The change comes just one year after MHSA member schools adopted the National Federation's weight classes with the exception of keeping the 98-pound class for a total of 15 weight divisions.

The debate among wrestling coaches around the state to drop two weight classes for the upcoming season centered mostly around many programs’ inability to match rival teams in dual competition. This past season saw many, many forfeits in dual meets, and the elimination of two weight classes should change that some.

The MHSA board sent out a survey to the schools who offered wrestling asking an administrator to talk to the wrestling coach and vote on the amended weight classes of 13.

When the schools returned their survey to the MHSA, 84 percent responded and 91 were in favor of the proposal to go to 13 weight classes. On May 15, the MHSA executive board took action to go from 15 to 13.

"We will see an increase in the level of competition throughout the state," said Chinook head coach Perry Miller. "We will see a lot more competition at the top and bottom end of the weight classes."

With the new format, the weight classes for the 2014-15 season will be, 103, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 205 and heavyweight (285). Last year's weight classes were: 98, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and heavyweight (285). So basically, the coaches decided to combine 98 and 106 pounds

into a 103-pound weight class, with the same being true for 195 pounds and 220 pounds becoming the 205-pound weight class.

For nine-time state champion Havre, filling out a dual lineup has never been an issue, no matter the structure of weight classes.

Some years, the Ponies might be open at one or two weights, but for the past few seasons, they have run into rival teams who are open at six or seven different weight classes. The structure should give teams like Lewistown, Livingston and many B-C schools a chance to field more competitive dual teams, and teams like the Ponies might not have to see so many of their own wrestlers not get matches at duals and dual tournaments.

For teams like the highly-successful Sugarbeeters, that’s the idea.

Miller said that for a school like Chinook, there are eight to 15 wrestlers on the whole team most seasons. However, with 13 weight classes the Sugarbeeters will be able to compete in a dual or dual tourney.

"The bottom line is we may have open weight classes, but can match them up and get a competitive dual," Miller said.

The forfeitures even go beyond dual tournaments.

Forfeits have become rampant in even Class A divisional and state tournaments. One way Class A is looking to remedy that is going to only two divisional tournaments, an East Divisional and a West Divisional. That proposal is being discussed this summer. But changing weight classes is another way coaches hope to make Class A and B-C divisional tournaments, where teams have smaller numbers, much more competitive. This past season at the state tournament, there were two open spots in Class AA at 98 pounds, six in A and five in B-C. At 106, there were two open spots in AA, five in A and two in B-C. At 220, there were three open slots in AA, one in A and zero

Havre Daily News/File Photo Jess Dannels, right, and the Chinook Sugarbeeters will take part in this weekend's season-opening Havre Invitational. The meet will be the first meet under the new weight class system. in B-C. In AA, there were two openings at heavyweight.

"The coaches have determined it. They are down in the trenches," said MHSA executive director Mark Beckman. "Looking at the weight classes and taking 98 and 106 and combining it to 103, there were problems in filling

those weight classes and to eliminate some of the forfeitures is where they were looking at it and their administration agrees. We need to at least try this. The same thing with combining 195 and 220 to 205. They have done a lot of

research."

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2015 CLASS A

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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5

2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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On the mat: Havre Invite starts the season Blue Ponies, Bison headline a strong field at seasonopening Havre Invitational Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

There is no better signal that the winter sports season is beginning in Havre than when the Havre High wrestling team hosts the Havre Invitational. And as hard as it might be to believe, that day is already here.

The Blue Ponies, who are the two-time defending Class A State wrestling champions, will officially begin the defense of their title today as the 2014 Havre Invitational, inside the HHS gymnasium, kicks off the 2014-15 wrestling season.

Havre will welcome a number of top-notch opponents to the invitational and with the Ponies and Great Falls High both scheduled to be in attendance, it will feature both the Class A and Class AA state champions from a season ago. The Chinook Sugarbeeters, who were the runner-up in Class C last season will also be competing as will the Class AA CMR Rustlers, coached by former Blue Pony Erin Jensen.

The meet will also be the first time that the new Montana High School Association weight classes will be unveiled, as the governing body of high school sports in Montana decided, along with the coaches, to drop the total number of weight classes from 15 down to 13.

The change boils down to four weight classes being combined into two. First, the 98-pound class and the 105-pound class were combined to make the 103-pound weight class. Then, the 195-pound class and the 220-pound class were combined to make another weight class at 205 pounds.

Overall, the move should make things more competitive because it will cause fewer forfeits, especially among smaller schools, but it's only effect on the Ponies will be fewer opportunities to gain victories and points.

"We have always had a

pretty deep program, and we were always able to fill those weight classes," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "So, it will hurt us a little bit, but I didn't fight it because I think it will make things more competitive and more competition is always better."

Regardless of the changes, the 2014 Ponies look to be as strong as ever, boasting three returning individual state champions in Parker Filius, Jace Billy and Jase Stokes, as well as a pair of secondplace finishers in Travis Adams and Keegan Kennelly.

HHS also returns Logan Pleninger, Kody Pribyl and Grayson Brenna, who each placed in the top four at the Class A State meet a season ago.

Yet, with each season brings changes and that means that Parker Filius, Billy and Stokes will also be wrestling at new weights this season at 145 pounds, 205 pounds and 170 pounds, respectively.

The rest of the Havre lineup will be finalized this weekend, but as of now it will include Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Kennelly at 120 pounds, Pleninger at 126 pounds, Brenna at 132 pounds, Pribyl at 152 pounds, Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, John Chinadle at 182 pounds and Adams in the heavyweight division.

One of the few spots still up for grabs in the HHS lineup is at 138 pounds, where Dane Flammond, Jazz Schroeder and T.J. Lovenguth will be competing for that spot.

Pleninger will also get a challenge at 126 pounds from senior Dylan Stewart.

Heading into the opening meet of the season, coach Filius isn’t so worried about the results, but is looking more just to see where his team is at and how they have responded to their training so far this season.

"The biggest thing that I want to see is whether or not we are in good enough shape to wrestle for six minutes," Filius said. "That is the first thing that we need to do.

Then you can start scoring points in the middle and on the edge, but the first thing you need to do is make sure you are in good enough shape to wrestle the whole match, so that's the biggest thing I'll be looking for. And we will use this weekend to wrestle off at a few weight classes."

Loaded: 16 Ponies looking for glory George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High sophomore Parker Filius, top, is a returning Class A state champion. Filius and the Blue Ponies open their 2014-15 season with the Havre Invitational, which runs today and Saturday at the HHS gymnasium.

Chinook is also going to bring some talented wrestlers to the meet, including Tate Niederegger, who was a second-place finisher in the Class B-C state meet a year ago and Jesse Dannels, who finished sixth at state. The Beeters will also bring other talented returners such as Kevin Young, Jake Norby, Kenneth Pruttis and Derek Bell.

"I don't think there is a better way to start the season," Chinook head coach Perry Miller said. "You get to compete against the Class AA and Class A champion as well as a number of other tough teams, so it really gives you an idea of where you stand."

The Harlem Wildcats will also be competing this weekend and will be brining Brendan Johnson at 160 pounds, Denton Cornell at 182 pounds, Franki Taylor at 126 pounds, JT Allen at 132 pounds and Holten Stiff Arm in the heavyweight division.

The other schools from along the Hi-Line that will be in action at the Havre Invitational are Big Sandy and Chester/J-I. The action will get underway today inside the HHS gymnasium and will continue Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m.

The Havre High wrestling team will walk into the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Billings Metra Friday morning as the two-time defending Class A state champions and the No. 1 team in Class A. Included in Friday morning’s Parade of Athletes will be three returning state champions for Havre and nine Ponies who placed at the state meet a year ago — not to mention 10 wrestlers who won divisional titles last weekend in Livingston.

Yes, Havre is a heavy favorite to capture the state championship for a third straight year. But, when it comes to the state tournament, things get a bit more complicated, no matter how much talent a team like Havre has. And while other teams in Class A, with the exception of Sidney, don’t have the firepower the Blue Ponies have, there’s always the individual talent that can make differences in what the outcome of a state tournament might end up being.

And make no mistake, the 2015 Class A state tournament is loaded with individual talent. There are 11 returning state champions in the field, and a record 15 wrestlers who have won at least one state title in their career. There’s also more than 30 grapplers who reached the medal stand a year ago, and, if that wasn’t enough, there will be a host of new faces ready to make a name for themselves this weekend in Billings.

Here’s a breakdown of all 16 Havre grapplers entered in this weekend’s Class A state tournament, by their weight class.

103 – Ryan Stewart (24-17) Stewart is a freshman, and the 103-pound class is the new combination weight class this year. The MHSA did away with 98 and 105 pounds, and went to 103 instead.

And, though he’s just a frosh, Stewart should have an excellent chance to reach the final. Frenchtown’s Caleb Bagnell is the only returning placer in the bracket, while Stewart just beat top-ranked Bridger Grover of Lewistown in the Central A final. Stewart opens the tourney against Miles City’s Kon Speelman.

113 – Open

132 – Grayson Brenna (41-3)

The Ponies have been open at 113 all season long. The bracket itself will be a dog fight, with defending 98-pound champ Sawyer Deegan of Belgrade and Sidney’s Wyatt Van Buren as the favorites. It would actually be a big help to HHS if Deegan, or anyone else in the field but Van Buren wins the state title.

Brenna has one mission this weekend – win a state title. He did that as a sophomore, but lost a heartbreaker to Jones in the 120-pound semis a year ago. Brenna has been the class of the 132-pound division all season long, ranked No. 1 and winning multiple titles. And he’s a heavy favorite this weekend. But it won’t be easy as his bracket includes former state champ Ethan Graves of Sidney, as well as returning state placers Clayton Carter of Laurel, Brent Tezak of Dillon and Tyler Isher of Frenchtown. Brenna’s quest begins with Anaconda’s Drew Vaughn.

120 – Keegan Kennelly (24-5) Kennelly, a junior, is a two-time state runnerup, including at 106 pounds last year. He’s been ranked one or two at 120 all season long, but he’ll again have a brutal road to his first state title. He’s on a collision course with defending 113-pound state champ Trace Jones of Sidney in the semifinals, while Dillon’s Kholtin Starkel, who beat Kennelly in the final a year ago, is on the other side of the draw. Frenchtown’s Cody Warner and Columbia Falls’ Mason Fetters add to what is one of the toughest brackets in the lower weights. Kennelly opens the state tourney with Sidney’s Jace Johnson.

120 – Dylan Stewart (22-5)

132 – Jazz Schroeder (5-5) Schroeder, a freshman, will be a wildcard in the bracket. The Ponies will count on him to get key points, and he should make some noise after a strong first season in Havre. Yes, the bracket is loaded, but he’s on the other side from the likes of Brenna and Graves, and if he can get by Corvallis’ Drew Schmitt in the first round, things will be wide open.

Stewart, ranked No. 6, is a two-time returning placer for the Ponies, including finishing fifth at 126 a year ago. He’s had a great senior season, and he should give Havre plenty of extra points with Kennelly at 120. Still, his road will be a tough one with such a loaded weight class, but of all the wrestlers in the bracket, Stewart is the one none of the top seeds should overlook. Stewart begins his state tourney against Billings Central’s Hunter Braaten.

sophomore. Filius cruised to the 138-pound title a year ago, and has been ranked No. 1 all this season. His bracket doesn’t have a single returning placer from a year ago, with Columbia Falls’ Colton Grove being the top contender. Filius begins his quest for a second straight state title against Hamilton’s Dustin Copeland.

is the defending 170-pound champ. So Schaub is in a bracket with two of the elite wrestlers in Class A. Schaub will wrestle his first-ever state tourney match against Libby’s Alex Yeadon.

145 – Gunnar Aageson (24-16)

Chinadle is also in the loaded 170-pound bracket, but together, he and Schaub could certainly rack up extra points for the Ponies.

Chinadle finished third at the Central A last week, and will open the tourney with a tough match against Polson’s Tele Seelman.

Aageson is making his fourth straight trip to state. He’s a returning placer and is also in the wide-open 145-pound class. He’s had a strong senior season, and it’s not out of the question that Aageson could wrestle his way into the final and face off against Filius. He begins his last state tourney against Anaconda’s Brevlin Thompson.

152 – Kody Pribyl (32-13) Pribyl had a strong showing at last year’s state tourney, finishing fourth at 145, and he’s been even better as a junior. Ranked No. 3 coming in, Pribyl is in a bracket with no returning state champs, though Sidney’s Ryan Chatterton was a runner-up last year and Libby’s Zach Crace is another strong contender, as is Butte Central’s Zach Hart. But Pribyl is on the opposite side of the draw from Chatterton and Crace, meaning a trip to final’s night is certainly within his grasp. He opens the tourney against Corvallis’ Baylee Burt.

160 – Jase Stokes (36-5)

126 – Logan Pleninger (30-7)

138 – Dane Flammond (24-14)

Pleninger is also a two-time returning state placer for the Ponies, having finished third at 113 a year ago. He’s been ranked No. 2 for most of the season, and has been brilliant against tough competition all year long. But, he’s also in one of the premier weight classes in the tournament, a class that includes Sidney star Gresh Jones, who’s on the verge of history and is headed to the University of Minnesota. If Jones wins Saturday night, he’ll join the rare four-time state champion club. The bracket also includes former two-time 98-pound state champ Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central, 2014 120-pound runner-up Chase Connor of Corvallis and Columbia Falls standout Haze Bell. Pleninger would see Jones in the semis, but he opens the bracket against Billings Central’s Dylan Neutgens.

A sophomore, Flammond is making his second state tourney trip. He finished second at the Central A behind two-time state champ Jarrett Deegan of Belgrade. The bracket features not only Deegan, but Columbia Falls’ Shonn Roberts who’s trying to become part of history as a four-time state champion. Corvallis’ Tyler Olson is another strong wrestler in the bracket, but Flammond not only has a good chance to place, but to at least reach the semifinals.

He faces Anaconda’s Jesse Cooper in the first round.

145 – Parker Filius (34-4) Filius is one of two Havre wrestlers with a chance to be a four-time state champion.

But in order to do that, he’s got to win as a

Stokes, like Filius, has a chance to be a four-timer, and in his sophomore season, he’s become one of the most dominant middle-weight wrestlers in Montana. Winning at 152 as a freshman, Stokes’ bracket this year is wide open, and he is a heavy favorite to repeat.

Corvallis’ Riley Jessop is the only returning state placer in the draw, while Sidney’s Doug Rooney is having a strong season. But make no mistake, this draw is Stokes’ for the taking. Stokes will wrestle Stevensville’s Mason Griffin in the first round.

170 – Tyler Schaub (22-15) Schaub, a freshman, won a Central A title last weekend. And there’s no question, he’s already good enough to get on the podium in his first state tourney appearance. But he’s in one of the premier brackets of the upper weights, a bracket that includes two defending state champions. Top-ranked Cody Johnson of Sidney won the 160-pound title a year ago, while Libby’s Garrett Chapel

170 – John Chinadle (15-8)

182 – Jordan Schroeder (10-2) If there is an award for comeback wrestler of the year, it should go to Schroeder. At one point, it looked like injuries had derailed his entire wrestling career, but in the last three weeks, he’s stormed back into competition.

His bracket is tough with returning state runner-up Cody Christian of Sidney, as well as returning state placers Connor Murdock of Hardin and Raven Cunningham of Belgrade, along with Central A champ Devan Blythe of Lewistown. But Schroeder might just be the guy no one wants to face this weekend. Schroeder will wrestle his first match at state since his sophomore year against Frenchtown’s Tristan Austin.

205 – Jace Billy (29-4) It shouldn’t be much of a sweat for Billy to conquer the new 205-pound weight class.

He’s ranked No. 1 and has been dominant all year, and he’s a returning state champion. So, if Billy wrestlers like he’s been wrestling all season, the rest of the field doesn’t stand much of a chance. Still, Hamilton’s Michael Bumgarner, Dillon’s Parker Tezak and Sidney’s Hunter Severson are all returning state placers. But Billy is the heavy favorite, no doubt. Billy begins his quest for a second straight state title against Travis Catina of Whitefish.

HWT – Travis Adams (40-3) Adams made a brilliant run to the 220-pound title match a year ago, losing to his older brother Tyler. As a junior, Adams has dominated the heavyweights across Montana, losing just three times all season. Adams is on the smaller side for a heavyweight, and Columbia Falls’ Spencer Ross and Sidney’s Christian Gomez are two threats, but Adams is definitely the big man to beat this weekend. He’ll begin his quest for a first individual title against Glendive’s Eli Marley.

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Blue Ponies go after a 3-peat Havre goes to Billings with one goal and with plenty of firepower Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

For the Havre High wrestling team, the wait is finally over. After more than two months of hard work and anticipation, the All-Class state wrestling meet has finally arrived and the Blue Ponies now have the chance to make their mark in the history books by winning yet another Class A state championship.

In 2013 and 2014, the Ponies walked away from the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings as state champions. And they will begin their quest to do so for a third consecutive season Friday at 10 a.m. The action will continue through Saturday, with the championship matches set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

For Havre, which has been ranked No. 1 all season long, winning state championships is nothing new. In fact, HHS has racked up a total of 11 state championships in its history, nine under current head coach Scott Filius. But with each year comes new challenges and that's why the desire to win a third straight title and a seventh in nine years exists so strongly among the Ponies.

"You know, I don't look at it like that," Filius said. "This year would be nice. That's the year we're on. We want to win this year, I don't know where that puts us in the relation to the others but we want to win this year."

While the Ponies are the favorite to win state again, there is no shortage of challengers, yet the team that poses the biggest challenge to Havre's supremacy is Sidney.

The Eagles are the secondranked team in Class A and boast arguably the best high

school wrestler in Montana in Gresh Jones, who will be shooting for a fourth straight individual title Saturday night.

"It's us and Sidney," Filius said. "Sidney is tough.

We wrestled them in a dual earlier in the year. They have been a guy behind, but all year long they have been at tough tournaments, the kids are well-coached and they are a class act. They work really hard and it's always fun to compete against them because they do it the right way."

In addition to Jones, Trace Jones also returns after winning an individual state title for the Eagles last season and on top of that, Sidney also boasts two other topranked wrestlers in Ryan Chatterton at 152 pounds and Cody Johnson at 170 pounds.

Overall, the Eagles will bring 11 ranked wrestlers into the Metra, trailing only Havre, which has a total of 12.

Another team that should contend is Columbia Falls, which will bring 17 wrestlers into the field, more than any other school, including the Ponies, who will have 16. Yet, the Wildcats are not only about quantity, they also have some quality as well, especially Shonn Roberts, who is currently the second-ranked wrestler in the 138-pound weight class after winning an individual title at 126 pounds a season ago.

Other teams that have a chance to walk away with some hardware Saturday night include Corvallis, Dillon, Laurel and Hardin.

However, there is still no team that can quite match the depth and talent of the Ponies, who feature 12 ranked wrestlers coming into the meet but also nine individuals that placed at state in 2014, including three returning state champions in Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Jace Billy.

"We are taking 16 kids (down to Billings) and they all have an opportunity to place," Filius said. "Some of them might have an easier road than others but I hon-

estly believe that every kid we have has that ability."

In addition to the veterans Havre returns, the team will also bring three freshmen to state, headlined by Ryan Stewart, the No. 2 wrestler at 103 pounds. Stewart has put together a solid rookie campaign with a 24-17 record.

Last weekend he captured the Central A divisional title in his weight class, giving him plenty of momentum heading into his first state appearance. The Ponies will be open as they have all season at 113 pounds but will feature two wrestlers at 120 pounds that placed at state a season ago. Keegan Kennelly, who notched a second-place finish in 2014 and after posting a 24-5 record is currently ranked second is one of them.

Yet, senior Dylan Stewart, who was 22-5 this season and finished fifth at state a season ago, will also be a contender in the weight class, and has a wealth of state tourney experience.

At 126 pounds, the Ponies will have another veteran returning in Logan Pleninger, who finished third at state a season ago and has been ranked second behind only Gresh Jones for much of the year. Pleninger finished with a 30-7 record and should place but will need to get past Jones in the semifinals if he wants to win his first individual title.

At 132 pounds, the Ponies should do well, considering they have senior Grayson Brenna in that spot, who was 41-3 this season and has placed at state three times, including an individual title in 2013. Brenna has arguably been one of the best grapplers in all of Montana this winter. However, Brenna will be joined at 132 pounds by freshman Jazz Schroeder, who took second at divisionals to Brenna a week ago and was 5-5 during the year. At 138 pounds, the Ponies will have another up-and-comer in Dane Flammond, who finished with a 24-14 record on the season and a secondplace finish at divisionals. He will come into meet ranked

No.4.

Then, at 145 pounds, Havre will again feature two wrestlers, including Parker Filius, who was 27-4 on the season and is gunning for a second straight individual title. He is the top-ranked wrestler in a weight-class that will also feature senior Gunner Aageson, who is unranked coming in but boasts a solid record 24-16.

At 152 pounds will be another Havre stalwart in junior Kody Pribyl, who has twice placed at state and was fourth as an individual a season ago. He enters the tournament ranked third and has an overall record of 32-13.

In the 160-pound weight class, the Ponies will have one of their top wrestlers in action as top-ranked Jase Stokes, who was a stellar 36-5 during

the season, shoots for a second straight individual title in his sophomore season. At 170 pounds, the Ponies will feature promising freshman Tyler Schaub, who won a divisional title last weekend and posted a record of 22-15 during the season. He enters the meet ranked No. 6.

Yet, he will not be alone in that weight class for Havre as John Chinadle will also wrestle there for the Ponies.

Chinadle, is a senior who is unranked but has a 15-6 record.

Another senior set to be in the lineup for the Ponies is Jordan Schroeder, who missed much of the year due to injury but has come on strong of late. He finished second at divisionals and won 10 of 12 matches since coming back in January.

The final senior in the lineup for Havre, is top-ranked Jace Billy, who is a returning state champion who will compete for Havre at 205 pounds. He owns a win-loss record of 29-4. And last, but certainly not least, is junior Travis Adams, who was 40-3 this season. Adams is the top ranked heavyweight in Class A and finished second after losing in the finals to his brother Tyler Adams a year ago.

"Each person is going to have work as hard as they can," Adams said. "We need to wrestle as individuals and take each match one at a time. I am as motivated as I have been the last two years (to win an individual title).

But a team championship

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A Battle of Blue in Havre Blue Ponies edged by GFH Bison in season-opening Havre Wrestling Invitational Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com As always, the Havre Invitational was an extremely competitive wrestling meet to open the 2014-15 season for the Havre Blue Ponies and other local area teams. That fact was a given.

And so was a battle between the defending state champions in both Class A and Class AA, as Havre and Great Falls High fought it out for first place in a showdown that lived to expectations Saturday afternoon at the HHS gymnasium.

Despite being the home team, the Ponies could not quite defeat Great Falls High and finished second, barely losing to a Bison team that racked up 230 points compared to the 223 points Havre was able to score. CMR finished third with 179.5 points and Lewistown was a distant fourth with 111 points.

The Bison had an incredible 14 wrestlers finish in the top six in the tournament, with five wrestlers coming away with individual titles.

Great Falls also had three wrestlers finish second, two in third, three in fourth and one in fifth.

Yet, the Ponies, who finished second, actually had more wrestlers make it into the top six with five individual champions, two secondplace finishers, three in third place, two in fourth, one in fifth and three in sixth. HHS was also without one of its biggest guns, sophomore Parker Filius, who is sidelined with an injury.

"I thought the kids wrestled good, you have to get the first weekend under your belt whether it's good or bad and I am pleased with it," HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

"We had a lot of matches that we turned around today from yesterday (Friday)."

The biggest turnaround of the day came from Havre sophomore Jase Stokes, who was able to knock off Garrett Chapel of Libby, an individual state champion at 170 pounds last year, by pinning him in 2:16.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High's Logan Pleninger, left, takes Butte Central's Clay Stillwagon down during the Havre Invitational 126-pound championship match Saturday afternoon at the HHS gymnasium. Pleninger was one of five champions for the Blue Ponies. For full results, see Page B3.

The win was significant for Stokes for two reasons. The first was that Stokes moved up to 170 pounds this year after winning a state championship at a lower weight a year ago.

The second was the fact that Chapel handily defeated Stokes in roundrobin action Friday.

"The first match I couldn't really do anything on top and so in the second match I just got that cradle in tight and put it away," Stokes said.

"He beat me pretty bad like 15-4 or something like that, so I was motivated to come back and beat him. It feels really good, and it was a good way to start the season.

"He didn't wrestle his best (on Friday)," Filius said of Stokes. "He wrestled much better today."

In addition to Stokes, Havre had four other wrestlers who finished first in their respective weight classes, headlined by defending state champion Jace Billy, who pinned Kevin Young of Chinook in 2:22 to

win the 205-pound weight class.

Keegan Kennelly, who finished second at state a season ago, got his season off to a solid start taking first prize in the 120-pound weight class for Havre, after pinning Keaton An-

PONIES derson of Cut Bank in 2:50. Logan Pleninger also finished first for the Ponies at 126 pounds, by way of a 7-4 decision over Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central. Pleninger beat Stillwagon, a two-time defending state champ twice on the weekend.

Havre's other individual champion was Travis Adams, who pinned

all three of his opponents Saturday en route to the final, where he pinned Justin Pfiefer of Cut Bank to wrap up the heavyweight championship.

Yet, the most exciting match of the day was between Jarren Kormac of Great Falls and Grayson Brenna of Havre. The two battled it out for four extra-overtime sessions before Komac was finally able to score the winning point, giving himself the win thanks to a 1-0 decision. Both Komac and Brenna are two of the top individual wrestlers in Montana, and they’ll go head-to-head many more times this season.

The only other Pony to finish second besides Brenna was junior Kody Pribyl, who was pinned by Gage Bentley of Great Falls in 5:06.

HHS also boasted three wrestlers who finished in third place with

Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 126 pounds and Tyler Schaub at 182 pounds.

Ryan Stewart notched a fourthplace finish at 103 pounds as did JayR Caplette at 182 pounds. Dane Flammond finished fifth at 138 pounds, and rounding things out for Havre were John Chinadle, Brian Ramirez and Eddy Ducharme, who each finished sixth at 182 pounds, 205 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

"Right now we are a little behind where I would like us to be," Filius said. "But even if we were farther ahead I would want to be even more ahead anyways, so that's continuous."

The Ponies will be back in action quickly as they will head to Butte Thursday to compete in the Butte Central Mixer before taking part in the Mining City Duals Friday and Saturday.

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Blue Ponies out to defend Mining City title Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com After opening the 2014-15 wrestling season at home, the Havre Blue Ponies will take their show on the road this week to take part in two separate events in Butte.

The Ponies, who are the two-time defending state champions in Class A, finished second at the Havre Invitational a week ago, despite seven wrestlers posting top two finishes.

Therefore, HHS is eager to get back on the mats this week and will do so today in the Butte Central Mixer.

The mixer is a one-day event where every wrestler from each team is promised two matches. In addition to Havre and host Butte Central, Corvallis, Anaconda, Columbia Falls, Hamilton and Stevensville will all be in attendance. The action will get underway tonight at 6.

"It's hard to tell how you are going to do because the schedule is mixed up and you don't really dual any one team and you don't know who you are going to be up against," HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

"But, Corvallis generally has some pretty scrappy kids. Anaconda last year had some tough kids, and we will also run into some good individuals."

The Havre lineup, which consists of three individual state champions from a season ago will get a boost this week with the return of sophomore Parker Filius, who did not wrestle at the Havre Invitational due to a lingering ankle injury. He will be back in the lineup this week at 145 pounds and will lead the way for HHS along with Jase Stokes at 170 pounds and Jace Billy at 205 pounds, who are each reigning state champions and first-place finishers a week ago.

The rest of the Havre lineup will also present a challenge to opponents from top to bottom, starting with Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds and Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, who also won his weight class at the Havre Invitational and placed second at state a season ago.

Grayson Brenna is coming off a second-place finish at the Havre Invite and will again wrestle at 132 pounds this week, followed by Dane Flammond at 138 pounds and

Kody Pribyl, who finished second last weekend at 152 pounds. Gunner Aageson, one of the few seniors in the Havre lineup, will wrestle at 160 pounds this week and at 182 pounds will be Tyler Schaub. Both Aageson and Schaub notched third-place finishes at the Havre Invitational.

Rounding out the lineup for the Ponies this week will be Travis Adams, who won the heavyweight class at the Havre Invitational and was also a second-place finisher at state last season.

After wrestling tonight in the Butte Central Mixer, the Ponies will continue their busy weekend by defending their title in the annual Mining City Duals, which features a number of top teams from Class AA and A such as Great Falls High, CMR, Butte High, Billings Skyview and Sidney among others.

The two-day tournament is essentially a tournament of duals, which begins Friday with the preliminary rounds. Havre will open the tournament against CMR at 10 a.m. Friday. Then, they will wrestle Billings Senior at 1 p.m., followed by Anaconda at 5 p.m.

"This weekend is probably the biggest growing experience of the year for our kids, just because you get the whole team sitting their cheering for you and the kids learn to compete for six minutes and that makes it really fun,” Filius said.

If the Ponies do well Friday, which they have for years now, they will advance to the winner's bracket Saturday, which will feature 12 teams. At that point, each dual is basically a single elimination round in the tournament and the schools will wrestle off in duals until a champion is crowned.

"You want your kids to progress but you want to win it, too," Scott Filius said. "We were able to win the thing last year and we would like to win it again. You got some other teams that are just as deep and experienced, so it seems like with every dual at this tournament, you are upping the intensity and if the kids can match that, it makes it a lot of fun."

Havre will start its weekend tonight in the Butte Central Mixer at 6 p.m. Then the Ponies will compete in the Mining City Duals Friday and Saturday.

Semifinals

103 – Ryan Stewart (H) by forfeit; 113 – Wyatt Vanburen (S) by forfeit; 120 – Dylan Stewart (H) pin Waylon Vanburen, 3:23; 126 – Gresh

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Wrestling fans witnessing history From the Fringe...

George Ferguson Sports Editor

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Gunner Aageson, right, and the Havre High wrestling team is in Butte for three days of competition, including Friday and Saturday's Mining City Duals, where the Blue Ponies are the defending champions.

■ From Page 24 Havre 40, Sidney 30

February 2015

Already a dynasty, the Blue Ponies can climb higher this weekend

Butte: scores continued asse, :57; 182 – Randy Keesler (GF) pin Tyler Schaub, 3:40; 205 – Jase Billy (H) pin Pierceston Crawford, :13; HWT – Travis Adams (H) pin Colten Rue-Zindell, 1:58

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Jones (S) pin Logan Pleninger, 1:51; 132 – Grayson Brenna (H) pin Brady Gorder, 1:22; 138 – Ethan Graves (S) dec. Dan Flammond, 4-2; 145 – Parker Filius (H) pin Bridger Coffmann, :35; 152 – Ryan Chatterton (S) pin Gunnar Aageson, 1:54; 160 – Kody Pribyl (H) dec.

Doug Rooney, 11-6; 170 – Cody Johnson (S) dec. Jase Stokes, 5-1; 182 – Cody Christian (S) pin Tyler Schaub, 1:11; 205 – Jace Billy (H) pin Hunter Severson, 2;22; HWT – Travis Adams (H) pin Christian Gomez, 3:00

Notes: Havre was awarded an additional team point because of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Also, no other dual results were made available to the media.

For the past two years, on this very day, I’ve sat in front of a computer screen and basically whined about not being able to go cover the annual All-Class state wrestling tournament. Now, here I am again, thinking about the same exact thing.

But, I promised myself I wouldn’t do it. I promised myself I wouldn’t complain about the fact that for the third straight year, I won’t be inside the Rimrock Auto Arena Friday and Saturday covering what I consider to be the biggest sporting event in Montana each year outside of the annual Cat-Griz football game.

No, I won’t be in Billings because trusty Havre Daily News’ sports writer Chris Peterson, along with our outstanding photographer, Jake Shane, will be. They will be on the scene covering all of the Havre High, Chinook, Harlem, Chester/JI and Big Sandy action as it unfolds this weekend.

No, I’ll be here because I know Chris and Jake will do a great job and because there’s plenty for me to do at home. There’s a lot of basketball and hockey that still needs to be covered, and that’s what I’ll be doing when I’m not staring at the computer watching all of the wrestling results come in from Billings.

But while I’m here in Havre, I know many of you reading this will be in Billings. And since many of you will be there, instead of whining about it, I want to take this opportunity to make sure you all understand what you’re seeing while you’re down there this weekend.

What you are seeing, as it relates to the Havre Blue Ponies, is ongoing history being written. You’re seeing a dynasty continue and you’re seeing the record books being re-written.

Under Scott Filius, Havre has won nine Class A state team titles, and countless individual state championships. If the Blue Ponies prevail this weekend, and they’re heavy favorites to do just that, they’ll rack up their 10th team title since 1997. That number alone is staggering, and many programs around the state would like to say they won maybe one or two. But Havre is simply on another plane

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High's Jace Billy has his arms raised after winning a 2014 Class A state wrestling championship last February in Billings. Billy, now a senior, is already part of the Blue Ponies’ becoming one of the greatest wrestling programs in Montana history. And he and the Ponies will seek even more magical moments at the 2015 All-Class State Tournament, which runs Friday and Saturday in Billings. right now, and the 2014-15 team is on the verge of writing the latest chapter in what is becoming a long and storied novel in the annauls of Montana high school wrestling history.

Think about this. When I started covering the Blue Ponies in 2002, Havre was coming off its most recent state title, the 2001 championship. That was Filius’ third as head coach. At the time, few thought it would take five years to win another one, as good as Havre was, but the Blue Ponies did have to sit back

and watch the great Sidney program rattle off four straight titles.

However, during that run, it wasn’t like Havre fell off the map either. In both 2005 and 2006, the Ponies finished second to the Eagles, and the next year, the Ponies started their own four-peat. Havre captured state titles from 2007-2010, equaling Sidney’s record run.

And the Ponies have never slowed down. Yes, they finished second in 2011 and third in 2012, but now they’re on the verge of their second three-peat under Filius, and

what’s more remarkable, if Havre finishes in the top three this weekend, which would take a disaster not to happen, the Ponies will have earned a trophy at the state tournament for an incredible 11 straight years.

To do something like that, to be one of the three best wrestling teams in the state for over a decade, that’s not luck. A run like that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes an incredible amount of effort and dedication and hard work, from the wrestlers, the coaches, the

parents, the managers, and anyone else involved with the program.

And that’s exactly what Havre has had the last decade and even longer under Filius. Yes, the Blue Ponies have had great coaches before, including the legendary Walt Currie and Jerry Vandersloot to name a couple. But right now, under Filius, Havre’s program, its run of excellence is standing almost alone. Not even the great years from Sidney can match what Havre has achieved in wrestling, and if it weren’t for Butte High’s near stranglehold on Class AA’s mats from 1980-2003 when the Bulldogs won a mind-boggling 17 state championships, including an incredible 13 in a row, Havre would already stand alone as perhaps the greatest and most consistent wrestling program in Montana history.

But no matter where the Blue Ponies rank in Montana high school wrestling history right now, it doesn’t change the fact that Havre High’s wrestling program is special. Even if Havre never gets to the bar that those great Butte High teams set, it doesn’t change the fact that the Ponies have already earned their place on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling programs in Treasure State history. And in Class A, there’s no denying, Havre stands alone right now.

I’ll admit, all of those years of driving through blizzards and icy roads from Havre to Billings, it never, ever got old. The state wrestling tournament is special in so many ways, but when you cover the team that comes out on top, and when it’s you’re alma mater, it’s even that much better. But at times, I often wondered, can Havre really keep this going? Can they keep being the best, year after year? Well, that question, no matter the outcome this weekend, has already been answered. Because for the last decade, the Blue Ponies, under Filius, have been the best wrestling program in Montana. That debate is over.

Now it’s the 2015 team’s turn to keep answering that question. Now, it’s this Havre team’s turn to write their own page in this fairy tale of high school wrestling.

And for all you fans making the trip, my suggestion would be, soak it all in. Experience everything there is to experience this weekend in Billings. Watch all the matches, meet all the fans from other towns, experience history as kids put all their hard work on the line to do things like win state champion-

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Road To Billings: Ponies own the Central A mats Havre continues its reign over the Central A by claiming 10 individual titles and advancing 16 to state Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The wrestling meet the Havre Blue Ponies have been waiting for, the All-Class state meet, is finally the last one remaining on their schedule after they dominated the Central A divisional meet Saturday in Livingston.

And thanks to the wrestling clinic the Ponies put on in Livingston, they will send 16 individuals to state this weekend in Billings. In fact, every Havre wrestler that competed at divisionals qualified for state with no HHS wrestler finishing worse than third Saturday.

In the team competition, Havre cruised to a first-place finish with an incredible 334.5 points to finish well ahead of second-place Lewistown, which managed 136. In third place was Belgrade with 129 points, followed by Browning in fourth 126.5 and Livingston in last with just 79.

The Ponies dominating performance was highlighted by 10 individual champions, as well as four other wrestlers that were finalists who ended up in second. In addition to that, Havre also had two other wrestlers placed third. Throughout the entire weekend, the Ponies lost a total of just six matches, and only three of those came at the hands of opposing schools.

“I was pleased with the kids' effort,” HHS head coach Scott Filius

R. Stewart

Kennelly

Pleninger

Brenna

Filius

that guy there has been nice.”

After a dominant day at the Central A, the last divisional tourney of its kind, the Ponies now just have one more meet to conquer as they will head to Billings for in search of their third straight state title. The All-Class state meet starts Friday and runs through Saturday inside the Metra.

“I feel pretty good about the kids,” Filius said. “They work hard and they continue to get better every week. It’s been a fun year and I have really enjoyed coaching them.”

Central A Divisional At Livingston Team scores: 1. Havre 334.5; 2. Fergus 136; 3. Belgrade 129; 4. Browning 126.5; 5. Park 79.

Pribyl

Stokes

said. “The kids went and wrestled loose, we had a fun weekend. I think we lost six matches in the tournament and in three of them we wrestled ourselves, so it was pretty good.”

The winning started early for the Ponies, when they got an individual title at 103 pounds from freshman Ryan Stewart. Then, at 120 pounds, in the first of two championship matches between Havre wrestlers, Keegan Kennelly knocked off senior Dylan Stewart to win the individual title.

Logan Pleninger continued to wrestle well and took home first at 126 pounds, while Parker Filius rebounded from a loss at Malta last weekend to win the title at 145

Schaub pounds. Kody Pribyl, who won the quick fall award with two pins in a combined 1:27, was first at 152 pounds, followed by Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The other individual champ for the Ponies came out of the other all Havre final. That championship bout was between Grayson Brenna and Jazz Schroeder at 132 pounds.

Brenna, the top-ranked wrestler in the weight class came out on top over the Schroeder, who put together a solid performance.

“I was really pleased with our young kids, our freshmen,” Filius said.” You had Ryan Stewart, who

Billy

Adams

beat a kid that has been ranked No. 1 all year. Jazz got to the finals, Tyler Schaub gets to the finals and wins. I was pleased with those guys.”

The other finishers for Havre included Dane Flammond, who finished second after losing in the finals at 138 pounds, Jordan Schroeder, who lost in the finals at 182, as well as Gunner Aageson and John Chinadle, who each came in third at 145 and 170 pounds, respectively.

“Jordan has come on and done a job for us,” Filius said. “He is still missing some matches but he has really helped there. It’s been nice, we have been shuffling guys in and out of 170 to 182 all year so having

Championship Matches 103 - Ryan Stewart, Hav, dec. Bridger Grover, Fer, 6-2. 113 - Sawyer Degen, Bel, mdec. Caleb Birdwell, Fer, 10-2. 120 - Keegan Kennelly, Hav, pin Dylan Stewart, Hav, 5:26. 126 - Logan Pleninger, Hav, mdec. Chase Farrar, Fer, 10-1. 132 - Grayson Brenna, Hav, tech fall Jazz Schroeder, Hav, 150. 138 - Jarrett Degen, Bel, pin Dane Flammond, Hav, 3:10. 145 - Parker Filius, Hav, tech fall Alex Wickens, Fer, 15-0. 152 - Kody Pribyl, Hav, pin, Wyatt Blythe, Fer, 1:01. 160 - Jace Stokes, Hav, pin, Deon Gillen, Park, 3:13. 170 - Tyler Shaub, Hav, mdec. Cody Lucke, Brown, 9-0. 182 - Devin Blythe, Fer, dec. Jordan Schroeder, Hav, 7-0. 205 - Jace Billy, Hav, pin, Grady Blewett, Bel, 2:31.

Hwt - Travis Adams, Hav, pin, Bryce Blumenschein, Bel, 3:12.

Third Place 103 - Jared Rockwell, Bel, winner. 113 - Brandon Rockwell, Bel, pin Trevor James, Brown, 2:24. 120 - Emmit Augare, Brown, pin Connor Goddard, Park, 2:24. 126 - Austin New Breast, Brown, pin Haden Mushrush, Park, 4:18. 132 - Issac Wippert, Brown, mdec. Victor Howieson, Park, 13-0. 138 - Darren Houle, Brown, pin, Jordan Moody, Fer, :52. 145 Gunnar Aageson, Hav, pin, Brady Boyce, Fer, 2:17. 152 - Quinton Dirette, Park, pin, Justin New Breast, Brown, 3:29. 160 - Hayden Van Winkle, Bel, pin, Bradley Denton, Fer, 3:34. 170 - John Chinadle, Hav, pin, Ty Shepardson, Park, 2:12. 182 - Raven Cunningham, Bel, pin Hector Bennett, Bel, 2:38.

205 - Peter Townes, Park, pin, Anthony Butcher, Fer, 1:27. Hwt - Kolton Wippert, Brown, pin, Terydon Hall, Brown, 4:26.

Preview: I like where we're at right now, the kids are loose and they are focused ■ From Page 6 would be a big thing. We have more seniors than we did last year, and we have worked hard for each other. I know we are all willing to put in the effort to make it happen."

From top to bottom, Havre has as good a team as any in Class A and that is why the Ponies are largely expected to come away with a third straight team championship. The

mission to do just that begins Friday at 10 a.m., in the Metra and will continue through Saturday until a champion is crowned.

"I like where we're at right now,

the kids are loose and they are focused," coach Filius said. "People want to come out and determine if the brackets are good or bad but all year you don't get to see the

brackets. So, we are just going to work hard and have fun. We have 16 kids and if they wrestle anywhere near their potential, we will be just fine."

History: Realize that you are witnessing history and you're witnessing greatness ■ From Page 7 ships, become four-time state champions and help their team achieve the highest level of success that a team can achieve in the great sport of wrestling. My suggestion is, be a

part of it all.

And lastly, don’t take this weekend for granted. Make sure to stop and realize what you’re really seeing when you watch the Blue Ponies

this weekend. Realize that you’re witnessing history and you’re witnessing greatness. Because no matter who wins and who loses this weekend, and whether the Ponies

win their third state championship in a row, or not, you, as Havre wrestling fans, are witnessing something extremely special — the Havre High wrestling program at the pinnacle

of one of the greatest runs in Montana high school wrestling history.

I’m not complaining this time around, but I sure wish I was going to be there.

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Ponies mine gold in Butte, again

Havre High wrestlers repeat at prestigious Mining City Duals George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com There’s just something about the Havre Blue Ponies and the Mining City Duals. No matter the season, no matter the generation, the Blue Ponies are also in the mix at the prestigious dual tournament in Butte.

And for the second straight year, the Blue Ponies left Butte as Mining City Duals champions. Saturday night, Havre edged defending Class AA state champion Great Falls High in the championship dual to claim yet another Mining City title under head coach Scott Filius.

“I thought the kids worked very hard and raised their level on intensity in each dual,” Filius said.

“It's a fun weekend because the kids come together as a team, and I thought it was a great experience and it was great to win it again.”

And Havre beat the Bison in dra-

matic fashion, by a score of 36-30.

The dual came down to a battle of two of the best wrestlers in all of Montana in Blue Pony senior Grayson Brenna and GFH junior Jarren Komac. Their 132-pound match was the difference in the dual, as Brenna defeated Komac 6-5. Both are former state champions, and it was a monumental win for Brenna, who lost to Komac twice at last week’s Havre Invitational.

And as expected, the dual between the two deepest wrestling programs in Montana was intense throughout. The Bison were missing a pair of starters, but their depth showed through as they battled HHS all the way. GFH picked up wins at 103, 38, 152, 160 and 182 pounds to make things interesting.

But, Keegan Kennelly and Logan Pleninger earned pins at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively, and bonus points were key in the match.

And in another crucial matchup, Blue Pony sophomore Parker Filius worked is way to a 9-4 win over

GFH star Casey Dobson to keep Havre in the hunt. And in the upper weights, Jase Stokes (170), Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (HWT) all picked up pins to help Havre stave off the Bison.

The Mining City Duals features all of Class AA, as well as some of the top Class A programs in the state, and in the semifinals, HHS ran into an old nemesis, as the Ponies took on the Sidney Eagles.

Like the championship bout, the match between HHS and Sidney was just as fierce, but the Ponies were able to pull away from the Eagles, winning 40-30.

In the victory over their bitter Class A rival, Havre got key wins from Brenna, Filius, Billy and Adams, all by way of pin. But Kody Pribyl’s 11-6 decision at 160 pounds, as well as Dylan Stewart’s pin at 120 pounds were the difference in the matchup.

Overall, Havre was a perfect 7-0 in the tournament. HHS opened up Friday by easily winning its pool.

Havre defeated Anaconda 57-0, Billings Senior 33-22 and CMR 4027. In elimination action Saturday, Havre bested Billings West 57-9, then took down former Class AA power Kalispell Flathead 50-18 to advance to the semifinals.

Highlights for the Ponies also included Adams and Filius both going a perfect 7-0, while freshman Ryan Stewart was 4-0 on the weekend.

“I was really proud of our young kids,” coach Filius said. “(Dane) Flammond, Tyler Schaub and Ryan Stewart all wrestled really well. Sometimes it's hard for those young kids this weekend because the competition is so good. But they competed really hard and they never backed down, so that was good to see” With another Mining City title in the books, the powerful Ponies will now turn their attention to the top regular season tournament around.

The Ponies will try and unseat the Bison at this weekend’s CMR

Holiday Classic in Great Falls. The tournament, in which HHS finished second a year ago, starts Friday morning and runs through Saturday night at the CMR Fieldhouse.

“We need to get better at scoring points on the edge and scoring at the ends of periods,” Filius said.

“Other than that, we just need to keep working hard and competing at a high level.”

Mining City Duals Championship Havre 36, Great Falls 30 103 – Caleb McMillen (GF) pin Ryan Stewart, 1:50; 113 – Russell Wienholz (GF) by forfeit; 120 – Keegan Kennelly (H) pin Tyler Loch, 5:41; 126 – Logan Pleninger (H) pin Chase Perry, 2:28; 132 – Grayson Brenna (H) dec.

Jarren Komac, 6-5; 138 – Jordan Komac dec.

Dane Flammond (H), 4-2; 145 –Parker Filius dec. Casey Dobson (GF) 9-4; 152 – Gage Bentley (GF) pin Gunnar Aageson, 3:03; 160 – Kessler Leonard (GF) dec. Kody Pribyl, 8-4; 170 – Jase Stokes (H) pin Kainan Lac-

n See Butte Page 26

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Road to Billings: Ponies dominant in Malta Chris Peterson Havre Daily News The Havre High wrestling team has been dominant once again this season, winning almost every meet it has competed in. And Saturday the Blue Ponies continued that streak of success by walking away with the team title at the Malta Invitational.

Possessing much more depth than any other team competing in the tournament, Havre easily ran away with the first-place prize in its final tune up for the Central A divisional meet next weekend, after racking up a total of 291.5 points compared to just 175 for second-place Choteau.

“I think we wrestled really well in some places and in other places we got our eyes opened up,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “It did just what we needed it to. We went down there and we have been kind of full of ourselves

the past couple of weeks, so it was nice to get up there and see some of those kids from along the Hi-Line just scrap.

It was good.”

The Ponies finished the meet with a total of six champions. Yet, no individual title was more hard-earned than Grayson Brenna’s. Brenna, who wrestles at 132 pounds for HHS, went head-to-head with Tate Niederegger of Chinook and despite a valiant effort from the top-ranked wrestler in the weight class in the B-C ranks, Brenna came out on top.

“I thought the best matchup of the weekend came at 132,” Filius said. “You had two very high-level kids that mixed it up and it was nice to come out on the winning side.”

In addition to Brenna taking first in his weight class, the other first-place finishers for Havre included Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds,

Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, freshman Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and Jace Billy at 205 pounds.

Yet, the Ponies also had a number of other wrestlers that placed highly at the meet such as Ryan Stewart, who finished second at 103 pounds and Kody Pribyl, who was also second at 152 pounds. At 138 pounds Dane Flammond finished third as did Parker Filius at 145 pounds.

At 170 pounds. Havre placed two of the top three finishers as John Chinadle backed up Schuab’s firstplace finish with a third-place showing of his own. The other Havre wrestlers that finished in the top four of their respective weight classes were Jordan Schroeder, who was third at 182 pounds and Travis Adams, who finished third in the heavyweight division. Jazz Schroeder also got fourth ay 132.

n See Road Page 11

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Pony grapplers wrap up the regular season Havre gears up for annual Malta Invitational Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

The Havre High wrestling team is just one week away from defending its title at the Central A Divisional meet and two weeks away from going for its third consecutive Class A state championship. But, before the Blue Ponies can wrestle in the two biggest meets of the season, they have one more tune up left on the schedule.

That final tune up to the seasonending meets that matter most will come this Saturday, when the Ponies will compete in the Malta Invitational, which will feature a number of schools from the Class B-C ranks, including one of the top teams from Class B in Choteau.

"I think the only real team that we will see down there is Choteau, and they are top in Class B-C," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "But the great thing about Malta is that it will bring in a lot of kids from the south and from the Hi-Line, so

there will be some tough kids there.

It's going to be a really competitive tournament, and we should get a lot of good matches. As far as our team is concerned we should be fine with our depth but on an individual level, it will be a barn burner."

Havre, which is the top-ranked team in Class A is coming off yet another team championship after dominating the competition and taking home the first-place prize at the Class A duals last weekend in Belgrade.

This week, the Ponies will have their full roster of wrestlers in action as they all prepare for divisionals next week and state, which will take place in Billings at the Metra beginning Feb.13. That means that HHS will have multiple wrestlers at numerous weight classes this week.

At 103 pounds, there will be just be Ryan Stewart. But at 120 pounds, the Ponies will be wrestling both Dylan Stewart and Keegan Kennelly. At 126 pounds, the Ponies will send out Logan Pleninger, at 132 pounds there will be top-ranked Grayson Brenna in addition to Jazz Schroeder. And at 138 pounds will be Dane Flammond and Dawson Kinsella.

The 145-pound weight class is

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre's Ryan Stewart, left, tries to escape a CMR grappler during a recent dual in Havre. The topranked Class A Blue Ponies wrestle their final meet of the regular season when they travel to the Malta Invite Saturday. another that will feature a pair of Havre wrestlers starting with Parker Filius, who is the No. 1 wrestler at 145 along with senior Gunner Aageson. At 152 pounds, the Ponies will have Kody Pribyl, followed by top-ranked Jase Stokes at 160 pounds. Walter White will also be in the mix at 160 pounds for HHS. When it comes to 170 pounds, both John Chinadle and Tyler Schaub will be in action, then at 182 pounds, Havre will have Jordan Schroeder as well as Jayr Caplette. Rounding things out for the Ponies will be topranked wrestlers at both 205 pounds and in the heavyweight division with Jace Billy and Travis Adams, respectively. Brock Smith will also be wrestling at 205 pounds in Malta for Havre.

"Right now we are just working on getting better every day," Filius said. "The thing you have to do to

fight complacency is to keep bringing challenges out to those kids and we have done that and they have been responding. So we are just working at getting better."

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2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Hi-Line Athlete Profile

Heartbreak motivates HHS's Kennelly

Havre will travel to Malta for its final meet of the regular season Saturday. Next week’s Central A Divisional is set for Feb. 7 in Livingston.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High junior Keegan Kennelly, top, is one of the top light-weight wrestlers in Class A. And the fire inside him comes from two bitter losses in state championship matches the past two seasons. Kennelly and the Blue Ponies will split up this weekend, with some wrestling at the CMR Classic in great Falls, and others wrestling at tournament in Idaho.

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is no question that the Havre High wrestling team has become a dynasty under the direction of head coach Scott Filius.

The Blue Ponies are the two-time defending Class A state champions and are on a mission to win their third consecutive title this season.

But a big reason for the Ponies’ long-term success has been the continued development of talented wrestlers such as Havre junior Keegan Kennelly. It's wrestlers like Kennelly, who has contended for an individual state title since his freshmen season, who are the lifeblood of Havre wrestling, and why the Ponies should continue to dominate the Class A ranks for the foreseeable future.

From the jump as a freshmen, it was clear that Kennelly was going to have a bright career. And after losing only a handful of matches and capturing numerous individual titles, Kennelly fell just short of an individual state championship in the 98-pound weight class. He was defeated by Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central, who earned the win by pinning Kennelly in 4:24 in the title match.

As a sophomore, Kennelly moved up in weight to 106 pounds but the results stayed the same. He again won a number of individual tittles, including the CMR Holiday Classic for the second year in a row. He was also the only Havre wrestler to win an individual title at the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula last January. At the end of the season, you could count his losses on one hand. But at state, Kennelly once again fell short of

his ultimate goal, dropping an 8-5 decision Kohltin Starkel of Dillon in the state title match.

Now in the midst of a junior season that started impressively with a first-place showing at the Havre Invitational at 120 pounds, Kennelly is determined to get that elusive individual state championship.

Kennelly is among a select group of Havre wrestlers that will skip the Holiday Classic in order to compete in a prestigious wrestling meet in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, this weekend, which will include more than 60 teams from across the Northwest.

Before Kennelly and the Ponies leave town for their final meets before the holiday break, the Havre Daily News caught up with him for five questions HDN: How have the losses at state helped motivate and prepare you

for this season?

Kennelly: “It just made me stronger. And it made want to work harder because it's so frustrating to put all that time and effort in and then come up short. But I think this is the year that I can do it.”

HDN: What do you think about competing in Coeur d'Alene instead of the CMR Holiday Classic?

Kennelly: “I don't know all the teams or the schools that will be there but there are a lot of good teams from the northwest that are going to be there. I'm looking forward to going up against some new competition. It will be a blast.”

HDN: Who is your favorite athlete to watch?

Kennelly: “Well I am a big Dallas Cowboys fan, so I would have to say DeMarco Murray. He's a really hard runner.”

HDN: What has been the highlight of your Havre wrestling career so far?

Kennelly: “I would probably have to say last year, winning at the Rocky Mountain finals in Missoula. I actually pinned a kid in a leg cradle, so it was pretty cool.”

HDN: What is your long-term goal with wrestling, are you hoping to wrestle in college?

Kennelly: “I don't know if I want to wrestle in college or not. Maybe down the road I will. Right now, I am just focused on winning two state championships and winning two more state championships as a team.”

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2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

Big week for Pony grapplers

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11

2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Ponies dominate Class A Duals again

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The CMR Holiday Classic has traditionally been one of the most prestigious wrestling meets in the state of Montana. And this year, the field will once again be filled with talented teams, including defending Class AA state champion Great Falls High. Yet, one team that will be there, but not all full strength, will be the Havre Blue Ponies.

The Ponies, who notched three individual titles at the meet a year ago, finished second to Great Falls in the 2013 Holiday Classic, the same team that won the Havre Invitational two weeks ago. And while HHS is still sending a talented team to Great Falls for the two-day meet that begins Friday morning, some of the Ponies' top wrestlers will be heading to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to compete in the annual TriState Wrestling tournament instead.

The Tri-State tournament enters its 35th year this weekend. The meet will begin Friday and run through Saturday. The tournament is one of one of the top wrestling invitationals in the northwest and features top varsity wrestlers from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana.

"I think that no matter how you look at it, it makes us better," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "Basically, we have some kids that want to see a bigger pool, more or less. Not to belittle the CMR tournament. We have had great success there and we have some younger kids that would like to spread their wings a little bit. And this is a good time to try something a little soggier. There are 72 teams there (Idaho) and 64-man brackets at each weight. It will be the best tournament in the northwest."

In all, Havre will take six wrestlers to the Tri-State meet, starting with Keegan Kennelly, who will wrestle at 113 pounds. Then, at 126 pounds will be Logan Pleninger, followed by Greyson Brenna at 132 pounds.

Defending individual state champion Parker Filius will also be making the trip. He will wrestle at 138 pounds. Fellow state champion Jase Stokes will also be there, wrestling at 160 pounds and rounding out the roster is Kody Pribyl, who will wrestle at 145 pounds.

"We have never been out there, so we are not sure how we will do," Filius said. "I know there are some Montana kids that have went out there and they do well. And I think that we are in that caliber, so I am not concerned about that."

While those six wrestlers will head to Coeur d'Alene, the rest of the Havre team will head to Great Falls to begin competing in the CMR Holiday Classic. The Ponies may not have all their horses but they will still have defending state champion Jace Billy wrestling at 205 pounds and 2014 state runner-up Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

The Havre lineup will also include Gunner Aageson, who placed at state last season, wrestling at 145 pounds, as well as Ryan and Dylan Stewart at 103 and 120 pounds, respectively. Jazz Schroeder will fill the spot at 132 pounds and at 138 pounds will be Dane Flam-

Dan Chesnet/Belgrade News Havre High freshman Ryan Stewart, front, pins a Hardin rival during the 2015 Class A Duals Saturday in Belgrade. The Blue Ponies dominated the meet from start to finish.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High's Jace Billy will compete in the prestigious CMR Holiday Classic Saturday in Great Falls. mond.

At 152 pounds, the Ponies will turn to Jeremy Pugh. Walter White will wrestle at 160 pounds. JayR Caplette will be in the 170-pound slot and the final spot at 182 pounds will be manned by freshman Tyler Schaub.

The Ponies should still field a competitive team but it's hard to imagine Havre posing a threat to Great Falls High, who comes into the meet as the defending champion. Other top teams that will be in attendance include CMR, Billings West, Billings Senior as well as the majority of the Class AA schools. Other local area teams like Chinook and Chester/J-I will also be in attendance, as will many of the best Class B and C wrestling programs in the state.

Traditionally, the CMR tourney is one of the deepest scoring meets in the regular season in Montana, along with the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic next month in Missoula.

"I think splitting up our team this weekend is a bonus both ways," Filius said. "I get to put kids in the lineup and get experience at a high level tournament at CMR. Some of our guys are staying at the CMR tournament because their family has team members there and stuff like that. So we are trying to put people at the right tournament where they can compete best at. It will give us more experience and more opportunities, that's the goal anyway."

Both the Tri-State tournament and the CMR Holiday Classic begin this Friday run through Saturday.

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Havre High wrestling team was back in action this past weekend in the Class A Duals, where the Blue Ponies once again proved to be head and shoulders above the competition.

Not to mince words, Havre dominated the two-day dual tournament hosted by Belgrade. With secondranked Sidney and third-ranked Columbia Falls not in attendance, there was just no other team that had the horses to compete with the No. 1 Blue Ponies.

Friday, the first day of the tournament, Havre simply out-classed the competition. In three duals, the Ponies lost just three matches and knocked off Whitefish 72-0, before dispatching of Hamilton 59-6 and Laurel 61-12.

Saturday, the Ponies didn’t skip a beat. HHS defeated Frenchtown 67-6 and Hardin 64-12. Those wins

got Havre into the championship match, where the Ponies would have squared off against Laurel for the second time, but instead the two teams decided to just go off of Havre’s 61-12 win Friday to settle the title.

“I thought the kids wrestled lights out,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We only ended up losing six matches all weekend. So yeah, they wrestled lights out, and I was really pleased with it.”

Havre had a number of wrestlers who did not lose a match over the course of the weekend, including Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds and Dane Flammond at 138 pounds. Gunner Aageson, who wrestled at 145 pounds lost just one match.

Others who made it through the two-day meet unbeaten were Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jordan Schroeder at 182 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds

and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

While the Ponies won the tournament running away, Filius also used it as an opportunity to get some of his wrestlers who are not mainstays in the lineup matches as they prepare for the Central A divisional meet and the Class A state meet, which is now just three weeks away.

“You are going to take a lot of those kids to state,” Filius said.

“And they are going to wrestle a lot of kids that they saw this weekend, so you want to get them exposed to that.”

With just a few weeks of preparation left before the Ponies are set to defend their state championship, Filius said he likes where his team is at right now and that they just need to keep working and getting better to get where they want to go.

“We just need to keep working hard,” Filius said. “We need to keep doing what we have been doing, go-

ing to practice and getting better.”

Havre will be back in action this Saturday when the Ponies will travel to Malta for the Malta Invitational.

Class A Duals

138: Dane Flammond, Hav, p. Dustin Copeland :28; 145: Robert Few, Hami, d. Gunnar Aageson, 9-7; 152: Kody Pribyl, Hav, p. Manny Rivera, 2:48; 160: Jase Stokes, Hav, p. Kyle Anderson, :22; 170: Justin Hinson, Hami, d. Tyler Schaub, 11-7; 182: Jordan Schroeder, H, p. Philip Whitney, :33; 205: Jace Billy, Hav, p. Michael Bumgarner, 5:40; 285: Travis Adams, Hav., p. Ryan Thomas, :26.

Friday Havre 61, Laurel 12

Havre 72, Whitefish 0 103: Ryan Stewart, Hav., p. Parker McWhirter, :32; 113: Open; 120: Keegan Kennelly, Hav., p. James Buckley, 3:37; 126: Logan Pleninger, Hav., p. Dillon Thorsteinson, :45; 132: Grayson Brenna, Hav., p.

Garrett Rice, 1:07; 138: Dane Flammond, Hav., p.

Brooks Krause, :23; 145: Gunnar Hanson, Hav., p.

Malik Hayden, :30; 152: Kody Pribyl, Hav., p. Matt Sampson, 1:28; 160: Jase Stokes, Hav., p. Judah Prestegaard, :58; 170: Tyler Schaub, Hav., won by forfeit; 182: Jordan Schroeder, Hav., p. Matt Carr, :32: 205: Jace Billy, Hav., p. :26, Travis Catina; 285: Travis Adams, Hav., p. Steven Quimby, 1:58.

103: Ryan Stewart, H, d. Kaleb Ripley, 6-3; 113: Payten Batalden, L, won by forfeit; 120: Keegan Kennelly, H, p. Jordan Shovar, 1:24; 126: Logan Pleninger, H, p. Colter Craig, :41; 132: Grayson Brenna, H, p. Jared Woody, 1:42; 138: Dane Flammond, H, p. Connor Ludwig, 5:03; 145: Gunnar Aageson, H, p. Brett McBurney, 1:55; 152: Kody Pribyl, H, m.d. Kyle Cannon 8-0; 160: Jase Stokes, H, won by forfeit; 170: John Preller, L, p. Tyler Schaub, 1:42; 182: Jordan Schroeder, H, p. Kyle Howe, :21; 205: Jace Billy, H, p. Cody Bernell, :32; 285: Travis Adams, H, p. Brandon Connolly, 3:29.

Havre 59, Hamilton 6 103: Open; 113: Ryan Stewart, Hav, p. Garret Passey, :58; 120: Dylan Stewart, Hav, t.f. Steven Banks, NA; 126: Logan Pleninger, Hav, p. James Bess, :26; 132: Grayson Brenna, Hav, p. Kris Anderson, :45;

Notes: Havre and Laurel did not wrestle the championship dual. Also, no match results were made available from Saturday's competition.

Road: Havre placed a total of 13 wrestlers in the top four ■ From Page 9 “I was kind of surprised by those three (Ryan Stewart, Travis Adams and Parker Filius) getting beat,” Filius said. “But then, at the same time, we had some other kids that

went out there and wrestled lights out.”

In all, Havre placed a total of 13 wrestlers in the top four on its way to the team title. The only weight

class where the Ponies did not place a wrestler was at 113, where they have been vacant all season long.

The Sugarbeeters also placed four wrestlers on their way to a

third-place finish.

Now the Ponies will set their sights on defending their Central A divisional championship. The Central A divisional, which will be

the last as Havre moves to the combined Eastern Division next season, will take place Saturday in Livingston.

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2015 CLASS A

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

Ponies out to defend dual title Havre Daily News

The Havre High wrestling team has been on a roll as of late, and with the state wrestling meet creeping up closer and closer on the schedule, the Blue Ponies will continue to fine tune things as they attempt to peak for the end of the season.

This weekend, the fine tuning will take place at the Class A duals in Belgrade.

The tournament begins Friday and runs through Saturday. It will feature a number of Class A schools, who will dual each other in a tournament-style format to determine a champion. Havre comes into the meet as the defending champion after knocking off Belgrade 50-25 in the final a season ago.

“I think that we will do well,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “It just sets up really nice for us because we have so much depth, so it’s hard for a lot of the teams to compete with us. But all of our kids are going to get tough matches and that’s a good thing.”

The Class A duals offer a great chance to see the rest of the Class A teams that the Ponies have not had a chance to compete against this season, and while Filius did not know every team that was going to be there, he did say that the majority of Class A teams would be in attendance.

“There are going to be 17 teams there,” Filius said.

“And I don’t know the teams that aren’t coming. It’s a dual meet, so it will give us a chance to move some things around with our lineup and get all of our kids lots of matches.”

The lineup may look different for each opponent in the tournament but the mainstays in the Havre lineup will all be in action and that includes Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

Yet, coach Filius is also going to do some mixing and matching with his lineup to get some of his other wrestlers matches in preparation for the Central A Divisional meet that will take place Feb. 6-7 in Belgrade.

Others that will be on the mat this weekend for HHS include Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and John Chinadle at 182 pounds.

In addition to those wrestlers, even more HHS grapplers will get an opportunity to compete in Belgrade such as Gunner Aageson at either 152 pounds or 160 pounds, JayR Caplette, who will be at 170 pounds and Jordan Schroeder, who will wrestle at 182 pounds this weekend after making his long-awaited return to competition in

21

February 2015

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High sophomore Jase Stokes, right, battles a CMR rival during a dual Tuesday night at the Havre High gymnasium. The Ponies are in Belgrade to defend their Class A Duals championship Friday and Saturday. the dual against CMR on Tuesday. Schroeder’s win over CMR’s KC Buday by fall in 2:36, was the first time he had competed in live action in over a year due to injury.

This weekend, Schroder will get even more opportunities as he and his teammates try to find their form before divisionals and state.

“You need something to fill the schedule for the weekend and (The Class A duals) are as good as anything,” Filius said. “And we are looking forward to getting lots of matches for everybody so we can kind of see where we’re at right now.”

The action at the Class A Duals will get underway Friday in Belgrade at 1 p.m., and will continue on through Saturday night’s championship match. It's HHS's last big tournament.

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Havre grapplers split up for the week Chris Peterson

Havre High set to battle its biggest rivals at annual Class A Duals Chris Peterson

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2015 CLASS A

The weekend before Christmas break usually means the Havre High wrestling team is at the CMR Holiday Classic. And while the Blue Ponies did compete in the event, they didn't do so at full strength as a number of their top wrestles traveled to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to test their skills in the top wrestling meet in the Northwest, the Tri-State Tournament.

The result of the split teams was that the Ponies did not contend to win either event, which took place in Great Falls and Coeur d’Alene, respectively. Both meets began Friday and ran through Saturday.

Even though Havre was not a factor in either team competition, it did place a handful of wrestlers at each meet and gained some valuable experience in the process.

With the Ponies not bringing their full roster to CMR that cleared the way for Great Falls High to take home the title at the Holiday Classic and that is exactly what happened.

The Bison racked up 220.5 points on their way to first place. Choteau was second with 146.5, followed by Helena High in third with 139. Havre finished a distant 15th with 72 points.

Travis Adams put together the best individual performance of the weekend for the Ponies as he wrestled his way to a third-place finish against a strong field. In the consolation match, Adams pinned his opponent, K.J. Klingaman of CMR in 1:24.

The only other Havre wrestler to place at the CMR meet was Dylan Stewart, who was wrestling in the 120-pound weight class. Stewart ended up notching a fifth-place finish for the Ponies after pinning Wyatt Gordon of Missoula Big Sky in 1:17.

“Anytime you split your team up it’s going to be a mixed bag,” HHS head coach Filius said. “But we had two kids down there that placed, and we were pleased with the effort.”

At the Tri-State tournament in Coeur d’Alene, HHS didn’t have enough wrestlers to contend for the team title but the Ponies placed four wrestlers in a field that consisted of some of the top wrestling talent from Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

“The best part of it was the highlevel competition,” Filius said. “We got to wrestle against some really good kids. We were 27-12 over the weekend and all the kids we lost to ended up in the finals. So it was a tremendous effort and it was a lot of fun. We haven’t found that level of competition in Montana.”

The top finisher for Havre at the Tri-State meet was senior Grayson

Brenna, who notched a third-place finish by way of a 2-1 decision in the consolation final at 132 pounds over Michael Soler of Lake Stevens.

Keegan Kennelly also continued what’s been an impressive junior season with a fourth-place finish in the 113-pound weight class. Kennelly lost in the consolation final in a 5-2 decision at the hands of Braydon Huber of Post Falls, Idaho.

At 138 pounds, Parker Filius also came away with a fourth-place finish for the Ponies. Filius lost a closely contested match in the consolation final to Blake Beard of Central Valley. Beard edged out Filius for third by winning a 2-1 decision.

Rounding out things for Havre in terms of placing in Idaho was Kody Pribyl. The junior had a solid meet wrestling at 145 pounds and ended up finishing sixth. Pribyl was defeated in the fifth-place match by Dante Sprinsteen of Bethel, Washington, who won a 12-3 decision.

In terms of the team competition, Post Falls walked away with the team championship after finishing the meet with a total of 202.2 points.

Havre finished a respectable 15th

Adams

D. Stewart

with 86.5 points.

Overall, despite the lack of team success, it appears as though the decision to split his varsity roster was a good one for Filius and the Ponies.

“I feel really good about it,” Filius said. “We will get the kids back tomorrow and see how everything goes, but I think it was a great growing experience and I'm excited about the experience some of our young kids got.”

Havre will be off for a few weeks thanks to the Christmas break, but HHS will be back on the mat Jan. 9-10, when the Ponies will compete in the Cut Bank Invitational.

Great Falls Tribune Havre High senior Gunner Aageson, bottom, is flipped upside down by a Cut Bank rival during Friday's action at the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.

Brenna

Filius

CMR Holiday Classic Final team scores 1. Great Falls High 220.5, 2. Choteau 146.5, 3. Helena High 139, 4. Bozeman 138, 5. Forsyth 137, 6.

CMR 134, 7. Colstrip 108.5, 7. (tie) Kalispell Flathead 108.5, 9. Missoula Big Sky 102.5, 10. Columbia Falls 102, 11. Helena Capital 89.5, 12. Butte High 87, 13. Belgrade 83, 14. Laurel 76.5, 15. Havre 72, 16. Chinook 66, 17. Conrad 65.5, 18. Dillon 54, 19.

Kalispell Glacier 53, 20. Lewistown 52, 21. Cut Bank 51, 22. Great Falls High J.V. 50, 23. Glasgow 46, 23. (tie) Ronan 46, 25. Thompson Falls 43, 26. C.M. Russell 3 34, 27. Townsend 29, 28. Harlem 28, 29.

Fairfield/Simms 26, 30. Shelby 25, 31. Missoula Hellgate 24.5, 32. Flint Creek 24, 33. Anaconda 20, 34. Cascade 19, 34. (tie) Great Falls High 3 19, 36.

Livingston 12, 37. Highwood 11, 38. Butte Central 10, 39. Chester-Joplin-Inverness 7, 39. (tie) C.M. Russell J.V. 7, 41. Browning 6, 41. (tie) Lone Peak 6, 43. Fort Benton 4.

Championship matches 103 Bjorn Schroeder, Bozeman p. Chase DeBoo, Choteau, 1:17 113 Trae Vasquez, Flathead d. Nathan Weber, Forsyth, 10-4 120 Clayton Currier, Colstrip d. Sawyer Degen, Belgrade, 5-3 126 Jarren Komac, Great Falls p. Landon Bailey, Helena, 5:43 132 Tate Niederegger, Chinook d. Jordan Komac, Great Falls, 3-2 138 Jarrett Degen, Belgrade d. Shonn Roberts, Columbia Falls, 4-2 145 Casey Dobson, Great Falls md. Colton McElhinney, Great Falls J.V., 14-2 152 Luke Weber, Forsyth md. Reid VandenBos, Cut Bank, 12-3 160 Jared Dickson, C.M. Russell d. Kessler Leonard, Great Falls, 3-2 OT 170 Luke Entzel, Missoula Big Sky tf. Hunter Mycke, Conrad, 16-1 182 Steeler French, Choteau md. Randy Keesler, Great Falls, 13-4 205 Payton Sexe, C.M. Russell d. Lee Cannon, Butte, 4-3 285 Jake Sessions, Colstrip p. Spencer Ross, Columbia Falls, 2:57 3rd-4th place 103 Justin Gibson, Glacier p. Deven AltenburgLasher, C.M. Russell, 5-1 113 Demo Koures, Missoula Big Sky p. Caleb Birdwell, Fergus, 2-0 120 Seth Schroeck, Helena Capital p. Kale Evenson, Bozeman, 7-3 126 Caleb James, Bozeman p. Dyan Guzman, Flathead, 3-0 132 Logan Harms, Forsyth p. Kaleb Gravelin, Columbia Falls, 2:01 138 JJ Werdal, Choteau d. Noah Manibusan, Helena, 3-1 145 Colt McDaniel, Forsyth d. Tony Bergerson, Flint Creek, 8-2 152 Gage Bentley, Great Falls d. Trey Stone, Choteau, 5-2 160 Brenden Johnson, Harlem d. Austin Blaede, Colstrip, 7-0 170 Jeremy Van Dyke, Helena d. Nick Grasseschi, C.M. Russell, 3-2

Kennelly

Pribyl

182 Raven Cunningham, Belgrade d, Devin Blythe, Fergus, 2-1 205 Parker Tezak, Dillon d. Cody Wiers, Bozeman, 7-3 285 Travis Adams, Havre p. KJ Klingaman, C.M. Russell 3, 1:24 5th-6th Place 103 Austin Murphy, Helena d. Caleb McMillen, Great Falls, 6-3 113 Nick Kunz, Helena Capital d. Trevor Moore, Choteau, 5-0 120 Dylan Stewart, Havre p. Wyatt Gordon, Missoula Big Sky, 1:17 126 Kwin Stoddard, Dillon d. Brandon Bisch, Anaconda, 3-2 132 Clayton Carter, Laurel d. Brent Tezak, Dillon, 4-3 138 Double Forfeit 145 Taner Stone, Choteau d. Chase Short, Great Falls 3, 4-2 152 Quinn Barber, Glacier d. Taran Bennett, Butte, 5-2 160 Caiden Crawford, Helena p. Tyler Schultz, Conrad, 2:20 170 Joey Clark, Choteau d. Evander Wilber, Broadwater, 7-6 182 Jesse Dannels, Chinook d. Cian Randall, Butte, 3-0 205 Connor Gordon, Missoula Big Sky d. Streeter Stirling, Shelby, 5-1 285 Alan Schmitz, Helena Capital p. Brandon Connolly, Laurel, 1:47

Tri-State Classic TEAM SCORES - 1, Post Falls 202. 2, Moses Lake 166. 3, University 144.5. 4, Tahoma 138. 5, Lake Stevens 135. 6, Kuna 115. 7, Orting 113.5. 8, East Valley 108. 9 (tie), Bethel, Colville 103.5. 11, Central Valley 95. 12, Hermiston 93. 13, North Central 88. 14, Lakeland 87. 15, Havre 86.5. 16, Sentinel 78.5. 17, Freeman 68.5. 18, Chiawana 67. 19 (tie), Auburn, Union, Vashon Island 66. 22, Mead 61.5.

23, McCall-Donnelly 59. 24, Lakeside 57. 25 (tie), Lake City, Rocky Mountain 55. 27, Sandpoint 52.

28, Todd Beamer 51. 29, Royal 49. 30, Liberty Bell 48.5. 31, Deer Park 47. 32, Tonasket 45.5. 33 (tie), Kentridge, Timberlake 44. 35, Coeur d'Alene 43. 36, Kellogg 39. 37, Juanita 37. 38, Graham-Kapowsin 36. 39, Liberty (Issaquah) 35. 40, St. Maries 33.5 41, Omak 32. 42, Libby 31. 43 (tie), Blaine, Evergreen, La Grande, Meadowdale 30. 47, Kentlake 29.

48, Kamiakin 27. 49, Rochester 26. 50, Darrington 25. 51 (tie), Liberty (Spangle), Mt. Spokane 24.

53, Frenchtown 22. 54, Reardan 21. 55 (tie), Mary Walker, Potlatch 20. 57, Ferris 19. 58, Wapato 14.

59 (tie), Gonzaga Prep, Polson, Quincy, Washington 12. 63 (tie), Bonners Ferry, Kelso, Northwest Christian 10. 66, Selkirk 9. 67 (tie), Moscow, Riverside 0.

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HHS grapplers anxious for the Cut Bank Invite Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The holiday break was a long one for most high school teams in the state of Montana, but for the Havre High wrestling team, the break was even longer than usual. After going nearly three weeks without seeing competition, the Blue Ponies can't wait to get back on the mat.

Fortunately, the Havre wrestlers will get their wish as they will be in Cut Bank Friday and Saturday to compete in the Cut Bank Invitational, a meet the Ponies have now won an impressive 12 years in a row.

"Basically, we have been in the wrestling room against just each other for the last three weeks," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "So we have been beating on each other for the last three weeks, so we really need to get out there and compete against someone else. I don't care who it is against or where it is, we just need to get some matches in. We have corrected everything we can correct over the

third-ranked Columbia Falls.

"It just depends on all the schools that come, but there should be some good competition," Filius said. "We would hope to win it again but if both the Great Falls schools and Columbia Falls come it should be a really good meet."

Leading the way for the Ponies in Cut Bank will be two of the defending champions at the meet from last season in Keegan Kennelly and Parker Filius. Kennelly, who is the topranked wrestler at 120 pounds, won the meet at 106 pounds last season and will look to win the meet this week wrestling at 113 pounds.

Filius, the top-rated wrestler at 145 pounds, will also be looking to win in a new weight class after winning the meet at 138 pounds a season ago.

HHS will have three other top-ranked wrestlers in action this weekend in Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The rest of the Havre lineup will include fifth-ranked Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, fourth-ranked Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, third-ranked

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High junior Kody Pribyl, top, and the Blue Pony wrestling team returns to action Friday and Saturday when they'll defend their title at the Cut Bank Invitational. last three weeks, we just need matches."

Havre will get matches this weekend. The tournament will start Friday with preliminary action and will be completed Saturday.

Last year in Cut Bank, Havre placed 14 wrestlers and had three individual champions on its way to a total of 295 points, which was good enough to beat out Great Falls High and CMR for first place.

In addition to wrestling against quality HiLine programs such as Cut Bank, Harlem, Chinook and Conrad, the Ponies will also see teams like Ronan, Malta, Whitefish, potentially both Great Falls schools and possibly Columbia Falls.

Havre comes into the meet as the topranked team in Class A wrestling and would relish the opportunity to compete against

Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, third-ranked Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, second-ranked Jase Stokes at 170 pounds and John Chinadle at 182 pounds.

"The biggest thing for us is that we just want to get out and compete in actual matches," Filius said. "But we spent a lot of time over the break on positioning. We went over to Idaho and found out they carry a little better position longer than we do. So we put some time into that and we will see if that pays some dividends."

The Cut Bank Invitational will get underway on Friday in Cut Bank and will continue on Saturday morning. Then, Havre will be back on the mat next Thursday when they will travel to Great Falls to dual Great Falls High.

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Road to Billings: Ponies pin Rustlers Havre High grapplers shine on senior night Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com For just the second time this season, the Havre High wrestling team got to compete in front of its hometown fans. And the fans that ended up attending the Blue Ponies’ dual against CMR did not walk away disappointed.

On senior night inside the HHS gymnasium Thursday night, Havre showed why it’s been the top-ranked team in Class A all season long as the Ponies dismantled CMR by the final score of 42-16. It was an impressive follow-up performance to Havre’s first-place finish at the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula last weekend, and a great way to send the senior class out on a high note.

“It was a good performance,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

“We got all the seniors in tonight and they performed well, so I was pleased with them.”

While senior night is always a special night, it meant something even more to Havre senior Jordan Schroeder, who wrestled at 182 pounds for the Ponies after missing the entire football season and all of the wrestling season up to this point due to injury.

Schroeder picked a good time to return to the mat and made sure that he made the most of his opportunity by pinning CMR’s KC Buday in 2:36.

“It felt good,” Schroeder said when asked how it felt to be back in action. “I hadn’t wrestled since last year at the Havre invite so I was pretty anxious to get out there.

I need to work on getting my conditioning a little better, but I felt pretty good out there.”

In all, the Ponies captured nine of the 13 matches, with one of the losses coming via forfeit at 113 pounds. Parker Filius opened the dual with a win for the Ponies at 145 pounds after pinning Tanner Grubb in 1:20, and from there the Ponies didn’t look back.

At 152 pounds, another Havre senior, Gunner Aageson made the most of his last home match, knocking off Max Sechena by way of a 7-6 decision. At 120 pounds, fellow

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High senior Jace Billy, right, battles CMR's Payton Sexe during Tuesday night's dual at the HHS gymnasium. Billy lost a close match, but the Blue Ponies dominated the dual. senior Dylan Stewart took care of business with a win by fall in 1:37, while at 132 pounds, senior Grayson Brenna defeated Jake Artis 16-0 in a technical fall.

The other Havre seniors in action were Jace Billy, who lost a close decision to Payton Sexe 5-4 in the 205-pound weight class and John Chinadle, who lost a 14-5 major decision to Nick Grasseschi at 170 pounds.

One of the few losses on the night for the Ponies came at 103 pounds, where Devan Altenburg of CMR defeated Ryan Stewart of Havre with a 3-0 decision. But the remainder of the matches were dominated by Havre.

At 160 pounds, Jase Stokes pinned Ryan Lukasik in less than a minute to earn the win, while at 126 pounds, Logan Pleninger earned a

10-0 decision over CMR’s Noah Durnell, and at 138 pounds Dane Flammond of Havre also had an impressive performance with a 7-0 decision over David Bennyhoff.

“I was really happy with Flammond,” Filius said. “That kid (Bennyhoff) had beaten him up three times and tonight we beat him 7-0 so I was really pleased with that.

And that’s good improvement on his part.”

Closing things out for the Ponies in the heavyweight division was Travis Adams, who notched a 3-0 decision over Nick Nordell to help Havre cruise to the 26-point victory.

Havre will be back in action this Friday, when the Ponies will travel to Belgrade for the first day of the Class A Duals. The tournament will

run through Saturday.

Havre 42, CMR 16 103 – Devan Altenburg CMR, dec. Ryan Stewart, Havre, 3-0.; 113 – Teagan Sowers, CMR, wins by forfeit; 120 – Dylan Stewart, Havre, pinned Tanner Tovson, CMR, 1:37; 126 – Logan Pleninger Havre major dec. Noah Durnell, CMR, 10-0; 132 – Grayson Brenna, Havre, tech. fall Jake Artis, CMR 16-0; 138 –Dane Flammond, Havre dec. David Bennyhoff, CMR, 7-0; 145 –Parker Filius, Havre, pinned Tanner Grubb, CMR, 1:20; 152 – Gunner Aageson, Havre, dec. Max Sechena, CMR, 7-6; 160 – Jase Stokes, Havre, pinned Ryan Lukasik, CMR 0:55; 170 – Nick Grasseschi, CMR, major dec. John Chinadle, Havre, 14-5; 182 – Jordan Schroeder, Havre, pinned KC Buday, CMR, 2:36; 205 – Payton Sexe, CMR, dec. Jace Billy, Havre, 5-4; 285 – Travis Adams, Havre, dec.

Nick Nordell, CMR, 3-0.

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Blue Ponies tangle with Rustlers on senior night Test: Big weekend for Blue Pony grapplers Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com It has been a great season so far for the Havre High wrestling team.

The Blue Ponies are gearing up for the state wrestling meet next month and are coming off their most impressive performance of the season, taking first at the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic last Saturday in Missoula.

Yet, before the Ponies get too far ahead of themselves, they need to take care of business against CMR in tonight’s dual at the HHS gymnasium, not only because they want to beat their Class AA rival, but also because it’s senior night.

Havre does not get many opportunities to wrestle in front of its hometown fans and tonight will mark just the second time this season that the Ponies will compete in Havre. The first time was the season-opening Havre Invitational all the way back on Dec. 6.

So tonight’s home dual, Havre’s last, and the fact that it’s senior night, means the action inside the HHS gymnasium will be special.

And that means the Ponies are going to give CMR everything they’ve got in order to make sure the se-

Brenna

Aageson

nior class of Grayson Brenna, Jace Billy, John Chinadle, Dylan Stewart and Gunner Aageson goes out in style at home.

“Grayson has been a tremendous leader for us in the lighter weights,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

“And Jace has been a really good leader these past two years for the big kids. All the seniors are just fun kids to work with. They have good hearts, they work hard and they are everything that is right about high school athletics.”

Brenna, who is coming off one of the most impressive individual titles of his career at the Jug Beck, will man his normal spot at 132 pounds. Brenna, who is slated to

Billy

Stewart

Chinadle

attend Grand View University on a wrestling scholarship next fall, has had a decorated career that includes a second-place finish at state as a freshman, a state title as a sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior.

Billy, who will wrestle for Montana-State University Northern after his days as a Pony are over, has had an equally successful career, winning an individual state title as a junior and finishing third as a sophomore. He will wrestle at 205 pounds this week for Havre.

Chinadle will man the spot at 182 pounds, while Dylan Stewart normally sees time at 120 pounds.

Aageson wrestles at 160 pounds.

However, the Ponies are so deep that it may be Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds for Havre tonight along with Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, where he is the top-ranked wrestler in Class A. The rest of the Havre lineup includes Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The Ponies have momentum on their side after defeating the strongest field in the state of Montana at the Jug Beck. And with the state meet now just weeks away, Havre is looking to close the season strong, starting with a win over CMR. “Right now the kids are really wrestling well,” Filius said. “They are really excited to keep it going and we are looking forward to these last few weeks of the season.”

Tonight’s dual between the Ponies and Rustlers, who are coached by former Havre High standout Aaron Jensen, will start at 5 at the HHS gymnasium.

Havre has a huge showdown tonight with GFH, then heads to prestigious Rocky Mountain Classic Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

Ever since the Christmas break, the Havre High wrestling team has been looking to square off against some high-end competition, outside of themselves at least.

And after competing in just one meet in the last month, the Blue Ponies are finally going to get the opportunity they have been waiting for.

The Ponies, who are coming off a 13th consecutive title at the Cut Bank Invitational last weekend, will not only face some difficult competition this week, they will see the best that the state of Montana has to offer. First, the Ponies, who are the defending Class A state champs, will travel to Great Falls to take on Class AA state champion Great Falls High in a head-to-head dual. The first match is set for tonight at 5:30.

Following their dual against the Bison, the Ponies will then compete in the annual Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic, an invitational tournament in Missoula that features not only the top teams from Montana, but some from Idaho and Washington as well. The meet will begin Friday and continue through Saturday.

“We have been spending a lot of time in the (wrestling) room against each other,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We did get some matches last week and that was good, but we really need a grind.”

While the Ponies are definitely looking forward to competing in the prestigious Jug Beck after finishing second in the meet a year ago, they might be even more anxious to get back on the mat against the Bison, who came to Havre and took first place in the Havre Invitational to start the season Dec. 6.

“We match up well with

them (Bison),” Filius said.

“We will have some of our good kids going against some of their good kids. They are great competition. They are the best team in the state, so it’s the perfect dual for us at this time of year.

“The nice part about wrestling them is they are just physical,” He added. “So you have to either come out of your shell or you are going to take a whipping.”

Havre will be taking its usual lineup to Great Falls. A lineup that includes three individual state champions in Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Jase Stokes at 160 pounds. All three wrestlers are also currently ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.

The rest of the Pony lineup will feature Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds, John Chinadle at 182 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division. Adams and Brenna join Billy, Stokes and Filius as top-ranked wrestlers that will compete in Great Falls. Havre will have an open spot at 113 pounds.

After going head-to-head against the Bison, Havre will travel to Missoula for the Jug Beck. Keegan Kennelly, who won Havre’s only individual title at the meet last season, will not be in action but the Ponies will still have more than enough talent on hand to compete for the team title.

Yet, winning the team competition will be easier said than done, especially with all the Class AA schools, outside of Billings, expected to attend, along with the Western A, which features the thirdranked team from Class A in Columbia Falls.

That means that the topranked Ponies will have their work cut out for them this weekend and with the

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane H a v r e f r e s h m a n Ty l e r Schaub, left, cradles a Chester/J-I opponent during the 2014 Havre Invite last month. The Blue Ponies will dual Class AA power Great Falls High tonight, then travel to Missoula for the Rocky Mountain Classic Friday and Saturday. state meet now less than a month away, there is no better way to prepare than by getting battle tested against the toughest wrestling field in Montana.

“It’s tougher than our state tournament,” Filius said. “You bring in those Spokane schools and the Idaho schools, as well as the Western A, Western B-C and most of the good AA teams and it’s tougher than our state tournament. But that’s why you go.”

"More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride."

Dan Gable

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Bison pin Ponies George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com When the two premier wrestling programs in the state of Montana bump heads, it’s usually pretty entertaining. And that was the case Thursday night in Great Falls.

However, for the Havre Blue Ponies, the fun was short-lived.

The top-ranked Class A Ponies came out on the losing end of their high-profile dual with the top-ranked Class AA Great Falls High Bison Thursday night in Great Falls. In a dual that was much closer than the final score indicated, the Bison beat the Ponies 40-20.

But even though the Ponies suffered their first dual loss of the season, as the Bison avenged Havre’s win at last month’s Mining City Duals in Butte, HHS head coach Scott Filius knows his team is better for having faced the Bison for a second time this season.

“They (Bison) are great competition,” Filius said earlier this week. “They are the best team in the state, so it's the perfect dual for us at this time of year.”

And the competition was fierce from start to finish Thursday night. But, unlike in Butte, it was the Bison who seemed to earn the big points and big wins this time around. In a critical 126-pound match, Jarren Komac defeated Havre’s Logan Pleninger 4-0, while Gage Bentley earned a surprising 12-2 major decision over Kody Pribyl at 152. The Bison backed

that win up with the a victory in the match of the night. In a meeting of returning state champions, GFH’s Kessler Leonard knocked off Havre’s Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, in a wild 11-10 decision.

GFH also earned the majority of the bonus points Thursday night. The Bison got pins at 103 pounds, as well as at 138, 170 and 182.

Havre did get a huge win from Parker Filius at 145 pounds as he bested GFH star Casey Dobson, 5-2, and Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (HWT) picked up pins as well. But in the end, even major decision wins from Grayson Brenna (132) and Keegan Kennelly (120) weren’t enough to get the Blue Ponies over the hump.

Havre will quickly look to shrug off Thursday night’s loss as the Ponies move on to the prestigious Rocky Mountain Classic today and Saturday in Missoula. The Ponies will return home to dual CMR on Tuesday night at the HHS gymnasium.

Great Falls High 40, Havre 20 103—Caleb McMillen, GFH, pin Ryan Stewart, 3:29; 113—Russell Wienholz, GFH, win by forfeit; 120—Keegan Kinnelly, Hav, maj. def. Taylor Schilling, 12-1; 126—Jarren Komac, GFH, def. Logan Pleninger, 4-0; 132—Grayson Brenna, Hav, maj. def. Jordan Komac, 9-1; 138—Tommy McMillen, GFH, pin Dane Flammond, 4:53; 145—Parker Filius, Hav, def. Casey Dobson, 5-2; 152—Gage Bentley, GFH, maj. def. Kody Pribyl, 12-2; 160—Kessler Leonard, GFH, def. Jase Stokes, 11-10; 170—Walker Ferda, GFH, pin Tyler Schaub, 1:23; 182—Randy Keesler, GFH, pin John Chinadle, 1:02; 205— Jace Billy, Hav, pin Pierceston Crawford, 0:43; Hwt—Travis Adams, Hav, def. Colton Rue-Zindell, 2-0.

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Road to Billings: Ponies claim Jug Beck title Behind Brenna's title and five finalists, HHS wins one of the toughest team titles in Montana wrestling Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com Outside of the state wrestling meet, there may not be any meet in the state of Montana that compares to the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic. The field is outstanding and Havre head coach Scott Filius even said recently, the competition was tougher than what would be found at state.

That’s part of what makes Havre’s first-place finish this past weekend in Missoula so impressive. The Blue Ponies used a total of five finalists to score a total of 219.5 points, 21 more than that of Great Falls High, the three-time defending champion at the Jug Beck coming into the weekend, the second-place finisher.

“It was probably one of the best overall performances we have had in years,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We didn’t leave a lot of matches out there. The effort was great. And it was nice to beat Great Falls High. They were full strength and we were full strength, so it was outstanding.”

The only Havre wrestler who walked away with an individual title was Grayson Brenna, who earned a 6-0 decision in the championship match at 132 pounds over Chance Karst.

Brenna, who is bound for NAIA power Grand View next fall, not only won his weight class, he dominated it. In his five matches in the tournament, the senior did not lose a single point.

“It’s a tough tournament to win but he went through without giving up a single point,” Filius said.

“He’s wrestling as well as any kid I’ve had in a long time.”

Brenna's run was impressive given the level of competition in the annual Jug Beck tourney. Not only are some of the best Montana team's in attendance, but some of the elite prep powers from Washington and Idaho are there as well.

But, Brenna was not the only Pony wrestler to have an impressive weekend.

Four other Havre wrestlers at least made it to the championship round at their respective weight

Brenna

Kennelly

classes, which is no easy feat.

Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 and Jace Billy at 205 pounds all qualified for the finals before settling for second place.

Yet, even though they each finished second, they were a huge part of Havre’s success as HHS had more finalists than any other team at the meet.

Other Havre wrestlers who did well and ended up placing at the meet, include Logan Pleniger, who pinned Haze Bell of Columbia Falls in 4:11 to earn third place at 126 pounds. Travis Adams also finished third for the Ponies in the heavyweight class, while Kody Pribyl finished a respectable fourth in the 152-pound weight class.

“We placed eight kids in the top four,” Filius said. “So overall, we did really, really well and this is a stepping stone for us. It’s great to win it, but we have to keep going forward. But the kids are really excited about these next three or four weeks of wrestling.”

In the end, Havre comes away feeling confident after coming out on top against Great Falls High, the top-ranked team in class AA, which knocked off the Ponies 40-20 in a dual just last Thursday, as well as 10 other AA opponents in addition to teams from Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.

“Oh sure, sure,” Filius said when asked of the dual loss to Great Falls High, “The dual was a warmup for the tournament and when we got to the tournament, the kids just really took charge. And I think that was the best part.”The Ponies will be back in action this Tuesday, when they dual CMR at the HHS gymnasium on senior night, Then, they will travel to Belgrade to the two-day Class A duals Friday. The event will run through Saturday.

38th annual Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula Team scores -- 1, Havre 219.5; 2, Great Falls 198.5; 3, University 141.5; 4, Central Valley 136; 5, Missoula Sentinel 132; 6, Lewiston 121; 7, Clarkston

Filius

112.5; 8, Powell 108.5; 9, Missoula Big Sky 107.5; 10, Coeur d'Alene 100; 11, Columbia Falls 82; 12, Helena Capital 77 ;13, Lake City 76; 14, Mead 75; 15, Great Falls CMR; 16, Kalispell Glacier 72.5; 17, Kalispell Flathead 79; 18, Helena 67; 19, Libby 55.5; 20, Belgrade 52.5; 21, Hamilton 52; t-22, Bozeman 51; t-22, Corvallis; 24, Ferris 49.5; 25, Ronan 47.5; 26, Lewistown 45.5; 27, Polson 44; 28, Frenchtown 35; 29, Missoula Hellgate 30; 30, Florence 20; 31, Butte 16; 32, Bonners Ferry 13; 33, Superior 3.

103 pounds Semifinals -- Bjorn Schroeder, BOZ, maj dec Noah Wozney, POW, 13-3; Dalton Port, CLK, pin Kaleb Maciosek, CDA, 5:52.

Championship -- Schroeder, BOZ, dec Port, CLK, 9-5.

Third place -- Cameron Hegel, MSN, dec Devin Altenburg, CMR, 3-0.

Fifth place -- Wozney, POW, dec Maciosek, CDA, 7-0.

Seventh place -- Justin Gibson, GLA, maj dec Cody DeVall, FLT, 8-0.

113 pounds Semifinals -- Sawyer Degen, BEL, maj dec Hunter Peterson, RON, 8-0; Spencer Clegg, CLK, dec Demo Koures, MBS, 4-1.

Championship -- Degen, BEL, dec Clegg, CLK, 117.

Third place -- Trae Vasquez, FLT, dec Cam Swanson, UHI, 9-3.

Fifth place -- Koures, MBS, pin Peterson, RON, :55.

Seventh place -- Caleb Birdwell, FRG, dec Zach Bade, MED, 8-3.

120 pounds Semifinals -- Keegan Kennelly, HAV, dec Mason Fetters, CF, 9-2; Seth Schroeck, CAP, dec Jake Hegel, MSN, 3-0.

Championship -- Schroeck, CAP, dec Kennelly, HAV, 5-2.

Third place -- Hegel, MSN, dec Cody Warner, FTN, 4-0.

Fifth place -- Fetters, CF, pin Mikey Garrison, UHI, 2:34.

Seventh place -- Wyatt Gordon, MBS, pin Parker Adler, POL, 2:49.

126 pounds Semifinals -- Jarren Komac, GFH, dec Logan Pleninger, HAV, 6-1; Bryson Beard, CV, dec Haze Bell, CF, 8-2.

Championship -- Beard, CV, dec Komac, GFH, 2-0.

Third place -- Pleninger, HAV, pin Bell, CF, 4:11.

Fifth place -- Chase Conner, COR, maj dec Ryder Day, GLA, 13-5.

Seventh place -- Ty Hendren, LEW, pin Asa Hoerner, MHG, 5:49.

132 pounds Semifinals -- Chance Karst, POW, dec Jace Kovalicky, MSN, 4-0; Grayson Brenna, HAV, pin Cole Snyder, RON, 5:31.

Championship -- Brenna, HAV, dec Karst, POW,

Stokes

Billy

6-0.

Third place -- Kovalicky, MSN, pin Snyder, RON, 3:33.

Fifth place --Jordan Komac, GFH, dec Marshall Bowen, LEW, 5-4.

Seventh place -- Bridger Beard, CV, maj dec Dylan Lewis, MHG. 138 pounds Semfinals -- Shonn Roberts, CF, dec Tommy McMillen GFH, 4-3; Blake Beard, CV, dec Jarrett Degen, BEL, 2-1.

Championship -- Beard, CV, dec Roberts, CF, 3-1 (OT).

Third place -- Degen, BEL, dec McMillen, GFH, 4-2.

Fifth place -- Nic Urbach, POW, dec Noah Manibusan, HH, 7-3.

Seventh place -- Dylan Duffalo, MSN, Cody Decker, GLA, 4-3.

145 pounds Semifinals -- Bryce Parson, LEW, dec Casey Dobson, GFH, 5-0; Parker Filius, HAV, maj dec Chandler Paulson, MSN, 8-0.

Championship -- Parson, LEW, tech fall Filius, HAV, 16-0.

Third place -- Dobson, GFH, maj dec Paulson, MSN, 10-0.

Fifth place --Braedon Orrino, CV, dec Colton Parham, POW, 7-2.

Seventh place -- Zach Freeman, CLK, tech fall, Christian Hunter, MED, 17-1.

152 pounds Semifinals -- Ryan Klemp, LEW, pin Zach Crace, LIB, :48; Gage Bentley, GFH, dec Kody Pribyl, HAV, 7-0.

Championship -- Klemp, LEW, dec Bentley, GFH, 10-8.

Third place -- Crace, LIB, pin Pribyl, HAV, 3:55.

Fifth place --Quinn Barber, GLA, dec Killian Konda, LCT, 11-4.

Seventh place -- Brodie Long, HH, dec Bailey Atkinson, POW, 3-2.

160 pounds Semifinals -- Kessler Leonard, GFH, dec Drake Randall, LEW, 10-5; Jase Stokes, HAV, pin Dylan Cronkhite, FER, 3:19.

Championship -- Leonard, GFH, dec Stokes, HAV, 9-4.

Third place -- Randall, LEW, dec Colton Johnson, CDA, 9-7.

Fifth place -- Braxten Wilcox, MBS, tech fall, Cronkhite, FER, 16-1 Seventh place -- Caiden Crawford, HH, pin Ben Manion, BOZ, 4:49.

170 pounds Semifinals -- Luke Entzel, MBS, maj dec Jacob Davis, POW, 16-3; Walker Ferda, GFH, dec Levi Meinzinger, UHI, 7-4.

Championship -- Entzel, MBS, tech fall Ferda, GFH, 15-0.

Third place -- Garret Chapel, LIB, dec Meinzinger, UHI, 7-5.

Pleninger

Fifth place -- Davis, POW, dec Nick Grasseschi, CMR, 7-3.

Seventh place -- Corey Cook, LCT, pin Trevor Senn, MED, 4:59.

182 pounds Semifinals -- Randy Keesler, GFH, pin Dylan Rabideaux, UHI, 3:43; Chauncye Garigan, CV, pin Philip Whitney, HAM, 3:23.

Championship -- Keesler, GFH, dec Garigan, CV, 6-2.

Third place -- Devin Blythe, FRG, dec Rabideaux, UHI, 7-2.

Fifth place -- Vince Rey, CDA, pin Whitney, HAM, :45.

Seventh place -- Stephen Giles, FER, pin Ty Dearcorn, POW, 3:44

205 pounds Semifinals -- Dylan Beeler, CLK, dec Payton Sexe, CMR, 3-2 (OT); Jase Billy, HAV dec Colin Hammock, MSH, 8-1.

Championship -- Beeler, CLK, dec Billy, HAV, 3-1.

Third place -- Sexe, CMR, dec Hammock, MSN, 7-2.

Fifth place -- Michael Bumgarner, HAM, pin Kevin McLean, MED, 1:50.

Seventh place -- Conner Gordon, MBS, pin Mike Corrigan, POL, :58.

285 pounds Semifinals -- Tate Orndorff, UHI, pin Zion Dixon, LCT, 1:28; Alan Schmitz, CAP, def Riley Stringer, POW, by withdrawal.

Championship -- Orndorff, UHI, pin Schmitz, CAP, 1:08.

Third place -- Travis Adams, HAV, dec Dixon, LCT, 4-2.

Fifth place -- Nick Nordell, CMR, def Stringer, POW, by withdrawal.

Seventh place -- Cody Wiers, BOZ, pin Hunter Sisemore, CLK, 4:03.

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Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Jordan Schroeder, top, pins Corvallis' Sam Burdette, during the 182-pound consolation final Saturday afternoon at the Class A state tournament in Billings.

Schroeder missed all of last season and much of this year with an injury, but was spectacular this weekend.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane The Havre High Wrestling team poses with their first place Class A Trophy at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings Saturday night. The Blue Ponies has five individual state champions during their three-peat state title.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Grayson Brenna, right, battles Columbia Falls' Kaleb Gravelin during the 132-pound state championship match at the Class A state tournament Saturday night in Billings. Brenna won his second state title.

STATE CHAMPIONS Havre Blue Ponies

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Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Jordan Schroeder, top, pins Corvallis' Sam Burdette, during the 182-pound consolation final Saturday afternoon at the Class A state tournament in Billings.

Schroeder missed all of last season and much of this year with an injury, but was spectacular this weekend.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane The Havre High Wrestling team poses with their first place Class A Trophy at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings Saturday night. The Blue Ponies has five individual state champions during their three-peat state title.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Grayson Brenna, right, battles Columbia Falls' Kaleb Gravelin during the 132-pound state championship match at the Class A state tournament Saturday night in Billings. Brenna won his second state title.

STATE CHAMPIONS Havre Blue Ponies

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Bison pin Ponies George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com When the two premier wrestling programs in the state of Montana bump heads, it’s usually pretty entertaining. And that was the case Thursday night in Great Falls.

However, for the Havre Blue Ponies, the fun was short-lived.

The top-ranked Class A Ponies came out on the losing end of their high-profile dual with the top-ranked Class AA Great Falls High Bison Thursday night in Great Falls. In a dual that was much closer than the final score indicated, the Bison beat the Ponies 40-20.

But even though the Ponies suffered their first dual loss of the season, as the Bison avenged Havre’s win at last month’s Mining City Duals in Butte, HHS head coach Scott Filius knows his team is better for having faced the Bison for a second time this season.

“They (Bison) are great competition,” Filius said earlier this week. “They are the best team in the state, so it's the perfect dual for us at this time of year.”

And the competition was fierce from start to finish Thursday night. But, unlike in Butte, it was the Bison who seemed to earn the big points and big wins this time around. In a critical 126-pound match, Jarren Komac defeated Havre’s Logan Pleninger 4-0, while Gage Bentley earned a surprising 12-2 major decision over Kody Pribyl at 152. The Bison backed

that win up with the a victory in the match of the night. In a meeting of returning state champions, GFH’s Kessler Leonard knocked off Havre’s Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, in a wild 11-10 decision.

GFH also earned the majority of the bonus points Thursday night. The Bison got pins at 103 pounds, as well as at 138, 170 and 182.

Havre did get a huge win from Parker Filius at 145 pounds as he bested GFH star Casey Dobson, 5-2, and Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (HWT) picked up pins as well. But in the end, even major decision wins from Grayson Brenna (132) and Keegan Kennelly (120) weren’t enough to get the Blue Ponies over the hump.

Havre will quickly look to shrug off Thursday night’s loss as the Ponies move on to the prestigious Rocky Mountain Classic today and Saturday in Missoula. The Ponies will return home to dual CMR on Tuesday night at the HHS gymnasium.

Great Falls High 40, Havre 20 103—Caleb McMillen, GFH, pin Ryan Stewart, 3:29; 113—Russell Wienholz, GFH, win by forfeit; 120—Keegan Kinnelly, Hav, maj. def. Taylor Schilling, 12-1; 126—Jarren Komac, GFH, def. Logan Pleninger, 4-0; 132—Grayson Brenna, Hav, maj. def. Jordan Komac, 9-1; 138—Tommy McMillen, GFH, pin Dane Flammond, 4:53; 145—Parker Filius, Hav, def. Casey Dobson, 5-2; 152—Gage Bentley, GFH, maj. def. Kody Pribyl, 12-2; 160—Kessler Leonard, GFH, def. Jase Stokes, 11-10; 170—Walker Ferda, GFH, pin Tyler Schaub, 1:23; 182—Randy Keesler, GFH, pin John Chinadle, 1:02; 205— Jace Billy, Hav, pin Pierceston Crawford, 0:43; Hwt—Travis Adams, Hav, def. Colton Rue-Zindell, 2-0.

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Road to Billings: Ponies claim Jug Beck title Behind Brenna's title and five finalists, HHS wins one of the toughest team titles in Montana wrestling Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com Outside of the state wrestling meet, there may not be any meet in the state of Montana that compares to the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic. The field is outstanding and Havre head coach Scott Filius even said recently, the competition was tougher than what would be found at state.

That’s part of what makes Havre’s first-place finish this past weekend in Missoula so impressive. The Blue Ponies used a total of five finalists to score a total of 219.5 points, 21 more than that of Great Falls High, the three-time defending champion at the Jug Beck coming into the weekend, the second-place finisher.

“It was probably one of the best overall performances we have had in years,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We didn’t leave a lot of matches out there. The effort was great. And it was nice to beat Great Falls High. They were full strength and we were full strength, so it was outstanding.”

The only Havre wrestler who walked away with an individual title was Grayson Brenna, who earned a 6-0 decision in the championship match at 132 pounds over Chance Karst.

Brenna, who is bound for NAIA power Grand View next fall, not only won his weight class, he dominated it. In his five matches in the tournament, the senior did not lose a single point.

“It’s a tough tournament to win but he went through without giving up a single point,” Filius said.

“He’s wrestling as well as any kid I’ve had in a long time.”

Brenna's run was impressive given the level of competition in the annual Jug Beck tourney. Not only are some of the best Montana team's in attendance, but some of the elite prep powers from Washington and Idaho are there as well.

But, Brenna was not the only Pony wrestler to have an impressive weekend.

Four other Havre wrestlers at least made it to the championship round at their respective weight

Brenna

Kennelly

classes, which is no easy feat.

Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 and Jace Billy at 205 pounds all qualified for the finals before settling for second place.

Yet, even though they each finished second, they were a huge part of Havre’s success as HHS had more finalists than any other team at the meet.

Other Havre wrestlers who did well and ended up placing at the meet, include Logan Pleniger, who pinned Haze Bell of Columbia Falls in 4:11 to earn third place at 126 pounds. Travis Adams also finished third for the Ponies in the heavyweight class, while Kody Pribyl finished a respectable fourth in the 152-pound weight class.

“We placed eight kids in the top four,” Filius said. “So overall, we did really, really well and this is a stepping stone for us. It’s great to win it, but we have to keep going forward. But the kids are really excited about these next three or four weeks of wrestling.”

In the end, Havre comes away feeling confident after coming out on top against Great Falls High, the top-ranked team in class AA, which knocked off the Ponies 40-20 in a dual just last Thursday, as well as 10 other AA opponents in addition to teams from Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.

“Oh sure, sure,” Filius said when asked of the dual loss to Great Falls High, “The dual was a warmup for the tournament and when we got to the tournament, the kids just really took charge. And I think that was the best part.”The Ponies will be back in action this Tuesday, when they dual CMR at the HHS gymnasium on senior night, Then, they will travel to Belgrade to the two-day Class A duals Friday. The event will run through Saturday.

38th annual Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula Team scores -- 1, Havre 219.5; 2, Great Falls 198.5; 3, University 141.5; 4, Central Valley 136; 5, Missoula Sentinel 132; 6, Lewiston 121; 7, Clarkston

Filius

112.5; 8, Powell 108.5; 9, Missoula Big Sky 107.5; 10, Coeur d'Alene 100; 11, Columbia Falls 82; 12, Helena Capital 77 ;13, Lake City 76; 14, Mead 75; 15, Great Falls CMR; 16, Kalispell Glacier 72.5; 17, Kalispell Flathead 79; 18, Helena 67; 19, Libby 55.5; 20, Belgrade 52.5; 21, Hamilton 52; t-22, Bozeman 51; t-22, Corvallis; 24, Ferris 49.5; 25, Ronan 47.5; 26, Lewistown 45.5; 27, Polson 44; 28, Frenchtown 35; 29, Missoula Hellgate 30; 30, Florence 20; 31, Butte 16; 32, Bonners Ferry 13; 33, Superior 3.

103 pounds Semifinals -- Bjorn Schroeder, BOZ, maj dec Noah Wozney, POW, 13-3; Dalton Port, CLK, pin Kaleb Maciosek, CDA, 5:52.

Championship -- Schroeder, BOZ, dec Port, CLK, 9-5.

Third place -- Cameron Hegel, MSN, dec Devin Altenburg, CMR, 3-0.

Fifth place -- Wozney, POW, dec Maciosek, CDA, 7-0.

Seventh place -- Justin Gibson, GLA, maj dec Cody DeVall, FLT, 8-0.

113 pounds Semifinals -- Sawyer Degen, BEL, maj dec Hunter Peterson, RON, 8-0; Spencer Clegg, CLK, dec Demo Koures, MBS, 4-1.

Championship -- Degen, BEL, dec Clegg, CLK, 117.

Third place -- Trae Vasquez, FLT, dec Cam Swanson, UHI, 9-3.

Fifth place -- Koures, MBS, pin Peterson, RON, :55.

Seventh place -- Caleb Birdwell, FRG, dec Zach Bade, MED, 8-3.

120 pounds Semifinals -- Keegan Kennelly, HAV, dec Mason Fetters, CF, 9-2; Seth Schroeck, CAP, dec Jake Hegel, MSN, 3-0.

Championship -- Schroeck, CAP, dec Kennelly, HAV, 5-2.

Third place -- Hegel, MSN, dec Cody Warner, FTN, 4-0.

Fifth place -- Fetters, CF, pin Mikey Garrison, UHI, 2:34.

Seventh place -- Wyatt Gordon, MBS, pin Parker Adler, POL, 2:49.

126 pounds Semifinals -- Jarren Komac, GFH, dec Logan Pleninger, HAV, 6-1; Bryson Beard, CV, dec Haze Bell, CF, 8-2.

Championship -- Beard, CV, dec Komac, GFH, 2-0.

Third place -- Pleninger, HAV, pin Bell, CF, 4:11.

Fifth place -- Chase Conner, COR, maj dec Ryder Day, GLA, 13-5.

Seventh place -- Ty Hendren, LEW, pin Asa Hoerner, MHG, 5:49.

132 pounds Semifinals -- Chance Karst, POW, dec Jace Kovalicky, MSN, 4-0; Grayson Brenna, HAV, pin Cole Snyder, RON, 5:31.

Championship -- Brenna, HAV, dec Karst, POW,

Stokes

Billy

6-0.

Third place -- Kovalicky, MSN, pin Snyder, RON, 3:33.

Fifth place --Jordan Komac, GFH, dec Marshall Bowen, LEW, 5-4.

Seventh place -- Bridger Beard, CV, maj dec Dylan Lewis, MHG. 138 pounds Semfinals -- Shonn Roberts, CF, dec Tommy McMillen GFH, 4-3; Blake Beard, CV, dec Jarrett Degen, BEL, 2-1.

Championship -- Beard, CV, dec Roberts, CF, 3-1 (OT).

Third place -- Degen, BEL, dec McMillen, GFH, 4-2.

Fifth place -- Nic Urbach, POW, dec Noah Manibusan, HH, 7-3.

Seventh place -- Dylan Duffalo, MSN, Cody Decker, GLA, 4-3.

145 pounds Semifinals -- Bryce Parson, LEW, dec Casey Dobson, GFH, 5-0; Parker Filius, HAV, maj dec Chandler Paulson, MSN, 8-0.

Championship -- Parson, LEW, tech fall Filius, HAV, 16-0.

Third place -- Dobson, GFH, maj dec Paulson, MSN, 10-0.

Fifth place --Braedon Orrino, CV, dec Colton Parham, POW, 7-2.

Seventh place -- Zach Freeman, CLK, tech fall, Christian Hunter, MED, 17-1.

152 pounds Semifinals -- Ryan Klemp, LEW, pin Zach Crace, LIB, :48; Gage Bentley, GFH, dec Kody Pribyl, HAV, 7-0.

Championship -- Klemp, LEW, dec Bentley, GFH, 10-8.

Third place -- Crace, LIB, pin Pribyl, HAV, 3:55.

Fifth place --Quinn Barber, GLA, dec Killian Konda, LCT, 11-4.

Seventh place -- Brodie Long, HH, dec Bailey Atkinson, POW, 3-2.

160 pounds Semifinals -- Kessler Leonard, GFH, dec Drake Randall, LEW, 10-5; Jase Stokes, HAV, pin Dylan Cronkhite, FER, 3:19.

Championship -- Leonard, GFH, dec Stokes, HAV, 9-4.

Third place -- Randall, LEW, dec Colton Johnson, CDA, 9-7.

Fifth place -- Braxten Wilcox, MBS, tech fall, Cronkhite, FER, 16-1 Seventh place -- Caiden Crawford, HH, pin Ben Manion, BOZ, 4:49.

170 pounds Semifinals -- Luke Entzel, MBS, maj dec Jacob Davis, POW, 16-3; Walker Ferda, GFH, dec Levi Meinzinger, UHI, 7-4.

Championship -- Entzel, MBS, tech fall Ferda, GFH, 15-0.

Third place -- Garret Chapel, LIB, dec Meinzinger, UHI, 7-5.

Pleninger

Fifth place -- Davis, POW, dec Nick Grasseschi, CMR, 7-3.

Seventh place -- Corey Cook, LCT, pin Trevor Senn, MED, 4:59.

182 pounds Semifinals -- Randy Keesler, GFH, pin Dylan Rabideaux, UHI, 3:43; Chauncye Garigan, CV, pin Philip Whitney, HAM, 3:23.

Championship -- Keesler, GFH, dec Garigan, CV, 6-2.

Third place -- Devin Blythe, FRG, dec Rabideaux, UHI, 7-2.

Fifth place -- Vince Rey, CDA, pin Whitney, HAM, :45.

Seventh place -- Stephen Giles, FER, pin Ty Dearcorn, POW, 3:44

205 pounds Semifinals -- Dylan Beeler, CLK, dec Payton Sexe, CMR, 3-2 (OT); Jase Billy, HAV dec Colin Hammock, MSH, 8-1.

Championship -- Beeler, CLK, dec Billy, HAV, 3-1.

Third place -- Sexe, CMR, dec Hammock, MSN, 7-2.

Fifth place -- Michael Bumgarner, HAM, pin Kevin McLean, MED, 1:50.

Seventh place -- Conner Gordon, MBS, pin Mike Corrigan, POL, :58.

285 pounds Semifinals -- Tate Orndorff, UHI, pin Zion Dixon, LCT, 1:28; Alan Schmitz, CAP, def Riley Stringer, POW, by withdrawal.

Championship -- Orndorff, UHI, pin Schmitz, CAP, 1:08.

Third place -- Travis Adams, HAV, dec Dixon, LCT, 4-2.

Fifth place -- Nick Nordell, CMR, def Stringer, POW, by withdrawal.

Seventh place -- Cody Wiers, BOZ, pin Hunter Sisemore, CLK, 4:03.

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Blue Ponies tangle with Rustlers on senior night Test: Big weekend for Blue Pony grapplers Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com It has been a great season so far for the Havre High wrestling team.

The Blue Ponies are gearing up for the state wrestling meet next month and are coming off their most impressive performance of the season, taking first at the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic last Saturday in Missoula.

Yet, before the Ponies get too far ahead of themselves, they need to take care of business against CMR in tonight’s dual at the HHS gymnasium, not only because they want to beat their Class AA rival, but also because it’s senior night.

Havre does not get many opportunities to wrestle in front of its hometown fans and tonight will mark just the second time this season that the Ponies will compete in Havre. The first time was the season-opening Havre Invitational all the way back on Dec. 6.

So tonight’s home dual, Havre’s last, and the fact that it’s senior night, means the action inside the HHS gymnasium will be special.

And that means the Ponies are going to give CMR everything they’ve got in order to make sure the se-

Brenna

Aageson

nior class of Grayson Brenna, Jace Billy, John Chinadle, Dylan Stewart and Gunner Aageson goes out in style at home.

“Grayson has been a tremendous leader for us in the lighter weights,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

“And Jace has been a really good leader these past two years for the big kids. All the seniors are just fun kids to work with. They have good hearts, they work hard and they are everything that is right about high school athletics.”

Brenna, who is coming off one of the most impressive individual titles of his career at the Jug Beck, will man his normal spot at 132 pounds. Brenna, who is slated to

Billy

Stewart

Chinadle

attend Grand View University on a wrestling scholarship next fall, has had a decorated career that includes a second-place finish at state as a freshman, a state title as a sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior.

Billy, who will wrestle for Montana-State University Northern after his days as a Pony are over, has had an equally successful career, winning an individual state title as a junior and finishing third as a sophomore. He will wrestle at 205 pounds this week for Havre.

Chinadle will man the spot at 182 pounds, while Dylan Stewart normally sees time at 120 pounds.

Aageson wrestles at 160 pounds.

However, the Ponies are so deep that it may be Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds for Havre tonight along with Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, where he is the top-ranked wrestler in Class A. The rest of the Havre lineup includes Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The Ponies have momentum on their side after defeating the strongest field in the state of Montana at the Jug Beck. And with the state meet now just weeks away, Havre is looking to close the season strong, starting with a win over CMR. “Right now the kids are really wrestling well,” Filius said. “They are really excited to keep it going and we are looking forward to these last few weeks of the season.”

Tonight’s dual between the Ponies and Rustlers, who are coached by former Havre High standout Aaron Jensen, will start at 5 at the HHS gymnasium.

Havre has a huge showdown tonight with GFH, then heads to prestigious Rocky Mountain Classic Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

Ever since the Christmas break, the Havre High wrestling team has been looking to square off against some high-end competition, outside of themselves at least.

And after competing in just one meet in the last month, the Blue Ponies are finally going to get the opportunity they have been waiting for.

The Ponies, who are coming off a 13th consecutive title at the Cut Bank Invitational last weekend, will not only face some difficult competition this week, they will see the best that the state of Montana has to offer. First, the Ponies, who are the defending Class A state champs, will travel to Great Falls to take on Class AA state champion Great Falls High in a head-to-head dual. The first match is set for tonight at 5:30.

Following their dual against the Bison, the Ponies will then compete in the annual Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic, an invitational tournament in Missoula that features not only the top teams from Montana, but some from Idaho and Washington as well. The meet will begin Friday and continue through Saturday.

“We have been spending a lot of time in the (wrestling) room against each other,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We did get some matches last week and that was good, but we really need a grind.”

While the Ponies are definitely looking forward to competing in the prestigious Jug Beck after finishing second in the meet a year ago, they might be even more anxious to get back on the mat against the Bison, who came to Havre and took first place in the Havre Invitational to start the season Dec. 6.

“We match up well with

them (Bison),” Filius said.

“We will have some of our good kids going against some of their good kids. They are great competition. They are the best team in the state, so it’s the perfect dual for us at this time of year.

“The nice part about wrestling them is they are just physical,” He added. “So you have to either come out of your shell or you are going to take a whipping.”

Havre will be taking its usual lineup to Great Falls. A lineup that includes three individual state champions in Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Jase Stokes at 160 pounds. All three wrestlers are also currently ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.

The rest of the Pony lineup will feature Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds, John Chinadle at 182 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division. Adams and Brenna join Billy, Stokes and Filius as top-ranked wrestlers that will compete in Great Falls. Havre will have an open spot at 113 pounds.

After going head-to-head against the Bison, Havre will travel to Missoula for the Jug Beck. Keegan Kennelly, who won Havre’s only individual title at the meet last season, will not be in action but the Ponies will still have more than enough talent on hand to compete for the team title.

Yet, winning the team competition will be easier said than done, especially with all the Class AA schools, outside of Billings, expected to attend, along with the Western A, which features the thirdranked team from Class A in Columbia Falls.

That means that the topranked Ponies will have their work cut out for them this weekend and with the

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane H a v r e f r e s h m a n Ty l e r Schaub, left, cradles a Chester/J-I opponent during the 2014 Havre Invite last month. The Blue Ponies will dual Class AA power Great Falls High tonight, then travel to Missoula for the Rocky Mountain Classic Friday and Saturday. state meet now less than a month away, there is no better way to prepare than by getting battle tested against the toughest wrestling field in Montana.

“It’s tougher than our state tournament,” Filius said. “You bring in those Spokane schools and the Idaho schools, as well as the Western A, Western B-C and most of the good AA teams and it’s tougher than our state tournament. But that’s why you go.”

"More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride."

Dan Gable

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HHS grapplers anxious for the Cut Bank Invite Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The holiday break was a long one for most high school teams in the state of Montana, but for the Havre High wrestling team, the break was even longer than usual. After going nearly three weeks without seeing competition, the Blue Ponies can't wait to get back on the mat.

Fortunately, the Havre wrestlers will get their wish as they will be in Cut Bank Friday and Saturday to compete in the Cut Bank Invitational, a meet the Ponies have now won an impressive 12 years in a row.

"Basically, we have been in the wrestling room against just each other for the last three weeks," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "So we have been beating on each other for the last three weeks, so we really need to get out there and compete against someone else. I don't care who it is against or where it is, we just need to get some matches in. We have corrected everything we can correct over the

third-ranked Columbia Falls.

"It just depends on all the schools that come, but there should be some good competition," Filius said. "We would hope to win it again but if both the Great Falls schools and Columbia Falls come it should be a really good meet."

Leading the way for the Ponies in Cut Bank will be two of the defending champions at the meet from last season in Keegan Kennelly and Parker Filius. Kennelly, who is the topranked wrestler at 120 pounds, won the meet at 106 pounds last season and will look to win the meet this week wrestling at 113 pounds.

Filius, the top-rated wrestler at 145 pounds, will also be looking to win in a new weight class after winning the meet at 138 pounds a season ago.

HHS will have three other top-ranked wrestlers in action this weekend in Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The rest of the Havre lineup will include fifth-ranked Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, fourth-ranked Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, third-ranked

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High junior Kody Pribyl, top, and the Blue Pony wrestling team returns to action Friday and Saturday when they'll defend their title at the Cut Bank Invitational. last three weeks, we just need matches."

Havre will get matches this weekend. The tournament will start Friday with preliminary action and will be completed Saturday.

Last year in Cut Bank, Havre placed 14 wrestlers and had three individual champions on its way to a total of 295 points, which was good enough to beat out Great Falls High and CMR for first place.

In addition to wrestling against quality HiLine programs such as Cut Bank, Harlem, Chinook and Conrad, the Ponies will also see teams like Ronan, Malta, Whitefish, potentially both Great Falls schools and possibly Columbia Falls.

Havre comes into the meet as the topranked team in Class A wrestling and would relish the opportunity to compete against

Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, third-ranked Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, second-ranked Jase Stokes at 170 pounds and John Chinadle at 182 pounds.

"The biggest thing for us is that we just want to get out and compete in actual matches," Filius said. "But we spent a lot of time over the break on positioning. We went over to Idaho and found out they carry a little better position longer than we do. So we put some time into that and we will see if that pays some dividends."

The Cut Bank Invitational will get underway on Friday in Cut Bank and will continue on Saturday morning. Then, Havre will be back on the mat next Thursday when they will travel to Great Falls to dual Great Falls High.

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Road to Billings: Ponies pin Rustlers Havre High grapplers shine on senior night Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com For just the second time this season, the Havre High wrestling team got to compete in front of its hometown fans. And the fans that ended up attending the Blue Ponies’ dual against CMR did not walk away disappointed.

On senior night inside the HHS gymnasium Thursday night, Havre showed why it’s been the top-ranked team in Class A all season long as the Ponies dismantled CMR by the final score of 42-16. It was an impressive follow-up performance to Havre’s first-place finish at the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula last weekend, and a great way to send the senior class out on a high note.

“It was a good performance,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

“We got all the seniors in tonight and they performed well, so I was pleased with them.”

While senior night is always a special night, it meant something even more to Havre senior Jordan Schroeder, who wrestled at 182 pounds for the Ponies after missing the entire football season and all of the wrestling season up to this point due to injury.

Schroeder picked a good time to return to the mat and made sure that he made the most of his opportunity by pinning CMR’s KC Buday in 2:36.

“It felt good,” Schroeder said when asked how it felt to be back in action. “I hadn’t wrestled since last year at the Havre invite so I was pretty anxious to get out there.

I need to work on getting my conditioning a little better, but I felt pretty good out there.”

In all, the Ponies captured nine of the 13 matches, with one of the losses coming via forfeit at 113 pounds. Parker Filius opened the dual with a win for the Ponies at 145 pounds after pinning Tanner Grubb in 1:20, and from there the Ponies didn’t look back.

At 152 pounds, another Havre senior, Gunner Aageson made the most of his last home match, knocking off Max Sechena by way of a 7-6 decision. At 120 pounds, fellow

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High senior Jace Billy, right, battles CMR's Payton Sexe during Tuesday night's dual at the HHS gymnasium. Billy lost a close match, but the Blue Ponies dominated the dual. senior Dylan Stewart took care of business with a win by fall in 1:37, while at 132 pounds, senior Grayson Brenna defeated Jake Artis 16-0 in a technical fall.

The other Havre seniors in action were Jace Billy, who lost a close decision to Payton Sexe 5-4 in the 205-pound weight class and John Chinadle, who lost a 14-5 major decision to Nick Grasseschi at 170 pounds.

One of the few losses on the night for the Ponies came at 103 pounds, where Devan Altenburg of CMR defeated Ryan Stewart of Havre with a 3-0 decision. But the remainder of the matches were dominated by Havre.

At 160 pounds, Jase Stokes pinned Ryan Lukasik in less than a minute to earn the win, while at 126 pounds, Logan Pleninger earned a

10-0 decision over CMR’s Noah Durnell, and at 138 pounds Dane Flammond of Havre also had an impressive performance with a 7-0 decision over David Bennyhoff.

“I was really happy with Flammond,” Filius said. “That kid (Bennyhoff) had beaten him up three times and tonight we beat him 7-0 so I was really pleased with that.

And that’s good improvement on his part.”

Closing things out for the Ponies in the heavyweight division was Travis Adams, who notched a 3-0 decision over Nick Nordell to help Havre cruise to the 26-point victory.

Havre will be back in action this Friday, when the Ponies will travel to Belgrade for the first day of the Class A Duals. The tournament will

run through Saturday.

Havre 42, CMR 16 103 – Devan Altenburg CMR, dec. Ryan Stewart, Havre, 3-0.; 113 – Teagan Sowers, CMR, wins by forfeit; 120 – Dylan Stewart, Havre, pinned Tanner Tovson, CMR, 1:37; 126 – Logan Pleninger Havre major dec. Noah Durnell, CMR, 10-0; 132 – Grayson Brenna, Havre, tech. fall Jake Artis, CMR 16-0; 138 –Dane Flammond, Havre dec. David Bennyhoff, CMR, 7-0; 145 –Parker Filius, Havre, pinned Tanner Grubb, CMR, 1:20; 152 – Gunner Aageson, Havre, dec. Max Sechena, CMR, 7-6; 160 – Jase Stokes, Havre, pinned Ryan Lukasik, CMR 0:55; 170 – Nick Grasseschi, CMR, major dec. John Chinadle, Havre, 14-5; 182 – Jordan Schroeder, Havre, pinned KC Buday, CMR, 2:36; 205 – Payton Sexe, CMR, dec. Jace Billy, Havre, 5-4; 285 – Travis Adams, Havre, dec.

Nick Nordell, CMR, 3-0.

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2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

Ponies out to defend dual title Havre Daily News

The Havre High wrestling team has been on a roll as of late, and with the state wrestling meet creeping up closer and closer on the schedule, the Blue Ponies will continue to fine tune things as they attempt to peak for the end of the season.

This weekend, the fine tuning will take place at the Class A duals in Belgrade.

The tournament begins Friday and runs through Saturday. It will feature a number of Class A schools, who will dual each other in a tournament-style format to determine a champion. Havre comes into the meet as the defending champion after knocking off Belgrade 50-25 in the final a season ago.

“I think that we will do well,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “It just sets up really nice for us because we have so much depth, so it’s hard for a lot of the teams to compete with us. But all of our kids are going to get tough matches and that’s a good thing.”

The Class A duals offer a great chance to see the rest of the Class A teams that the Ponies have not had a chance to compete against this season, and while Filius did not know every team that was going to be there, he did say that the majority of Class A teams would be in attendance.

“There are going to be 17 teams there,” Filius said.

“And I don’t know the teams that aren’t coming. It’s a dual meet, so it will give us a chance to move some things around with our lineup and get all of our kids lots of matches.”

The lineup may look different for each opponent in the tournament but the mainstays in the Havre lineup will all be in action and that includes Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Parker Filius at 145 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

Yet, coach Filius is also going to do some mixing and matching with his lineup to get some of his other wrestlers matches in preparation for the Central A Divisional meet that will take place Feb. 6-7 in Belgrade.

Others that will be on the mat this weekend for HHS include Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Dane Flammond at 138 pounds, Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and John Chinadle at 182 pounds.

In addition to those wrestlers, even more HHS grapplers will get an opportunity to compete in Belgrade such as Gunner Aageson at either 152 pounds or 160 pounds, JayR Caplette, who will be at 170 pounds and Jordan Schroeder, who will wrestle at 182 pounds this weekend after making his long-awaited return to competition in

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February 2015

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High sophomore Jase Stokes, right, battles a CMR rival during a dual Tuesday night at the Havre High gymnasium. The Ponies are in Belgrade to defend their Class A Duals championship Friday and Saturday. the dual against CMR on Tuesday. Schroeder’s win over CMR’s KC Buday by fall in 2:36, was the first time he had competed in live action in over a year due to injury.

This weekend, Schroder will get even more opportunities as he and his teammates try to find their form before divisionals and state.

“You need something to fill the schedule for the weekend and (The Class A duals) are as good as anything,” Filius said. “And we are looking forward to getting lots of matches for everybody so we can kind of see where we’re at right now.”

The action at the Class A Duals will get underway Friday in Belgrade at 1 p.m., and will continue on through Saturday night’s championship match. It's HHS's last big tournament.

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Havre grapplers split up for the week Chris Peterson

Havre High set to battle its biggest rivals at annual Class A Duals Chris Peterson

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2015 CLASS A

The weekend before Christmas break usually means the Havre High wrestling team is at the CMR Holiday Classic. And while the Blue Ponies did compete in the event, they didn't do so at full strength as a number of their top wrestles traveled to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to test their skills in the top wrestling meet in the Northwest, the Tri-State Tournament.

The result of the split teams was that the Ponies did not contend to win either event, which took place in Great Falls and Coeur d’Alene, respectively. Both meets began Friday and ran through Saturday.

Even though Havre was not a factor in either team competition, it did place a handful of wrestlers at each meet and gained some valuable experience in the process.

With the Ponies not bringing their full roster to CMR that cleared the way for Great Falls High to take home the title at the Holiday Classic and that is exactly what happened.

The Bison racked up 220.5 points on their way to first place. Choteau was second with 146.5, followed by Helena High in third with 139. Havre finished a distant 15th with 72 points.

Travis Adams put together the best individual performance of the weekend for the Ponies as he wrestled his way to a third-place finish against a strong field. In the consolation match, Adams pinned his opponent, K.J. Klingaman of CMR in 1:24.

The only other Havre wrestler to place at the CMR meet was Dylan Stewart, who was wrestling in the 120-pound weight class. Stewart ended up notching a fifth-place finish for the Ponies after pinning Wyatt Gordon of Missoula Big Sky in 1:17.

“Anytime you split your team up it’s going to be a mixed bag,” HHS head coach Filius said. “But we had two kids down there that placed, and we were pleased with the effort.”

At the Tri-State tournament in Coeur d’Alene, HHS didn’t have enough wrestlers to contend for the team title but the Ponies placed four wrestlers in a field that consisted of some of the top wrestling talent from Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

“The best part of it was the highlevel competition,” Filius said. “We got to wrestle against some really good kids. We were 27-12 over the weekend and all the kids we lost to ended up in the finals. So it was a tremendous effort and it was a lot of fun. We haven’t found that level of competition in Montana.”

The top finisher for Havre at the Tri-State meet was senior Grayson

Brenna, who notched a third-place finish by way of a 2-1 decision in the consolation final at 132 pounds over Michael Soler of Lake Stevens.

Keegan Kennelly also continued what’s been an impressive junior season with a fourth-place finish in the 113-pound weight class. Kennelly lost in the consolation final in a 5-2 decision at the hands of Braydon Huber of Post Falls, Idaho.

At 138 pounds, Parker Filius also came away with a fourth-place finish for the Ponies. Filius lost a closely contested match in the consolation final to Blake Beard of Central Valley. Beard edged out Filius for third by winning a 2-1 decision.

Rounding out things for Havre in terms of placing in Idaho was Kody Pribyl. The junior had a solid meet wrestling at 145 pounds and ended up finishing sixth. Pribyl was defeated in the fifth-place match by Dante Sprinsteen of Bethel, Washington, who won a 12-3 decision.

In terms of the team competition, Post Falls walked away with the team championship after finishing the meet with a total of 202.2 points.

Havre finished a respectable 15th

Adams

D. Stewart

with 86.5 points.

Overall, despite the lack of team success, it appears as though the decision to split his varsity roster was a good one for Filius and the Ponies.

“I feel really good about it,” Filius said. “We will get the kids back tomorrow and see how everything goes, but I think it was a great growing experience and I'm excited about the experience some of our young kids got.”

Havre will be off for a few weeks thanks to the Christmas break, but HHS will be back on the mat Jan. 9-10, when the Ponies will compete in the Cut Bank Invitational.

Great Falls Tribune Havre High senior Gunner Aageson, bottom, is flipped upside down by a Cut Bank rival during Friday's action at the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.

Brenna

Filius

CMR Holiday Classic Final team scores 1. Great Falls High 220.5, 2. Choteau 146.5, 3. Helena High 139, 4. Bozeman 138, 5. Forsyth 137, 6.

CMR 134, 7. Colstrip 108.5, 7. (tie) Kalispell Flathead 108.5, 9. Missoula Big Sky 102.5, 10. Columbia Falls 102, 11. Helena Capital 89.5, 12. Butte High 87, 13. Belgrade 83, 14. Laurel 76.5, 15. Havre 72, 16. Chinook 66, 17. Conrad 65.5, 18. Dillon 54, 19.

Kalispell Glacier 53, 20. Lewistown 52, 21. Cut Bank 51, 22. Great Falls High J.V. 50, 23. Glasgow 46, 23. (tie) Ronan 46, 25. Thompson Falls 43, 26. C.M. Russell 3 34, 27. Townsend 29, 28. Harlem 28, 29.

Fairfield/Simms 26, 30. Shelby 25, 31. Missoula Hellgate 24.5, 32. Flint Creek 24, 33. Anaconda 20, 34. Cascade 19, 34. (tie) Great Falls High 3 19, 36.

Livingston 12, 37. Highwood 11, 38. Butte Central 10, 39. Chester-Joplin-Inverness 7, 39. (tie) C.M. Russell J.V. 7, 41. Browning 6, 41. (tie) Lone Peak 6, 43. Fort Benton 4.

Championship matches 103 Bjorn Schroeder, Bozeman p. Chase DeBoo, Choteau, 1:17 113 Trae Vasquez, Flathead d. Nathan Weber, Forsyth, 10-4 120 Clayton Currier, Colstrip d. Sawyer Degen, Belgrade, 5-3 126 Jarren Komac, Great Falls p. Landon Bailey, Helena, 5:43 132 Tate Niederegger, Chinook d. Jordan Komac, Great Falls, 3-2 138 Jarrett Degen, Belgrade d. Shonn Roberts, Columbia Falls, 4-2 145 Casey Dobson, Great Falls md. Colton McElhinney, Great Falls J.V., 14-2 152 Luke Weber, Forsyth md. Reid VandenBos, Cut Bank, 12-3 160 Jared Dickson, C.M. Russell d. Kessler Leonard, Great Falls, 3-2 OT 170 Luke Entzel, Missoula Big Sky tf. Hunter Mycke, Conrad, 16-1 182 Steeler French, Choteau md. Randy Keesler, Great Falls, 13-4 205 Payton Sexe, C.M. Russell d. Lee Cannon, Butte, 4-3 285 Jake Sessions, Colstrip p. Spencer Ross, Columbia Falls, 2:57 3rd-4th place 103 Justin Gibson, Glacier p. Deven AltenburgLasher, C.M. Russell, 5-1 113 Demo Koures, Missoula Big Sky p. Caleb Birdwell, Fergus, 2-0 120 Seth Schroeck, Helena Capital p. Kale Evenson, Bozeman, 7-3 126 Caleb James, Bozeman p. Dyan Guzman, Flathead, 3-0 132 Logan Harms, Forsyth p. Kaleb Gravelin, Columbia Falls, 2:01 138 JJ Werdal, Choteau d. Noah Manibusan, Helena, 3-1 145 Colt McDaniel, Forsyth d. Tony Bergerson, Flint Creek, 8-2 152 Gage Bentley, Great Falls d. Trey Stone, Choteau, 5-2 160 Brenden Johnson, Harlem d. Austin Blaede, Colstrip, 7-0 170 Jeremy Van Dyke, Helena d. Nick Grasseschi, C.M. Russell, 3-2

Kennelly

Pribyl

182 Raven Cunningham, Belgrade d, Devin Blythe, Fergus, 2-1 205 Parker Tezak, Dillon d. Cody Wiers, Bozeman, 7-3 285 Travis Adams, Havre p. KJ Klingaman, C.M. Russell 3, 1:24 5th-6th Place 103 Austin Murphy, Helena d. Caleb McMillen, Great Falls, 6-3 113 Nick Kunz, Helena Capital d. Trevor Moore, Choteau, 5-0 120 Dylan Stewart, Havre p. Wyatt Gordon, Missoula Big Sky, 1:17 126 Kwin Stoddard, Dillon d. Brandon Bisch, Anaconda, 3-2 132 Clayton Carter, Laurel d. Brent Tezak, Dillon, 4-3 138 Double Forfeit 145 Taner Stone, Choteau d. Chase Short, Great Falls 3, 4-2 152 Quinn Barber, Glacier d. Taran Bennett, Butte, 5-2 160 Caiden Crawford, Helena p. Tyler Schultz, Conrad, 2:20 170 Joey Clark, Choteau d. Evander Wilber, Broadwater, 7-6 182 Jesse Dannels, Chinook d. Cian Randall, Butte, 3-0 205 Connor Gordon, Missoula Big Sky d. Streeter Stirling, Shelby, 5-1 285 Alan Schmitz, Helena Capital p. Brandon Connolly, Laurel, 1:47

Tri-State Classic TEAM SCORES - 1, Post Falls 202. 2, Moses Lake 166. 3, University 144.5. 4, Tahoma 138. 5, Lake Stevens 135. 6, Kuna 115. 7, Orting 113.5. 8, East Valley 108. 9 (tie), Bethel, Colville 103.5. 11, Central Valley 95. 12, Hermiston 93. 13, North Central 88. 14, Lakeland 87. 15, Havre 86.5. 16, Sentinel 78.5. 17, Freeman 68.5. 18, Chiawana 67. 19 (tie), Auburn, Union, Vashon Island 66. 22, Mead 61.5.

23, McCall-Donnelly 59. 24, Lakeside 57. 25 (tie), Lake City, Rocky Mountain 55. 27, Sandpoint 52.

28, Todd Beamer 51. 29, Royal 49. 30, Liberty Bell 48.5. 31, Deer Park 47. 32, Tonasket 45.5. 33 (tie), Kentridge, Timberlake 44. 35, Coeur d'Alene 43. 36, Kellogg 39. 37, Juanita 37. 38, Graham-Kapowsin 36. 39, Liberty (Issaquah) 35. 40, St. Maries 33.5 41, Omak 32. 42, Libby 31. 43 (tie), Blaine, Evergreen, La Grande, Meadowdale 30. 47, Kentlake 29.

48, Kamiakin 27. 49, Rochester 26. 50, Darrington 25. 51 (tie), Liberty (Spangle), Mt. Spokane 24.

53, Frenchtown 22. 54, Reardan 21. 55 (tie), Mary Walker, Potlatch 20. 57, Ferris 19. 58, Wapato 14.

59 (tie), Gonzaga Prep, Polson, Quincy, Washington 12. 63 (tie), Bonners Ferry, Kelso, Northwest Christian 10. 66, Selkirk 9. 67 (tie), Moscow, Riverside 0.

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

Big week for Pony grapplers

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2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Ponies dominate Class A Duals again

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The CMR Holiday Classic has traditionally been one of the most prestigious wrestling meets in the state of Montana. And this year, the field will once again be filled with talented teams, including defending Class AA state champion Great Falls High. Yet, one team that will be there, but not all full strength, will be the Havre Blue Ponies.

The Ponies, who notched three individual titles at the meet a year ago, finished second to Great Falls in the 2013 Holiday Classic, the same team that won the Havre Invitational two weeks ago. And while HHS is still sending a talented team to Great Falls for the two-day meet that begins Friday morning, some of the Ponies' top wrestlers will be heading to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to compete in the annual TriState Wrestling tournament instead.

The Tri-State tournament enters its 35th year this weekend. The meet will begin Friday and run through Saturday. The tournament is one of one of the top wrestling invitationals in the northwest and features top varsity wrestlers from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana.

"I think that no matter how you look at it, it makes us better," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "Basically, we have some kids that want to see a bigger pool, more or less. Not to belittle the CMR tournament. We have had great success there and we have some younger kids that would like to spread their wings a little bit. And this is a good time to try something a little soggier. There are 72 teams there (Idaho) and 64-man brackets at each weight. It will be the best tournament in the northwest."

In all, Havre will take six wrestlers to the Tri-State meet, starting with Keegan Kennelly, who will wrestle at 113 pounds. Then, at 126 pounds will be Logan Pleninger, followed by Greyson Brenna at 132 pounds.

Defending individual state champion Parker Filius will also be making the trip. He will wrestle at 138 pounds. Fellow state champion Jase Stokes will also be there, wrestling at 160 pounds and rounding out the roster is Kody Pribyl, who will wrestle at 145 pounds.

"We have never been out there, so we are not sure how we will do," Filius said. "I know there are some Montana kids that have went out there and they do well. And I think that we are in that caliber, so I am not concerned about that."

While those six wrestlers will head to Coeur d'Alene, the rest of the Havre team will head to Great Falls to begin competing in the CMR Holiday Classic. The Ponies may not have all their horses but they will still have defending state champion Jace Billy wrestling at 205 pounds and 2014 state runner-up Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

The Havre lineup will also include Gunner Aageson, who placed at state last season, wrestling at 145 pounds, as well as Ryan and Dylan Stewart at 103 and 120 pounds, respectively. Jazz Schroeder will fill the spot at 132 pounds and at 138 pounds will be Dane Flam-

Dan Chesnet/Belgrade News Havre High freshman Ryan Stewart, front, pins a Hardin rival during the 2015 Class A Duals Saturday in Belgrade. The Blue Ponies dominated the meet from start to finish.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High's Jace Billy will compete in the prestigious CMR Holiday Classic Saturday in Great Falls. mond.

At 152 pounds, the Ponies will turn to Jeremy Pugh. Walter White will wrestle at 160 pounds. JayR Caplette will be in the 170-pound slot and the final spot at 182 pounds will be manned by freshman Tyler Schaub.

The Ponies should still field a competitive team but it's hard to imagine Havre posing a threat to Great Falls High, who comes into the meet as the defending champion. Other top teams that will be in attendance include CMR, Billings West, Billings Senior as well as the majority of the Class AA schools. Other local area teams like Chinook and Chester/J-I will also be in attendance, as will many of the best Class B and C wrestling programs in the state.

Traditionally, the CMR tourney is one of the deepest scoring meets in the regular season in Montana, along with the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic next month in Missoula.

"I think splitting up our team this weekend is a bonus both ways," Filius said. "I get to put kids in the lineup and get experience at a high level tournament at CMR. Some of our guys are staying at the CMR tournament because their family has team members there and stuff like that. So we are trying to put people at the right tournament where they can compete best at. It will give us more experience and more opportunities, that's the goal anyway."

Both the Tri-State tournament and the CMR Holiday Classic begin this Friday run through Saturday.

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Havre High wrestling team was back in action this past weekend in the Class A Duals, where the Blue Ponies once again proved to be head and shoulders above the competition.

Not to mince words, Havre dominated the two-day dual tournament hosted by Belgrade. With secondranked Sidney and third-ranked Columbia Falls not in attendance, there was just no other team that had the horses to compete with the No. 1 Blue Ponies.

Friday, the first day of the tournament, Havre simply out-classed the competition. In three duals, the Ponies lost just three matches and knocked off Whitefish 72-0, before dispatching of Hamilton 59-6 and Laurel 61-12.

Saturday, the Ponies didn’t skip a beat. HHS defeated Frenchtown 67-6 and Hardin 64-12. Those wins

got Havre into the championship match, where the Ponies would have squared off against Laurel for the second time, but instead the two teams decided to just go off of Havre’s 61-12 win Friday to settle the title.

“I thought the kids wrestled lights out,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “We only ended up losing six matches all weekend. So yeah, they wrestled lights out, and I was really pleased with it.”

Havre had a number of wrestlers who did not lose a match over the course of the weekend, including Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds, Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds and Dane Flammond at 138 pounds. Gunner Aageson, who wrestled at 145 pounds lost just one match.

Others who made it through the two-day meet unbeaten were Kody Pribyl at 152 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jordan Schroeder at 182 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds

and Travis Adams in the heavyweight division.

While the Ponies won the tournament running away, Filius also used it as an opportunity to get some of his wrestlers who are not mainstays in the lineup matches as they prepare for the Central A divisional meet and the Class A state meet, which is now just three weeks away.

“You are going to take a lot of those kids to state,” Filius said.

“And they are going to wrestle a lot of kids that they saw this weekend, so you want to get them exposed to that.”

With just a few weeks of preparation left before the Ponies are set to defend their state championship, Filius said he likes where his team is at right now and that they just need to keep working and getting better to get where they want to go.

“We just need to keep working hard,” Filius said. “We need to keep doing what we have been doing, go-

ing to practice and getting better.”

Havre will be back in action this Saturday when the Ponies will travel to Malta for the Malta Invitational.

Class A Duals

138: Dane Flammond, Hav, p. Dustin Copeland :28; 145: Robert Few, Hami, d. Gunnar Aageson, 9-7; 152: Kody Pribyl, Hav, p. Manny Rivera, 2:48; 160: Jase Stokes, Hav, p. Kyle Anderson, :22; 170: Justin Hinson, Hami, d. Tyler Schaub, 11-7; 182: Jordan Schroeder, H, p. Philip Whitney, :33; 205: Jace Billy, Hav, p. Michael Bumgarner, 5:40; 285: Travis Adams, Hav., p. Ryan Thomas, :26.

Friday Havre 61, Laurel 12

Havre 72, Whitefish 0 103: Ryan Stewart, Hav., p. Parker McWhirter, :32; 113: Open; 120: Keegan Kennelly, Hav., p. James Buckley, 3:37; 126: Logan Pleninger, Hav., p. Dillon Thorsteinson, :45; 132: Grayson Brenna, Hav., p.

Garrett Rice, 1:07; 138: Dane Flammond, Hav., p.

Brooks Krause, :23; 145: Gunnar Hanson, Hav., p.

Malik Hayden, :30; 152: Kody Pribyl, Hav., p. Matt Sampson, 1:28; 160: Jase Stokes, Hav., p. Judah Prestegaard, :58; 170: Tyler Schaub, Hav., won by forfeit; 182: Jordan Schroeder, Hav., p. Matt Carr, :32: 205: Jace Billy, Hav., p. :26, Travis Catina; 285: Travis Adams, Hav., p. Steven Quimby, 1:58.

103: Ryan Stewart, H, d. Kaleb Ripley, 6-3; 113: Payten Batalden, L, won by forfeit; 120: Keegan Kennelly, H, p. Jordan Shovar, 1:24; 126: Logan Pleninger, H, p. Colter Craig, :41; 132: Grayson Brenna, H, p. Jared Woody, 1:42; 138: Dane Flammond, H, p. Connor Ludwig, 5:03; 145: Gunnar Aageson, H, p. Brett McBurney, 1:55; 152: Kody Pribyl, H, m.d. Kyle Cannon 8-0; 160: Jase Stokes, H, won by forfeit; 170: John Preller, L, p. Tyler Schaub, 1:42; 182: Jordan Schroeder, H, p. Kyle Howe, :21; 205: Jace Billy, H, p. Cody Bernell, :32; 285: Travis Adams, H, p. Brandon Connolly, 3:29.

Havre 59, Hamilton 6 103: Open; 113: Ryan Stewart, Hav, p. Garret Passey, :58; 120: Dylan Stewart, Hav, t.f. Steven Banks, NA; 126: Logan Pleninger, Hav, p. James Bess, :26; 132: Grayson Brenna, Hav, p. Kris Anderson, :45;

Notes: Havre and Laurel did not wrestle the championship dual. Also, no match results were made available from Saturday's competition.

Road: Havre placed a total of 13 wrestlers in the top four ■ From Page 9 “I was kind of surprised by those three (Ryan Stewart, Travis Adams and Parker Filius) getting beat,” Filius said. “But then, at the same time, we had some other kids that

went out there and wrestled lights out.”

In all, Havre placed a total of 13 wrestlers in the top four on its way to the team title. The only weight

class where the Ponies did not place a wrestler was at 113, where they have been vacant all season long.

The Sugarbeeters also placed four wrestlers on their way to a

third-place finish.

Now the Ponies will set their sights on defending their Central A divisional championship. The Central A divisional, which will be

the last as Havre moves to the combined Eastern Division next season, will take place Saturday in Livingston.

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Pony grapplers wrap up the regular season Havre gears up for annual Malta Invitational Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

The Havre High wrestling team is just one week away from defending its title at the Central A Divisional meet and two weeks away from going for its third consecutive Class A state championship. But, before the Blue Ponies can wrestle in the two biggest meets of the season, they have one more tune up left on the schedule.

That final tune up to the seasonending meets that matter most will come this Saturday, when the Ponies will compete in the Malta Invitational, which will feature a number of schools from the Class B-C ranks, including one of the top teams from Class B in Choteau.

"I think the only real team that we will see down there is Choteau, and they are top in Class B-C," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "But the great thing about Malta is that it will bring in a lot of kids from the south and from the Hi-Line, so

there will be some tough kids there.

It's going to be a really competitive tournament, and we should get a lot of good matches. As far as our team is concerned we should be fine with our depth but on an individual level, it will be a barn burner."

Havre, which is the top-ranked team in Class A is coming off yet another team championship after dominating the competition and taking home the first-place prize at the Class A duals last weekend in Belgrade.

This week, the Ponies will have their full roster of wrestlers in action as they all prepare for divisionals next week and state, which will take place in Billings at the Metra beginning Feb.13. That means that HHS will have multiple wrestlers at numerous weight classes this week.

At 103 pounds, there will be just be Ryan Stewart. But at 120 pounds, the Ponies will be wrestling both Dylan Stewart and Keegan Kennelly. At 126 pounds, the Ponies will send out Logan Pleninger, at 132 pounds there will be top-ranked Grayson Brenna in addition to Jazz Schroeder. And at 138 pounds will be Dane Flammond and Dawson Kinsella.

The 145-pound weight class is

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre's Ryan Stewart, left, tries to escape a CMR grappler during a recent dual in Havre. The topranked Class A Blue Ponies wrestle their final meet of the regular season when they travel to the Malta Invite Saturday. another that will feature a pair of Havre wrestlers starting with Parker Filius, who is the No. 1 wrestler at 145 along with senior Gunner Aageson. At 152 pounds, the Ponies will have Kody Pribyl, followed by top-ranked Jase Stokes at 160 pounds. Walter White will also be in the mix at 160 pounds for HHS. When it comes to 170 pounds, both John Chinadle and Tyler Schaub will be in action, then at 182 pounds, Havre will have Jordan Schroeder as well as Jayr Caplette. Rounding things out for the Ponies will be topranked wrestlers at both 205 pounds and in the heavyweight division with Jace Billy and Travis Adams, respectively. Brock Smith will also be wrestling at 205 pounds in Malta for Havre.

"Right now we are just working on getting better every day," Filius said. "The thing you have to do to

fight complacency is to keep bringing challenges out to those kids and we have done that and they have been responding. So we are just working at getting better."

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STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Hi-Line Athlete Profile

Heartbreak motivates HHS's Kennelly

Havre will travel to Malta for its final meet of the regular season Saturday. Next week’s Central A Divisional is set for Feb. 7 in Livingston.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High junior Keegan Kennelly, top, is one of the top light-weight wrestlers in Class A. And the fire inside him comes from two bitter losses in state championship matches the past two seasons. Kennelly and the Blue Ponies will split up this weekend, with some wrestling at the CMR Classic in great Falls, and others wrestling at tournament in Idaho.

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is no question that the Havre High wrestling team has become a dynasty under the direction of head coach Scott Filius.

The Blue Ponies are the two-time defending Class A state champions and are on a mission to win their third consecutive title this season.

But a big reason for the Ponies’ long-term success has been the continued development of talented wrestlers such as Havre junior Keegan Kennelly. It's wrestlers like Kennelly, who has contended for an individual state title since his freshmen season, who are the lifeblood of Havre wrestling, and why the Ponies should continue to dominate the Class A ranks for the foreseeable future.

From the jump as a freshmen, it was clear that Kennelly was going to have a bright career. And after losing only a handful of matches and capturing numerous individual titles, Kennelly fell just short of an individual state championship in the 98-pound weight class. He was defeated by Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central, who earned the win by pinning Kennelly in 4:24 in the title match.

As a sophomore, Kennelly moved up in weight to 106 pounds but the results stayed the same. He again won a number of individual tittles, including the CMR Holiday Classic for the second year in a row. He was also the only Havre wrestler to win an individual title at the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula last January. At the end of the season, you could count his losses on one hand. But at state, Kennelly once again fell short of

his ultimate goal, dropping an 8-5 decision Kohltin Starkel of Dillon in the state title match.

Now in the midst of a junior season that started impressively with a first-place showing at the Havre Invitational at 120 pounds, Kennelly is determined to get that elusive individual state championship.

Kennelly is among a select group of Havre wrestlers that will skip the Holiday Classic in order to compete in a prestigious wrestling meet in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, this weekend, which will include more than 60 teams from across the Northwest.

Before Kennelly and the Ponies leave town for their final meets before the holiday break, the Havre Daily News caught up with him for five questions HDN: How have the losses at state helped motivate and prepare you

for this season?

Kennelly: “It just made me stronger. And it made want to work harder because it's so frustrating to put all that time and effort in and then come up short. But I think this is the year that I can do it.”

HDN: What do you think about competing in Coeur d'Alene instead of the CMR Holiday Classic?

Kennelly: “I don't know all the teams or the schools that will be there but there are a lot of good teams from the northwest that are going to be there. I'm looking forward to going up against some new competition. It will be a blast.”

HDN: Who is your favorite athlete to watch?

Kennelly: “Well I am a big Dallas Cowboys fan, so I would have to say DeMarco Murray. He's a really hard runner.”

HDN: What has been the highlight of your Havre wrestling career so far?

Kennelly: “I would probably have to say last year, winning at the Rocky Mountain finals in Missoula. I actually pinned a kid in a leg cradle, so it was pretty cool.”

HDN: What is your long-term goal with wrestling, are you hoping to wrestle in college?

Kennelly: “I don't know if I want to wrestle in college or not. Maybe down the road I will. Right now, I am just focused on winning two state championships and winning two more state championships as a team.”

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Ponies mine gold in Butte, again

Havre High wrestlers repeat at prestigious Mining City Duals George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com There’s just something about the Havre Blue Ponies and the Mining City Duals. No matter the season, no matter the generation, the Blue Ponies are also in the mix at the prestigious dual tournament in Butte.

And for the second straight year, the Blue Ponies left Butte as Mining City Duals champions. Saturday night, Havre edged defending Class AA state champion Great Falls High in the championship dual to claim yet another Mining City title under head coach Scott Filius.

“I thought the kids worked very hard and raised their level on intensity in each dual,” Filius said.

“It's a fun weekend because the kids come together as a team, and I thought it was a great experience and it was great to win it again.”

And Havre beat the Bison in dra-

matic fashion, by a score of 36-30.

The dual came down to a battle of two of the best wrestlers in all of Montana in Blue Pony senior Grayson Brenna and GFH junior Jarren Komac. Their 132-pound match was the difference in the dual, as Brenna defeated Komac 6-5. Both are former state champions, and it was a monumental win for Brenna, who lost to Komac twice at last week’s Havre Invitational.

And as expected, the dual between the two deepest wrestling programs in Montana was intense throughout. The Bison were missing a pair of starters, but their depth showed through as they battled HHS all the way. GFH picked up wins at 103, 38, 152, 160 and 182 pounds to make things interesting.

But, Keegan Kennelly and Logan Pleninger earned pins at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively, and bonus points were key in the match.

And in another crucial matchup, Blue Pony sophomore Parker Filius worked is way to a 9-4 win over

GFH star Casey Dobson to keep Havre in the hunt. And in the upper weights, Jase Stokes (170), Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (HWT) all picked up pins to help Havre stave off the Bison.

The Mining City Duals features all of Class AA, as well as some of the top Class A programs in the state, and in the semifinals, HHS ran into an old nemesis, as the Ponies took on the Sidney Eagles.

Like the championship bout, the match between HHS and Sidney was just as fierce, but the Ponies were able to pull away from the Eagles, winning 40-30.

In the victory over their bitter Class A rival, Havre got key wins from Brenna, Filius, Billy and Adams, all by way of pin. But Kody Pribyl’s 11-6 decision at 160 pounds, as well as Dylan Stewart’s pin at 120 pounds were the difference in the matchup.

Overall, Havre was a perfect 7-0 in the tournament. HHS opened up Friday by easily winning its pool.

Havre defeated Anaconda 57-0, Billings Senior 33-22 and CMR 4027. In elimination action Saturday, Havre bested Billings West 57-9, then took down former Class AA power Kalispell Flathead 50-18 to advance to the semifinals.

Highlights for the Ponies also included Adams and Filius both going a perfect 7-0, while freshman Ryan Stewart was 4-0 on the weekend.

“I was really proud of our young kids,” coach Filius said. “(Dane) Flammond, Tyler Schaub and Ryan Stewart all wrestled really well. Sometimes it's hard for those young kids this weekend because the competition is so good. But they competed really hard and they never backed down, so that was good to see” With another Mining City title in the books, the powerful Ponies will now turn their attention to the top regular season tournament around.

The Ponies will try and unseat the Bison at this weekend’s CMR

Holiday Classic in Great Falls. The tournament, in which HHS finished second a year ago, starts Friday morning and runs through Saturday night at the CMR Fieldhouse.

“We need to get better at scoring points on the edge and scoring at the ends of periods,” Filius said.

“Other than that, we just need to keep working hard and competing at a high level.”

Mining City Duals Championship Havre 36, Great Falls 30 103 – Caleb McMillen (GF) pin Ryan Stewart, 1:50; 113 – Russell Wienholz (GF) by forfeit; 120 – Keegan Kennelly (H) pin Tyler Loch, 5:41; 126 – Logan Pleninger (H) pin Chase Perry, 2:28; 132 – Grayson Brenna (H) dec.

Jarren Komac, 6-5; 138 – Jordan Komac dec.

Dane Flammond (H), 4-2; 145 –Parker Filius dec. Casey Dobson (GF) 9-4; 152 – Gage Bentley (GF) pin Gunnar Aageson, 3:03; 160 – Kessler Leonard (GF) dec. Kody Pribyl, 8-4; 170 – Jase Stokes (H) pin Kainan Lac-

n See Butte Page 26

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Road to Billings: Ponies dominant in Malta Chris Peterson Havre Daily News The Havre High wrestling team has been dominant once again this season, winning almost every meet it has competed in. And Saturday the Blue Ponies continued that streak of success by walking away with the team title at the Malta Invitational.

Possessing much more depth than any other team competing in the tournament, Havre easily ran away with the first-place prize in its final tune up for the Central A divisional meet next weekend, after racking up a total of 291.5 points compared to just 175 for second-place Choteau.

“I think we wrestled really well in some places and in other places we got our eyes opened up,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “It did just what we needed it to. We went down there and we have been kind of full of ourselves

the past couple of weeks, so it was nice to get up there and see some of those kids from along the Hi-Line just scrap.

It was good.”

The Ponies finished the meet with a total of six champions. Yet, no individual title was more hard-earned than Grayson Brenna’s. Brenna, who wrestles at 132 pounds for HHS, went head-to-head with Tate Niederegger of Chinook and despite a valiant effort from the top-ranked wrestler in the weight class in the B-C ranks, Brenna came out on top.

“I thought the best matchup of the weekend came at 132,” Filius said. “You had two very high-level kids that mixed it up and it was nice to come out on the winning side.”

In addition to Brenna taking first in his weight class, the other first-place finishers for Havre included Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, Logan Pleninger at 126 pounds,

Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, freshman Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds and Jace Billy at 205 pounds.

Yet, the Ponies also had a number of other wrestlers that placed highly at the meet such as Ryan Stewart, who finished second at 103 pounds and Kody Pribyl, who was also second at 152 pounds. At 138 pounds Dane Flammond finished third as did Parker Filius at 145 pounds.

At 170 pounds. Havre placed two of the top three finishers as John Chinadle backed up Schuab’s firstplace finish with a third-place showing of his own. The other Havre wrestlers that finished in the top four of their respective weight classes were Jordan Schroeder, who was third at 182 pounds and Travis Adams, who finished third in the heavyweight division. Jazz Schroeder also got fourth ay 132.

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Road To Billings: Ponies own the Central A mats Havre continues its reign over the Central A by claiming 10 individual titles and advancing 16 to state Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The wrestling meet the Havre Blue Ponies have been waiting for, the All-Class state meet, is finally the last one remaining on their schedule after they dominated the Central A divisional meet Saturday in Livingston.

And thanks to the wrestling clinic the Ponies put on in Livingston, they will send 16 individuals to state this weekend in Billings. In fact, every Havre wrestler that competed at divisionals qualified for state with no HHS wrestler finishing worse than third Saturday.

In the team competition, Havre cruised to a first-place finish with an incredible 334.5 points to finish well ahead of second-place Lewistown, which managed 136. In third place was Belgrade with 129 points, followed by Browning in fourth 126.5 and Livingston in last with just 79.

The Ponies dominating performance was highlighted by 10 individual champions, as well as four other wrestlers that were finalists who ended up in second. In addition to that, Havre also had two other wrestlers placed third. Throughout the entire weekend, the Ponies lost a total of just six matches, and only three of those came at the hands of opposing schools.

“I was pleased with the kids' effort,” HHS head coach Scott Filius

R. Stewart

Kennelly

Pleninger

Brenna

Filius

that guy there has been nice.”

After a dominant day at the Central A, the last divisional tourney of its kind, the Ponies now just have one more meet to conquer as they will head to Billings for in search of their third straight state title. The All-Class state meet starts Friday and runs through Saturday inside the Metra.

“I feel pretty good about the kids,” Filius said. “They work hard and they continue to get better every week. It’s been a fun year and I have really enjoyed coaching them.”

Central A Divisional At Livingston Team scores: 1. Havre 334.5; 2. Fergus 136; 3. Belgrade 129; 4. Browning 126.5; 5. Park 79.

Pribyl

Stokes

said. “The kids went and wrestled loose, we had a fun weekend. I think we lost six matches in the tournament and in three of them we wrestled ourselves, so it was pretty good.”

The winning started early for the Ponies, when they got an individual title at 103 pounds from freshman Ryan Stewart. Then, at 120 pounds, in the first of two championship matches between Havre wrestlers, Keegan Kennelly knocked off senior Dylan Stewart to win the individual title.

Logan Pleninger continued to wrestle well and took home first at 126 pounds, while Parker Filius rebounded from a loss at Malta last weekend to win the title at 145

Schaub pounds. Kody Pribyl, who won the quick fall award with two pins in a combined 1:27, was first at 152 pounds, followed by Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Tyler Schaub at 170 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

The other individual champ for the Ponies came out of the other all Havre final. That championship bout was between Grayson Brenna and Jazz Schroeder at 132 pounds.

Brenna, the top-ranked wrestler in the weight class came out on top over the Schroeder, who put together a solid performance.

“I was really pleased with our young kids, our freshmen,” Filius said.” You had Ryan Stewart, who

Billy

Adams

beat a kid that has been ranked No. 1 all year. Jazz got to the finals, Tyler Schaub gets to the finals and wins. I was pleased with those guys.”

The other finishers for Havre included Dane Flammond, who finished second after losing in the finals at 138 pounds, Jordan Schroeder, who lost in the finals at 182, as well as Gunner Aageson and John Chinadle, who each came in third at 145 and 170 pounds, respectively.

“Jordan has come on and done a job for us,” Filius said. “He is still missing some matches but he has really helped there. It’s been nice, we have been shuffling guys in and out of 170 to 182 all year so having

Championship Matches 103 - Ryan Stewart, Hav, dec. Bridger Grover, Fer, 6-2. 113 - Sawyer Degen, Bel, mdec. Caleb Birdwell, Fer, 10-2. 120 - Keegan Kennelly, Hav, pin Dylan Stewart, Hav, 5:26. 126 - Logan Pleninger, Hav, mdec. Chase Farrar, Fer, 10-1. 132 - Grayson Brenna, Hav, tech fall Jazz Schroeder, Hav, 150. 138 - Jarrett Degen, Bel, pin Dane Flammond, Hav, 3:10. 145 - Parker Filius, Hav, tech fall Alex Wickens, Fer, 15-0. 152 - Kody Pribyl, Hav, pin, Wyatt Blythe, Fer, 1:01. 160 - Jace Stokes, Hav, pin, Deon Gillen, Park, 3:13. 170 - Tyler Shaub, Hav, mdec. Cody Lucke, Brown, 9-0. 182 - Devin Blythe, Fer, dec. Jordan Schroeder, Hav, 7-0. 205 - Jace Billy, Hav, pin, Grady Blewett, Bel, 2:31.

Hwt - Travis Adams, Hav, pin, Bryce Blumenschein, Bel, 3:12.

Third Place 103 - Jared Rockwell, Bel, winner. 113 - Brandon Rockwell, Bel, pin Trevor James, Brown, 2:24. 120 - Emmit Augare, Brown, pin Connor Goddard, Park, 2:24. 126 - Austin New Breast, Brown, pin Haden Mushrush, Park, 4:18. 132 - Issac Wippert, Brown, mdec. Victor Howieson, Park, 13-0. 138 - Darren Houle, Brown, pin, Jordan Moody, Fer, :52. 145 Gunnar Aageson, Hav, pin, Brady Boyce, Fer, 2:17. 152 - Quinton Dirette, Park, pin, Justin New Breast, Brown, 3:29. 160 - Hayden Van Winkle, Bel, pin, Bradley Denton, Fer, 3:34. 170 - John Chinadle, Hav, pin, Ty Shepardson, Park, 2:12. 182 - Raven Cunningham, Bel, pin Hector Bennett, Bel, 2:38.

205 - Peter Townes, Park, pin, Anthony Butcher, Fer, 1:27. Hwt - Kolton Wippert, Brown, pin, Terydon Hall, Brown, 4:26.

Preview: I like where we're at right now, the kids are loose and they are focused ■ From Page 6 would be a big thing. We have more seniors than we did last year, and we have worked hard for each other. I know we are all willing to put in the effort to make it happen."

From top to bottom, Havre has as good a team as any in Class A and that is why the Ponies are largely expected to come away with a third straight team championship. The

mission to do just that begins Friday at 10 a.m., in the Metra and will continue through Saturday until a champion is crowned.

"I like where we're at right now,

the kids are loose and they are focused," coach Filius said. "People want to come out and determine if the brackets are good or bad but all year you don't get to see the

brackets. So, we are just going to work hard and have fun. We have 16 kids and if they wrestle anywhere near their potential, we will be just fine."

History: Realize that you are witnessing history and you're witnessing greatness ■ From Page 7 ships, become four-time state champions and help their team achieve the highest level of success that a team can achieve in the great sport of wrestling. My suggestion is, be a

part of it all.

And lastly, don’t take this weekend for granted. Make sure to stop and realize what you’re really seeing when you watch the Blue Ponies

this weekend. Realize that you’re witnessing history and you’re witnessing greatness. Because no matter who wins and who loses this weekend, and whether the Ponies

win their third state championship in a row, or not, you, as Havre wrestling fans, are witnessing something extremely special — the Havre High wrestling program at the pinnacle

of one of the greatest runs in Montana high school wrestling history.

I’m not complaining this time around, but I sure wish I was going to be there.

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Blue Ponies out to defend Mining City title Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com After opening the 2014-15 wrestling season at home, the Havre Blue Ponies will take their show on the road this week to take part in two separate events in Butte.

The Ponies, who are the two-time defending state champions in Class A, finished second at the Havre Invitational a week ago, despite seven wrestlers posting top two finishes.

Therefore, HHS is eager to get back on the mats this week and will do so today in the Butte Central Mixer.

The mixer is a one-day event where every wrestler from each team is promised two matches. In addition to Havre and host Butte Central, Corvallis, Anaconda, Columbia Falls, Hamilton and Stevensville will all be in attendance. The action will get underway tonight at 6.

"It's hard to tell how you are going to do because the schedule is mixed up and you don't really dual any one team and you don't know who you are going to be up against," HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

"But, Corvallis generally has some pretty scrappy kids. Anaconda last year had some tough kids, and we will also run into some good individuals."

The Havre lineup, which consists of three individual state champions from a season ago will get a boost this week with the return of sophomore Parker Filius, who did not wrestle at the Havre Invitational due to a lingering ankle injury. He will be back in the lineup this week at 145 pounds and will lead the way for HHS along with Jase Stokes at 170 pounds and Jace Billy at 205 pounds, who are each reigning state champions and first-place finishers a week ago.

The rest of the Havre lineup will also present a challenge to opponents from top to bottom, starting with Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds and Keegan Kennelly at 120 pounds, who also won his weight class at the Havre Invitational and placed second at state a season ago.

Grayson Brenna is coming off a second-place finish at the Havre Invite and will again wrestle at 132 pounds this week, followed by Dane Flammond at 138 pounds and

Kody Pribyl, who finished second last weekend at 152 pounds. Gunner Aageson, one of the few seniors in the Havre lineup, will wrestle at 160 pounds this week and at 182 pounds will be Tyler Schaub. Both Aageson and Schaub notched third-place finishes at the Havre Invitational.

Rounding out the lineup for the Ponies this week will be Travis Adams, who won the heavyweight class at the Havre Invitational and was also a second-place finisher at state last season.

After wrestling tonight in the Butte Central Mixer, the Ponies will continue their busy weekend by defending their title in the annual Mining City Duals, which features a number of top teams from Class AA and A such as Great Falls High, CMR, Butte High, Billings Skyview and Sidney among others.

The two-day tournament is essentially a tournament of duals, which begins Friday with the preliminary rounds. Havre will open the tournament against CMR at 10 a.m. Friday. Then, they will wrestle Billings Senior at 1 p.m., followed by Anaconda at 5 p.m.

"This weekend is probably the biggest growing experience of the year for our kids, just because you get the whole team sitting their cheering for you and the kids learn to compete for six minutes and that makes it really fun,” Filius said.

If the Ponies do well Friday, which they have for years now, they will advance to the winner's bracket Saturday, which will feature 12 teams. At that point, each dual is basically a single elimination round in the tournament and the schools will wrestle off in duals until a champion is crowned.

"You want your kids to progress but you want to win it, too," Scott Filius said. "We were able to win the thing last year and we would like to win it again. You got some other teams that are just as deep and experienced, so it seems like with every dual at this tournament, you are upping the intensity and if the kids can match that, it makes it a lot of fun."

Havre will start its weekend tonight in the Butte Central Mixer at 6 p.m. Then the Ponies will compete in the Mining City Duals Friday and Saturday.

Semifinals

103 – Ryan Stewart (H) by forfeit; 113 – Wyatt Vanburen (S) by forfeit; 120 – Dylan Stewart (H) pin Waylon Vanburen, 3:23; 126 – Gresh

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

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Wrestling fans witnessing history From the Fringe...

George Ferguson Sports Editor

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Gunner Aageson, right, and the Havre High wrestling team is in Butte for three days of competition, including Friday and Saturday's Mining City Duals, where the Blue Ponies are the defending champions.

■ From Page 24 Havre 40, Sidney 30

February 2015

Already a dynasty, the Blue Ponies can climb higher this weekend

Butte: scores continued asse, :57; 182 – Randy Keesler (GF) pin Tyler Schaub, 3:40; 205 – Jase Billy (H) pin Pierceston Crawford, :13; HWT – Travis Adams (H) pin Colten Rue-Zindell, 1:58

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Jones (S) pin Logan Pleninger, 1:51; 132 – Grayson Brenna (H) pin Brady Gorder, 1:22; 138 – Ethan Graves (S) dec. Dan Flammond, 4-2; 145 – Parker Filius (H) pin Bridger Coffmann, :35; 152 – Ryan Chatterton (S) pin Gunnar Aageson, 1:54; 160 – Kody Pribyl (H) dec.

Doug Rooney, 11-6; 170 – Cody Johnson (S) dec. Jase Stokes, 5-1; 182 – Cody Christian (S) pin Tyler Schaub, 1:11; 205 – Jace Billy (H) pin Hunter Severson, 2;22; HWT – Travis Adams (H) pin Christian Gomez, 3:00

Notes: Havre was awarded an additional team point because of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Also, no other dual results were made available to the media.

For the past two years, on this very day, I’ve sat in front of a computer screen and basically whined about not being able to go cover the annual All-Class state wrestling tournament. Now, here I am again, thinking about the same exact thing.

But, I promised myself I wouldn’t do it. I promised myself I wouldn’t complain about the fact that for the third straight year, I won’t be inside the Rimrock Auto Arena Friday and Saturday covering what I consider to be the biggest sporting event in Montana each year outside of the annual Cat-Griz football game.

No, I won’t be in Billings because trusty Havre Daily News’ sports writer Chris Peterson, along with our outstanding photographer, Jake Shane, will be. They will be on the scene covering all of the Havre High, Chinook, Harlem, Chester/JI and Big Sandy action as it unfolds this weekend.

No, I’ll be here because I know Chris and Jake will do a great job and because there’s plenty for me to do at home. There’s a lot of basketball and hockey that still needs to be covered, and that’s what I’ll be doing when I’m not staring at the computer watching all of the wrestling results come in from Billings.

But while I’m here in Havre, I know many of you reading this will be in Billings. And since many of you will be there, instead of whining about it, I want to take this opportunity to make sure you all understand what you’re seeing while you’re down there this weekend.

What you are seeing, as it relates to the Havre Blue Ponies, is ongoing history being written. You’re seeing a dynasty continue and you’re seeing the record books being re-written.

Under Scott Filius, Havre has won nine Class A state team titles, and countless individual state championships. If the Blue Ponies prevail this weekend, and they’re heavy favorites to do just that, they’ll rack up their 10th team title since 1997. That number alone is staggering, and many programs around the state would like to say they won maybe one or two. But Havre is simply on another plane

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High's Jace Billy has his arms raised after winning a 2014 Class A state wrestling championship last February in Billings. Billy, now a senior, is already part of the Blue Ponies’ becoming one of the greatest wrestling programs in Montana history. And he and the Ponies will seek even more magical moments at the 2015 All-Class State Tournament, which runs Friday and Saturday in Billings. right now, and the 2014-15 team is on the verge of writing the latest chapter in what is becoming a long and storied novel in the annauls of Montana high school wrestling history.

Think about this. When I started covering the Blue Ponies in 2002, Havre was coming off its most recent state title, the 2001 championship. That was Filius’ third as head coach. At the time, few thought it would take five years to win another one, as good as Havre was, but the Blue Ponies did have to sit back

and watch the great Sidney program rattle off four straight titles.

However, during that run, it wasn’t like Havre fell off the map either. In both 2005 and 2006, the Ponies finished second to the Eagles, and the next year, the Ponies started their own four-peat. Havre captured state titles from 2007-2010, equaling Sidney’s record run.

And the Ponies have never slowed down. Yes, they finished second in 2011 and third in 2012, but now they’re on the verge of their second three-peat under Filius, and

what’s more remarkable, if Havre finishes in the top three this weekend, which would take a disaster not to happen, the Ponies will have earned a trophy at the state tournament for an incredible 11 straight years.

To do something like that, to be one of the three best wrestling teams in the state for over a decade, that’s not luck. A run like that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes an incredible amount of effort and dedication and hard work, from the wrestlers, the coaches, the

parents, the managers, and anyone else involved with the program.

And that’s exactly what Havre has had the last decade and even longer under Filius. Yes, the Blue Ponies have had great coaches before, including the legendary Walt Currie and Jerry Vandersloot to name a couple. But right now, under Filius, Havre’s program, its run of excellence is standing almost alone. Not even the great years from Sidney can match what Havre has achieved in wrestling, and if it weren’t for Butte High’s near stranglehold on Class AA’s mats from 1980-2003 when the Bulldogs won a mind-boggling 17 state championships, including an incredible 13 in a row, Havre would already stand alone as perhaps the greatest and most consistent wrestling program in Montana history.

But no matter where the Blue Ponies rank in Montana high school wrestling history right now, it doesn’t change the fact that Havre High’s wrestling program is special. Even if Havre never gets to the bar that those great Butte High teams set, it doesn’t change the fact that the Ponies have already earned their place on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling programs in Treasure State history. And in Class A, there’s no denying, Havre stands alone right now.

I’ll admit, all of those years of driving through blizzards and icy roads from Havre to Billings, it never, ever got old. The state wrestling tournament is special in so many ways, but when you cover the team that comes out on top, and when it’s you’re alma mater, it’s even that much better. But at times, I often wondered, can Havre really keep this going? Can they keep being the best, year after year? Well, that question, no matter the outcome this weekend, has already been answered. Because for the last decade, the Blue Ponies, under Filius, have been the best wrestling program in Montana. That debate is over.

Now it’s the 2015 team’s turn to keep answering that question. Now, it’s this Havre team’s turn to write their own page in this fairy tale of high school wrestling.

And for all you fans making the trip, my suggestion would be, soak it all in. Experience everything there is to experience this weekend in Billings. Watch all the matches, meet all the fans from other towns, experience history as kids put all their hard work on the line to do things like win state champion-

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Blue Ponies go after a 3-peat Havre goes to Billings with one goal and with plenty of firepower Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

For the Havre High wrestling team, the wait is finally over. After more than two months of hard work and anticipation, the All-Class state wrestling meet has finally arrived and the Blue Ponies now have the chance to make their mark in the history books by winning yet another Class A state championship.

In 2013 and 2014, the Ponies walked away from the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings as state champions. And they will begin their quest to do so for a third consecutive season Friday at 10 a.m. The action will continue through Saturday, with the championship matches set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

For Havre, which has been ranked No. 1 all season long, winning state championships is nothing new. In fact, HHS has racked up a total of 11 state championships in its history, nine under current head coach Scott Filius. But with each year comes new challenges and that's why the desire to win a third straight title and a seventh in nine years exists so strongly among the Ponies.

"You know, I don't look at it like that," Filius said. "This year would be nice. That's the year we're on. We want to win this year, I don't know where that puts us in the relation to the others but we want to win this year."

While the Ponies are the favorite to win state again, there is no shortage of challengers, yet the team that poses the biggest challenge to Havre's supremacy is Sidney.

The Eagles are the secondranked team in Class A and boast arguably the best high

school wrestler in Montana in Gresh Jones, who will be shooting for a fourth straight individual title Saturday night.

"It's us and Sidney," Filius said. "Sidney is tough.

We wrestled them in a dual earlier in the year. They have been a guy behind, but all year long they have been at tough tournaments, the kids are well-coached and they are a class act. They work really hard and it's always fun to compete against them because they do it the right way."

In addition to Jones, Trace Jones also returns after winning an individual state title for the Eagles last season and on top of that, Sidney also boasts two other topranked wrestlers in Ryan Chatterton at 152 pounds and Cody Johnson at 170 pounds.

Overall, the Eagles will bring 11 ranked wrestlers into the Metra, trailing only Havre, which has a total of 12.

Another team that should contend is Columbia Falls, which will bring 17 wrestlers into the field, more than any other school, including the Ponies, who will have 16. Yet, the Wildcats are not only about quantity, they also have some quality as well, especially Shonn Roberts, who is currently the second-ranked wrestler in the 138-pound weight class after winning an individual title at 126 pounds a season ago.

Other teams that have a chance to walk away with some hardware Saturday night include Corvallis, Dillon, Laurel and Hardin.

However, there is still no team that can quite match the depth and talent of the Ponies, who feature 12 ranked wrestlers coming into the meet but also nine individuals that placed at state in 2014, including three returning state champions in Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Jace Billy.

"We are taking 16 kids (down to Billings) and they all have an opportunity to place," Filius said. "Some of them might have an easier road than others but I hon-

estly believe that every kid we have has that ability."

In addition to the veterans Havre returns, the team will also bring three freshmen to state, headlined by Ryan Stewart, the No. 2 wrestler at 103 pounds. Stewart has put together a solid rookie campaign with a 24-17 record.

Last weekend he captured the Central A divisional title in his weight class, giving him plenty of momentum heading into his first state appearance. The Ponies will be open as they have all season at 113 pounds but will feature two wrestlers at 120 pounds that placed at state a season ago. Keegan Kennelly, who notched a second-place finish in 2014 and after posting a 24-5 record is currently ranked second is one of them.

Yet, senior Dylan Stewart, who was 22-5 this season and finished fifth at state a season ago, will also be a contender in the weight class, and has a wealth of state tourney experience.

At 126 pounds, the Ponies will have another veteran returning in Logan Pleninger, who finished third at state a season ago and has been ranked second behind only Gresh Jones for much of the year. Pleninger finished with a 30-7 record and should place but will need to get past Jones in the semifinals if he wants to win his first individual title.

At 132 pounds, the Ponies should do well, considering they have senior Grayson Brenna in that spot, who was 41-3 this season and has placed at state three times, including an individual title in 2013. Brenna has arguably been one of the best grapplers in all of Montana this winter. However, Brenna will be joined at 132 pounds by freshman Jazz Schroeder, who took second at divisionals to Brenna a week ago and was 5-5 during the year. At 138 pounds, the Ponies will have another up-and-comer in Dane Flammond, who finished with a 24-14 record on the season and a secondplace finish at divisionals. He will come into meet ranked

No.4.

Then, at 145 pounds, Havre will again feature two wrestlers, including Parker Filius, who was 27-4 on the season and is gunning for a second straight individual title. He is the top-ranked wrestler in a weight-class that will also feature senior Gunner Aageson, who is unranked coming in but boasts a solid record 24-16.

At 152 pounds will be another Havre stalwart in junior Kody Pribyl, who has twice placed at state and was fourth as an individual a season ago. He enters the tournament ranked third and has an overall record of 32-13.

In the 160-pound weight class, the Ponies will have one of their top wrestlers in action as top-ranked Jase Stokes, who was a stellar 36-5 during

the season, shoots for a second straight individual title in his sophomore season. At 170 pounds, the Ponies will feature promising freshman Tyler Schaub, who won a divisional title last weekend and posted a record of 22-15 during the season. He enters the meet ranked No. 6.

Yet, he will not be alone in that weight class for Havre as John Chinadle will also wrestle there for the Ponies.

Chinadle, is a senior who is unranked but has a 15-6 record.

Another senior set to be in the lineup for the Ponies is Jordan Schroeder, who missed much of the year due to injury but has come on strong of late. He finished second at divisionals and won 10 of 12 matches since coming back in January.

The final senior in the lineup for Havre, is top-ranked Jace Billy, who is a returning state champion who will compete for Havre at 205 pounds. He owns a win-loss record of 29-4. And last, but certainly not least, is junior Travis Adams, who was 40-3 this season. Adams is the top ranked heavyweight in Class A and finished second after losing in the finals to his brother Tyler Adams a year ago.

"Each person is going to have work as hard as they can," Adams said. "We need to wrestle as individuals and take each match one at a time. I am as motivated as I have been the last two years (to win an individual title).

But a team championship

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A Battle of Blue in Havre Blue Ponies edged by GFH Bison in season-opening Havre Wrestling Invitational Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com As always, the Havre Invitational was an extremely competitive wrestling meet to open the 2014-15 season for the Havre Blue Ponies and other local area teams. That fact was a given.

And so was a battle between the defending state champions in both Class A and Class AA, as Havre and Great Falls High fought it out for first place in a showdown that lived to expectations Saturday afternoon at the HHS gymnasium.

Despite being the home team, the Ponies could not quite defeat Great Falls High and finished second, barely losing to a Bison team that racked up 230 points compared to the 223 points Havre was able to score. CMR finished third with 179.5 points and Lewistown was a distant fourth with 111 points.

The Bison had an incredible 14 wrestlers finish in the top six in the tournament, with five wrestlers coming away with individual titles.

Great Falls also had three wrestlers finish second, two in third, three in fourth and one in fifth.

Yet, the Ponies, who finished second, actually had more wrestlers make it into the top six with five individual champions, two secondplace finishers, three in third place, two in fourth, one in fifth and three in sixth. HHS was also without one of its biggest guns, sophomore Parker Filius, who is sidelined with an injury.

"I thought the kids wrestled good, you have to get the first weekend under your belt whether it's good or bad and I am pleased with it," HHS head coach Scott Filius said.

"We had a lot of matches that we turned around today from yesterday (Friday)."

The biggest turnaround of the day came from Havre sophomore Jase Stokes, who was able to knock off Garrett Chapel of Libby, an individual state champion at 170 pounds last year, by pinning him in 2:16.

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre High's Logan Pleninger, left, takes Butte Central's Clay Stillwagon down during the Havre Invitational 126-pound championship match Saturday afternoon at the HHS gymnasium. Pleninger was one of five champions for the Blue Ponies. For full results, see Page B3.

The win was significant for Stokes for two reasons. The first was that Stokes moved up to 170 pounds this year after winning a state championship at a lower weight a year ago.

The second was the fact that Chapel handily defeated Stokes in roundrobin action Friday.

"The first match I couldn't really do anything on top and so in the second match I just got that cradle in tight and put it away," Stokes said.

"He beat me pretty bad like 15-4 or something like that, so I was motivated to come back and beat him. It feels really good, and it was a good way to start the season.

"He didn't wrestle his best (on Friday)," Filius said of Stokes. "He wrestled much better today."

In addition to Stokes, Havre had four other wrestlers who finished first in their respective weight classes, headlined by defending state champion Jace Billy, who pinned Kevin Young of Chinook in 2:22 to

win the 205-pound weight class.

Keegan Kennelly, who finished second at state a season ago, got his season off to a solid start taking first prize in the 120-pound weight class for Havre, after pinning Keaton An-

PONIES derson of Cut Bank in 2:50. Logan Pleninger also finished first for the Ponies at 126 pounds, by way of a 7-4 decision over Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central. Pleninger beat Stillwagon, a two-time defending state champ twice on the weekend.

Havre's other individual champion was Travis Adams, who pinned

all three of his opponents Saturday en route to the final, where he pinned Justin Pfiefer of Cut Bank to wrap up the heavyweight championship.

Yet, the most exciting match of the day was between Jarren Kormac of Great Falls and Grayson Brenna of Havre. The two battled it out for four extra-overtime sessions before Komac was finally able to score the winning point, giving himself the win thanks to a 1-0 decision. Both Komac and Brenna are two of the top individual wrestlers in Montana, and they’ll go head-to-head many more times this season.

The only other Pony to finish second besides Brenna was junior Kody Pribyl, who was pinned by Gage Bentley of Great Falls in 5:06.

HHS also boasted three wrestlers who finished in third place with

Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, Dylan Stewart at 126 pounds and Tyler Schaub at 182 pounds.

Ryan Stewart notched a fourthplace finish at 103 pounds as did JayR Caplette at 182 pounds. Dane Flammond finished fifth at 138 pounds, and rounding things out for Havre were John Chinadle, Brian Ramirez and Eddy Ducharme, who each finished sixth at 182 pounds, 205 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

"Right now we are a little behind where I would like us to be," Filius said. "But even if we were farther ahead I would want to be even more ahead anyways, so that's continuous."

The Ponies will be back in action quickly as they will head to Butte Thursday to compete in the Butte Central Mixer before taking part in the Mining City Duals Friday and Saturday.

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On the mat: Havre Invite starts the season Blue Ponies, Bison headline a strong field at seasonopening Havre Invitational Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

There is no better signal that the winter sports season is beginning in Havre than when the Havre High wrestling team hosts the Havre Invitational. And as hard as it might be to believe, that day is already here.

The Blue Ponies, who are the two-time defending Class A State wrestling champions, will officially begin the defense of their title today as the 2014 Havre Invitational, inside the HHS gymnasium, kicks off the 2014-15 wrestling season.

Havre will welcome a number of top-notch opponents to the invitational and with the Ponies and Great Falls High both scheduled to be in attendance, it will feature both the Class A and Class AA state champions from a season ago. The Chinook Sugarbeeters, who were the runner-up in Class C last season will also be competing as will the Class AA CMR Rustlers, coached by former Blue Pony Erin Jensen.

The meet will also be the first time that the new Montana High School Association weight classes will be unveiled, as the governing body of high school sports in Montana decided, along with the coaches, to drop the total number of weight classes from 15 down to 13.

The change boils down to four weight classes being combined into two. First, the 98-pound class and the 105-pound class were combined to make the 103-pound weight class. Then, the 195-pound class and the 220-pound class were combined to make another weight class at 205 pounds.

Overall, the move should make things more competitive because it will cause fewer forfeits, especially among smaller schools, but it's only effect on the Ponies will be fewer opportunities to gain victories and points.

"We have always had a

pretty deep program, and we were always able to fill those weight classes," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "So, it will hurt us a little bit, but I didn't fight it because I think it will make things more competitive and more competition is always better."

Regardless of the changes, the 2014 Ponies look to be as strong as ever, boasting three returning individual state champions in Parker Filius, Jace Billy and Jase Stokes, as well as a pair of secondplace finishers in Travis Adams and Keegan Kennelly.

HHS also returns Logan Pleninger, Kody Pribyl and Grayson Brenna, who each placed in the top four at the Class A State meet a season ago.

Yet, with each season brings changes and that means that Parker Filius, Billy and Stokes will also be wrestling at new weights this season at 145 pounds, 205 pounds and 170 pounds, respectively.

The rest of the Havre lineup will be finalized this weekend, but as of now it will include Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Kennelly at 120 pounds, Pleninger at 126 pounds, Brenna at 132 pounds, Pribyl at 152 pounds, Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, John Chinadle at 182 pounds and Adams in the heavyweight division.

One of the few spots still up for grabs in the HHS lineup is at 138 pounds, where Dane Flammond, Jazz Schroeder and T.J. Lovenguth will be competing for that spot.

Pleninger will also get a challenge at 126 pounds from senior Dylan Stewart.

Heading into the opening meet of the season, coach Filius isn’t so worried about the results, but is looking more just to see where his team is at and how they have responded to their training so far this season.

"The biggest thing that I want to see is whether or not we are in good enough shape to wrestle for six minutes," Filius said. "That is the first thing that we need to do.

Then you can start scoring points in the middle and on the edge, but the first thing you need to do is make sure you are in good enough shape to wrestle the whole match, so that's the biggest thing I'll be looking for. And we will use this weekend to wrestle off at a few weight classes."

Loaded: 16 Ponies looking for glory George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High sophomore Parker Filius, top, is a returning Class A state champion. Filius and the Blue Ponies open their 2014-15 season with the Havre Invitational, which runs today and Saturday at the HHS gymnasium.

Chinook is also going to bring some talented wrestlers to the meet, including Tate Niederegger, who was a second-place finisher in the Class B-C state meet a year ago and Jesse Dannels, who finished sixth at state. The Beeters will also bring other talented returners such as Kevin Young, Jake Norby, Kenneth Pruttis and Derek Bell.

"I don't think there is a better way to start the season," Chinook head coach Perry Miller said. "You get to compete against the Class AA and Class A champion as well as a number of other tough teams, so it really gives you an idea of where you stand."

The Harlem Wildcats will also be competing this weekend and will be brining Brendan Johnson at 160 pounds, Denton Cornell at 182 pounds, Franki Taylor at 126 pounds, JT Allen at 132 pounds and Holten Stiff Arm in the heavyweight division.

The other schools from along the Hi-Line that will be in action at the Havre Invitational are Big Sandy and Chester/J-I. The action will get underway today inside the HHS gymnasium and will continue Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m.

The Havre High wrestling team will walk into the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Billings Metra Friday morning as the two-time defending Class A state champions and the No. 1 team in Class A. Included in Friday morning’s Parade of Athletes will be three returning state champions for Havre and nine Ponies who placed at the state meet a year ago — not to mention 10 wrestlers who won divisional titles last weekend in Livingston.

Yes, Havre is a heavy favorite to capture the state championship for a third straight year. But, when it comes to the state tournament, things get a bit more complicated, no matter how much talent a team like Havre has. And while other teams in Class A, with the exception of Sidney, don’t have the firepower the Blue Ponies have, there’s always the individual talent that can make differences in what the outcome of a state tournament might end up being.

And make no mistake, the 2015 Class A state tournament is loaded with individual talent. There are 11 returning state champions in the field, and a record 15 wrestlers who have won at least one state title in their career. There’s also more than 30 grapplers who reached the medal stand a year ago, and, if that wasn’t enough, there will be a host of new faces ready to make a name for themselves this weekend in Billings.

Here’s a breakdown of all 16 Havre grapplers entered in this weekend’s Class A state tournament, by their weight class.

103 – Ryan Stewart (24-17) Stewart is a freshman, and the 103-pound class is the new combination weight class this year. The MHSA did away with 98 and 105 pounds, and went to 103 instead.

And, though he’s just a frosh, Stewart should have an excellent chance to reach the final. Frenchtown’s Caleb Bagnell is the only returning placer in the bracket, while Stewart just beat top-ranked Bridger Grover of Lewistown in the Central A final. Stewart opens the tourney against Miles City’s Kon Speelman.

113 – Open

132 – Grayson Brenna (41-3)

The Ponies have been open at 113 all season long. The bracket itself will be a dog fight, with defending 98-pound champ Sawyer Deegan of Belgrade and Sidney’s Wyatt Van Buren as the favorites. It would actually be a big help to HHS if Deegan, or anyone else in the field but Van Buren wins the state title.

Brenna has one mission this weekend – win a state title. He did that as a sophomore, but lost a heartbreaker to Jones in the 120-pound semis a year ago. Brenna has been the class of the 132-pound division all season long, ranked No. 1 and winning multiple titles. And he’s a heavy favorite this weekend. But it won’t be easy as his bracket includes former state champ Ethan Graves of Sidney, as well as returning state placers Clayton Carter of Laurel, Brent Tezak of Dillon and Tyler Isher of Frenchtown. Brenna’s quest begins with Anaconda’s Drew Vaughn.

120 – Keegan Kennelly (24-5) Kennelly, a junior, is a two-time state runnerup, including at 106 pounds last year. He’s been ranked one or two at 120 all season long, but he’ll again have a brutal road to his first state title. He’s on a collision course with defending 113-pound state champ Trace Jones of Sidney in the semifinals, while Dillon’s Kholtin Starkel, who beat Kennelly in the final a year ago, is on the other side of the draw. Frenchtown’s Cody Warner and Columbia Falls’ Mason Fetters add to what is one of the toughest brackets in the lower weights. Kennelly opens the state tourney with Sidney’s Jace Johnson.

120 – Dylan Stewart (22-5)

132 – Jazz Schroeder (5-5) Schroeder, a freshman, will be a wildcard in the bracket. The Ponies will count on him to get key points, and he should make some noise after a strong first season in Havre. Yes, the bracket is loaded, but he’s on the other side from the likes of Brenna and Graves, and if he can get by Corvallis’ Drew Schmitt in the first round, things will be wide open.

Stewart, ranked No. 6, is a two-time returning placer for the Ponies, including finishing fifth at 126 a year ago. He’s had a great senior season, and he should give Havre plenty of extra points with Kennelly at 120. Still, his road will be a tough one with such a loaded weight class, but of all the wrestlers in the bracket, Stewart is the one none of the top seeds should overlook. Stewart begins his state tourney against Billings Central’s Hunter Braaten.

sophomore. Filius cruised to the 138-pound title a year ago, and has been ranked No. 1 all this season. His bracket doesn’t have a single returning placer from a year ago, with Columbia Falls’ Colton Grove being the top contender. Filius begins his quest for a second straight state title against Hamilton’s Dustin Copeland.

is the defending 170-pound champ. So Schaub is in a bracket with two of the elite wrestlers in Class A. Schaub will wrestle his first-ever state tourney match against Libby’s Alex Yeadon.

145 – Gunnar Aageson (24-16)

Chinadle is also in the loaded 170-pound bracket, but together, he and Schaub could certainly rack up extra points for the Ponies.

Chinadle finished third at the Central A last week, and will open the tourney with a tough match against Polson’s Tele Seelman.

Aageson is making his fourth straight trip to state. He’s a returning placer and is also in the wide-open 145-pound class. He’s had a strong senior season, and it’s not out of the question that Aageson could wrestle his way into the final and face off against Filius. He begins his last state tourney against Anaconda’s Brevlin Thompson.

152 – Kody Pribyl (32-13) Pribyl had a strong showing at last year’s state tourney, finishing fourth at 145, and he’s been even better as a junior. Ranked No. 3 coming in, Pribyl is in a bracket with no returning state champs, though Sidney’s Ryan Chatterton was a runner-up last year and Libby’s Zach Crace is another strong contender, as is Butte Central’s Zach Hart. But Pribyl is on the opposite side of the draw from Chatterton and Crace, meaning a trip to final’s night is certainly within his grasp. He opens the tourney against Corvallis’ Baylee Burt.

160 – Jase Stokes (36-5)

126 – Logan Pleninger (30-7)

138 – Dane Flammond (24-14)

Pleninger is also a two-time returning state placer for the Ponies, having finished third at 113 a year ago. He’s been ranked No. 2 for most of the season, and has been brilliant against tough competition all year long. But, he’s also in one of the premier weight classes in the tournament, a class that includes Sidney star Gresh Jones, who’s on the verge of history and is headed to the University of Minnesota. If Jones wins Saturday night, he’ll join the rare four-time state champion club. The bracket also includes former two-time 98-pound state champ Clay Stillwagon of Butte Central, 2014 120-pound runner-up Chase Connor of Corvallis and Columbia Falls standout Haze Bell. Pleninger would see Jones in the semis, but he opens the bracket against Billings Central’s Dylan Neutgens.

A sophomore, Flammond is making his second state tourney trip. He finished second at the Central A behind two-time state champ Jarrett Deegan of Belgrade. The bracket features not only Deegan, but Columbia Falls’ Shonn Roberts who’s trying to become part of history as a four-time state champion. Corvallis’ Tyler Olson is another strong wrestler in the bracket, but Flammond not only has a good chance to place, but to at least reach the semifinals.

He faces Anaconda’s Jesse Cooper in the first round.

145 – Parker Filius (34-4) Filius is one of two Havre wrestlers with a chance to be a four-time state champion.

But in order to do that, he’s got to win as a

Stokes, like Filius, has a chance to be a four-timer, and in his sophomore season, he’s become one of the most dominant middle-weight wrestlers in Montana. Winning at 152 as a freshman, Stokes’ bracket this year is wide open, and he is a heavy favorite to repeat.

Corvallis’ Riley Jessop is the only returning state placer in the draw, while Sidney’s Doug Rooney is having a strong season. But make no mistake, this draw is Stokes’ for the taking. Stokes will wrestle Stevensville’s Mason Griffin in the first round.

170 – Tyler Schaub (22-15) Schaub, a freshman, won a Central A title last weekend. And there’s no question, he’s already good enough to get on the podium in his first state tourney appearance. But he’s in one of the premier brackets of the upper weights, a bracket that includes two defending state champions. Top-ranked Cody Johnson of Sidney won the 160-pound title a year ago, while Libby’s Garrett Chapel

170 – John Chinadle (15-8)

182 – Jordan Schroeder (10-2) If there is an award for comeback wrestler of the year, it should go to Schroeder. At one point, it looked like injuries had derailed his entire wrestling career, but in the last three weeks, he’s stormed back into competition.

His bracket is tough with returning state runner-up Cody Christian of Sidney, as well as returning state placers Connor Murdock of Hardin and Raven Cunningham of Belgrade, along with Central A champ Devan Blythe of Lewistown. But Schroeder might just be the guy no one wants to face this weekend. Schroeder will wrestle his first match at state since his sophomore year against Frenchtown’s Tristan Austin.

205 – Jace Billy (29-4) It shouldn’t be much of a sweat for Billy to conquer the new 205-pound weight class.

He’s ranked No. 1 and has been dominant all year, and he’s a returning state champion. So, if Billy wrestlers like he’s been wrestling all season, the rest of the field doesn’t stand much of a chance. Still, Hamilton’s Michael Bumgarner, Dillon’s Parker Tezak and Sidney’s Hunter Severson are all returning state placers. But Billy is the heavy favorite, no doubt. Billy begins his quest for a second straight state title against Travis Catina of Whitefish.

HWT – Travis Adams (40-3) Adams made a brilliant run to the 220-pound title match a year ago, losing to his older brother Tyler. As a junior, Adams has dominated the heavyweights across Montana, losing just three times all season. Adams is on the smaller side for a heavyweight, and Columbia Falls’ Spencer Ross and Sidney’s Christian Gomez are two threats, but Adams is definitely the big man to beat this weekend. He’ll begin his quest for a first individual title against Glendive’s Eli Marley.

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Havre and the Hi-Line showed me what I'd been missing Havre crowns five state champs, places a record 13, while Chinook adds to the fun with Class C title Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com BILLINGS — There is a saying about the Masters golf tournament that it’s a tradition unlike any other. Well, when it comes to high school sports in Montana, the All-Class State wrestling tournament is an event unlike any other.

I have to admit that before this weekend, I had never been to the state wrestling tournament at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings, never as a fan and never as a reporter. So, as I watched the spectacle that was state wrestling over the course of Friday and Saturday, I had to ask myself what took me so long to get here?

To be honest, I have never been a big fan of wrestling. Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed covering it, I just mean that I never followed it recreationally as a kid like I did football, basketball, baseball or even golf. Yet, when I worked for the Havre Daily News the first time around a few years back, I covered Havre High wrestling and grew to really enjoy the sport. It took me awhile to understand everything about it but, once I did, it was hard not get hooked.

I have respect for every single high school athlete, regardless of sport because being an athlete, no matter what the level, is not easy.

It takes hard work, sacrifice and dedication.

Yet, I tend to hold wrestlers in an even higher regard than most for a number of reasons.

Unlike in football or basketball, wrestlers are out there on an island, alone. Yes, it’s a team sport, but it really is a team of individuals.

Your teammates can’t help you when you get stuck in a cradle or are about to be pinned.

They can only stand by and watch you try desperately to fight your way out. It’s man-vsman, head-to-head and the kids that have the strength and courage to put themselves out there like that should be commended win or lose.

So as I walked into the Metra Friday morning and saw some 600 wrestlers, the best of the best, getting ready to put it on the line as Havre head coach Scott Filius said to me a short time ago, “n front of God and everybody,” I couldn’t help but be awe-struck.

The second you walk through the doors and see the thousands of fans pouring in from all over Montana, you can just feel how important it is. I’ve been to plenty of big-time sporting events — NFL games, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, major college football and each time you knew what a big deal it was the second you stepped foot into the stadium.

Friday, I got that same exact feeling when I found my way to the floor of the Metra As the weekend continued, that feeling grew stronger. I watched as the wrestlers of Havre

and Chinook and others from along the HiLine poured everything they had of themselves, their heart, their mind and their soul onto the mat in pursuit of victory. You could just sense the blood, the sweat, the tears and the sacrifice each individual made to get to state, which is why the victorious are so exalted and the defeated are so distraught.

Fortunately, the Blue Ponies, the team I am most familiar, with had fewer defeats than most as an incredible 13 of 16 wrestlers for Havre found their way to the podium Saturday night. Yet, even those that didn’t should hold their head high because they all scored points and for a while Saturday it appeared that the Class A state title race between Havre and Sidney could come down to a matter of just a few points.

In the end, it didn’t and the Ponies won a third consecutive state title with relative ease.

I don’t mean to say at all that it was easy, Havre just makes it look that way. For that matter, so did the Chinook Sugarbeeeters, who essentially wrapped up the Class C state championship by the close of business Friday. The Beeters brought seven to Billings and placed three. Yet again, everyone played a part. Every Beeter wrestler scored points and they all got it done, which capped an incredible sports year thus far for Chinook, which also made it to the Class C state football championship just a few months prior.

In my heart of hearts, I know I will never be a diehard wrestling fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great sport but I don’t see myself setting my DVR to record college wrestling matches anytime soon. But with that said, I’d be lying if I said that from the second the state tournament started, I wasn’t captivated.

In a world where sports have become so monetized and commercialized, it was refreshing to get back to the roots of athletic competition in its truest form. Yes, the stage was big and at times the moment was even bigger but, at the end of the day, all these kids wrestled because they love it, not for fame or fortune.

And when I saw a big, tough 18-year old kid smile from ear-to-ear like a little boy after winning a state title, I remembered exactly why I love sports so much.

The kids that achieved their goals in Billings wouldn’t trade that accomplishment and the feeling it gave them for anything. It’s priceless and something that can never, ever be taken away. That’s why it matters. And that’s why more than anything else, I hope my first state wrestling tournament is not my last. In fact, I’m determined to never miss it again, even if I have to pay my own way as a fan because watching all those kids compete at such a high level both for themselves and for each other, is more than worth the price of admission.

2015 Class A State Tournament Results TEAM SCORES 1, Havre 297; 2, Sidney 268; 3, Columbia Falls 154; 4, Belgrade 96; 5, Corvallis-Darby 93.5; 6, Polson 82; 7, Hardin 76; 8, Lewistown 72.5; 9, Dillon 71, 10, Laurel 70; 11, Glendive, 69; 12, Libby-Troy, 66; 13, Frenchtown-Alberton, 64.5; 14, HamiltonVictor, 51; Butte Central, 39.5; 16, Whitefish, 38; 18, Browning, 22; 19, Anaconda, 21; 20, Livingston, 13. 21, Miles City, 5; 22, Stevensville, 3.

Championship Round 103: Ben Stortz, DCG, dec. Bridger Grover, FELE, 8-3; 113: Sawyer Degen, BELG, p. Caleb Birdwell, FELE, 5:44; 120: Trace Jones, SIBA, dec. Kohltin Starkel, BCDT, 5-2; 126: Gresh Jones, SIBA, p. Haze Bell, COFA, :54; 132: Grayson Brenna, HAVR, maj. dec. Kaleb Gravelin, COFA, 11-3; 138: Jarrett Degen, BELG, p. Shonn Roberts, COFA, 5:36; 145: Parker Filius, HAVR, p. Gunnar Aageson, HAVR, 1:07; 152: Ryan Chatterton, SIBA, p.

Zach Hart, BUCE, :51; 160: Jase Stokes, HAVR, p. Doug Rooney, SIBA, 1:21; 170: Garret Chapel, LITR, p. Cody Johnson, :48182: Cody Christian, SIBA, maj. dec. Connor Murdock, HARD, 15-3; 205: Jace Billy, HAVR, p. Hunter Severson, SIBA, 3:48; 285: Travis Adams, HAVR, p. Bryce Blumenschein, BELG, 1:33.

Consolation Finals 103: Ryan Stewart, HAVR, dec. Kaleb Ripley, LAUR, 10-3; 113: Travis Kinn, DCG, maj. dec. Wyatt Van Buren, SIBA, 12-0; 120: Brenden Roan, HARD, p. Cody Warner, FRAL, 4:12; 126: Logan Pleninger, HAVR, dec. Clay Stillwagon, BUCE, 9-6; 132: Brent Tezak, BCDT, dec. Ethan Graves, SIBA, 4-3; 138: Dane Flammond, HAVR, dec. Parker Dean, SIBA, 3-1; 145: Colton Gove, COFA, dec. Jon Blanchard, FRAL, 8-3; 152: Zach Crace, LITR, dec. Kody Pribyl, HAVR, 5-4; 160: Riley Jessop, CODA, dec.

Tyler Kutzler, DCG, 7-4; 170: Cody Lucke, BROW, dec. Tyler Schaub, HAVR, 2-0; 182: Jordan Schroeder, HAVR, p. Sam Burdette, CODA, 1:44; 205: Michael Bumgarner, HAVI, p. Mike Corrigan, POLS, 1:37; 285: Spencer Ross, COFA, p. Christian Gomez, SIBA, 2:48.

Fifth Place 103: Mateo Quinones, POLS, dec. Caleb Bagnell FRAL, 9-4; 113: Cameron Brown, POLS, p. Eric LaFontaine, HARD, :50; 120: Keegan Kennelly, HAVR, p. Hunter Braaton, BICE, 1:52; 126:

132 – Grayson Brenna (State Champion)

160 – Jase Stokes (State Champion)

1st rd – pinned Drew Vaughn, ANA, :49; Quarterfinals – dec.

Ethan Graves, SID, 9-3; Semifinals – pinned Brent Tezak, DIL, :59; Championship – maj. dec. Kaleb Gravelin, CF, 11-3.

1st rd – pinned Mason Griffin, STV, 1:40; Quarterfinals – pinned Tyler Klapp, GLE, 3:29; Semifinals – pinned Riley Jessop, COR, 2:47; Championship – pinned Doug Rooney, SID, 1:21.

132 – Jazz Schroeder

170 – Tyler Schaub (4th Place)

Havre Individual Results

1st r d- pinned Drew Schmitt, COR, 4:34; Quarterfinal – pinned

by Clayton Carter, LAU, 5:16; Consolation 2nd rd – lost dec. Tyler Ishler, FTN, 4-3.

103 – Ryan Stewart (3rd Place)

138 – Dane Flammond (3rd Place)

1st rd – pinned Alex Yeadon, LIB, 3:21; Quarterfinals – maj. dec.

Brandon Becker, HAR, 20-7; Semifinals – lost maj. dec. Garrett Chapel, LIB, 13-3; Consolation Semis – dec. Tele Seelman, POL, 7-6; Consolation Final – lost dec. Cody Lucke, BRO, 2-0.

1st rd – pinned Kon Speelmon, MC, 1:04; Quarterfinals – pinned Austin Nelson, CF, :51; Semifinals – lost dec. Ben Stortz, GLE, 9-3; Consolation Semis – maj. dec. Caleb Bagnell, FTN, 10-1; Consolation Final – dec. Kaleb Ripley, LAU, 10-3.

1st rd – pinned Jesse Cooper, ANA, 4:34; Quarterfinals – dec. Pat Comstock, BLC, 4-1; Semifinals – lost maj. dec. Shonn Roberts, CF, 11-1; Consolation Semis – dec. Connor Ludwig, LAU, 6-0; Consolation Final – dec. Parker Dean, SID, 3-1.

120 – Keegan Kennelly (5th Place)

145 – Parker Filius (State Champion)

1st rd – maj. dec. Jace Johnson, SID, 9-1; Quarterfinals – dec.

Parker Adler, POL, 7-0; Semifinals – pinned by Trace Jones, SID, 3:19; Consolation Semis – pinned by Brendan Roan, HAR, 3:58; Fifth/Sixth – pinned Hunter Braaton, BLC, 1:52.

1st rd – pinned Dustin Copeland, HAM, :20; Quarterfinals – tech. fall John Blanchard, FTN, 17-1; Semifinals – pinned Robert Few, HAM, 1:29; Championship – pinned Gunnar Aageson, HAV, 1:07.

120 – Dylan Stewart

145 – Gunnar Aageson (2nd Place)

1st rd – pinned Hunter Braaten, BLC, 1:33; Quarterfinals – lost dec. Cody Warner, FTN, 7-5; Consolation 2nd rd – pinned Jace Johnson, SID, :35; Consolation 3rd rd – pinned by Brendan Roan, HAR, 3:40.

1st rd – pinned Brevlin Thompson, ANA, 1:48; Quarterfinals – pinned Colton Gove, CF, 4:12; Semifinals – pinned Alex Wickens, LEW, 1:37 – Championship – pinned by Parker Filius, HAV, 1:07.

126 – Logan Pleninger (3rd Place)

152 – Kody Pribyl (4th Place)

1st rd – pinned Dylan Neutgens, BLC, 1:35; Quarterfinals – pinned Brandon Bisch, ANA, 1:53; Semifinals – lost dec. Gresh Jones, SID, 9-0; Consolation Semis – maj. dec. Brady Gorder, SID, 9-0; Consolation Final – dec. Clay Stillwagon, BC, 9-6.

1st rd – maj. dec. Baylee Burt, COR, 12-3; Quarterfinals – dec.

Patrick Toyne, HAR, 7-3; Semifinals – lost dec. Zach Hart, BC, 5-3; Consolation Semis – dec. Patrick Griffin, DIL, 9-3; Consolation Final – lost dec. Zach Crace, LIB, 5-4.

Chase Conner, CODA, p. Brady Gorder, SIBA, 2:47; 132: Clayton Carter, LAUR, dec. Tyler Ishler, FRAL, 5-0; 138: Pat Comstock, BICE, dec. Connor Ludwig, LAUR, 6-5; 145: Alex Wickens, FELE, dec. Robert Few, HAVI, 6-4; 152: Patrick Griffin, BCDT, dec.

Manny Rivera, HAVI, 12-9; 160: Judah Prestegaard, WHIT, won by injury default; 170: John Preller, LAUR, dec. Tele Seemann, POLS, 3-2; 182: Devin Blythe, FELE, dec. Philip Whitney, HAVI, 6-0; 205: Parker Tezak, BCDT, dec. Grady Blewett, BELG, 6-4; 285: Luke Channer, CODA, p. Cole Schmitt, CODA, 3:37

170 – John Chinadle 1st rd – pinned by Tele Seeman, POL, 5:27; Consolation 1st rd – pinned Chris Carson, DIL, :53; Consolation 2nd rd – pinned Brandon Becker, HAR, 2:20; Consolation 3rd rd – lost dec. John Preller, LAU, 7-2.

182 – Jordan Schroeder (3rd Place) 1st rd – pinned Tristan Austin, FTN, :55; Quarterfinals – pinned Phillip Whitney, ANA, :45; Semifinals – pinned by Connor Murdock, HAR, 5:33; Consolation Semis – dec. Devin Blythe, LEW, 8-5 OT; Consolation Final – pinned Sam Burdette, COR, 1:44.

205 – Jace Billy (State Champion) 1st rd – pinned Travis Catina, WF, :41; Quarterfinals – dec. Parker Tezek, DIL, 8-2; Semifinals – pinned Mike Corrigan, POL, 2:57; Championship – pinned Hunter Severson, SID, 3:48.

HWT – Travis Adams (State Champion) 1st rd – pinned Eli Marley, GLE, :36; Quarterfinals – tech. fall Cole Schmitt, COR, 16-1; Semifinals – pinned Spencer Ross, CF, 1:20; Championship – pinned Bryce Blumenschein, BEL, 1:33.

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Havre Invite will be first look at new weights George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor For the second straight season, the Montana High School Association is changing weight classifications for wrestling Starting with this weekend’s season-opening tournaments around the state, there will be 13 weight classes in MHSA sanctioned wrestling competition. The change comes just one year after MHSA member schools adopted the National Federation's weight classes with the exception of keeping the 98-pound class for a total of 15 weight divisions.

The debate among wrestling coaches around the state to drop two weight classes for the upcoming season centered mostly around many programs’ inability to match rival teams in dual competition. This past season saw many, many forfeits in dual meets, and the elimination of two weight classes should change that some.

The MHSA board sent out a survey to the schools who offered wrestling asking an administrator to talk to the wrestling coach and vote on the amended weight classes of 13.

When the schools returned their survey to the MHSA, 84 percent responded and 91 were in favor of the proposal to go to 13 weight classes. On May 15, the MHSA executive board took action to go from 15 to 13.

"We will see an increase in the level of competition throughout the state," said Chinook head coach Perry Miller. "We will see a lot more competition at the top and bottom end of the weight classes."

With the new format, the weight classes for the 2014-15 season will be, 103, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 205 and heavyweight (285). Last year's weight classes were: 98, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and heavyweight (285). So basically, the coaches decided to combine 98 and 106 pounds

into a 103-pound weight class, with the same being true for 195 pounds and 220 pounds becoming the 205-pound weight class.

For nine-time state champion Havre, filling out a dual lineup has never been an issue, no matter the structure of weight classes.

Some years, the Ponies might be open at one or two weights, but for the past few seasons, they have run into rival teams who are open at six or seven different weight classes. The structure should give teams like Lewistown, Livingston and many B-C schools a chance to field more competitive dual teams, and teams like the Ponies might not have to see so many of their own wrestlers not get matches at duals and dual tournaments.

For teams like the highly-successful Sugarbeeters, that’s the idea.

Miller said that for a school like Chinook, there are eight to 15 wrestlers on the whole team most seasons. However, with 13 weight classes the Sugarbeeters will be able to compete in a dual or dual tourney.

"The bottom line is we may have open weight classes, but can match them up and get a competitive dual," Miller said.

The forfeitures even go beyond dual tournaments.

Forfeits have become rampant in even Class A divisional and state tournaments. One way Class A is looking to remedy that is going to only two divisional tournaments, an East Divisional and a West Divisional. That proposal is being discussed this summer. But changing weight classes is another way coaches hope to make Class A and B-C divisional tournaments, where teams have smaller numbers, much more competitive. This past season at the state tournament, there were two open spots in Class AA at 98 pounds, six in A and five in B-C. At 106, there were two open spots in AA, five in A and two in B-C. At 220, there were three open slots in AA, one in A and zero

Havre Daily News/File Photo Jess Dannels, right, and the Chinook Sugarbeeters will take part in this weekend's season-opening Havre Invitational. The meet will be the first meet under the new weight class system. in B-C. In AA, there were two openings at heavyweight.

"The coaches have determined it. They are down in the trenches," said MHSA executive director Mark Beckman. "Looking at the weight classes and taking 98 and 106 and combining it to 103, there were problems in filling

those weight classes and to eliminate some of the forfeitures is where they were looking at it and their administration agrees. We need to at least try this. The same thing with combining 195 and 220 to 205. They have done a lot of

research."

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Hungry for More

Havre High wrestling team is loaded yet again Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com The word dynasty sometimes gets thrown around a bit loosely in sports, but when it comes to the Havre High wrestling team, there really is no other way to describe its success over the last 17 years other than to call it what it is — a dynasty.

Since 1997, HHS has won nine Class A State championships under head coach Scott Filius, two of which came in 2013 and 2014, when the Ponies captured back-to-back titles. Now, armed with three defending individual state champions and seven returning wrestlers who finished in the top three at state a year ago, the Ponies have their sights set on a three-peat for just the second time in school history.

“I think that at the start of the year, everyone has the goal of being an individual state champ or winning a team state championship,” Filius said. “I don’t really get caught up in doing it year-to-year or anything like that. I think you start out each season the same. You have the same goal and try to achieve it and then everything just takes care of itself.”

Of course, if the Ponies are going to win their third consecutive state title, it would put them in elite company, but surprisingly it would be the third time in the last 17 years that a team has been able to pull off the feat.

The first to do it in that time was the Sidney Eagles, who have been the Ponies’ biggest rival for the past 17 seasons and are second behind Havre with five state championships since 2000, including four in a row from 2003-2006.

After Sidney went on their run, Havre went on a four-year run of its own, capturing the state title in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Laurel and Corvallis managed to sneak away with championships in 2011 and 2012 before the Ponies returned to dominance two years ago. In all, HHS has won six of the last eight titles in Class A and shows no signs of slowing down.

“We got a great group of kids,” Filius said. “They work really hard, they have wrestled together for a long time now. They travel well together, they compete well together.

They also do a very good job in the class room. They are just a great

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Ponies crown five on finals night Havre once again steals the show on finals night with six in and five state champions Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre High's Grayson Brenna, top, battles Sidney's Gresh Jones at the 2014 Class A state tournament last February in Billings. Brenna, a senior, and the Blue Ponies are the two-time defending Class A state champions. group of kids to work with and that really makes it a lot of fun.”

From top to bottom, the 2014-15 Pony team is loaded with talent.

Whether it’s Keegan Kennelly, Logan Pleninger and Grayson Brenna in the lighter weights, Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Kody Pribyl in the middle weights or Jace Billy and Travis Adams in the upper weights, there are few weaknesses in the Havre lineup.

Depth has always been a strength of the Havre wrestling program and it’s part of the reason why the team has been so successful under Scott Filius. Yet, this offseason, the Montana High School Association passed a rule that once again changed around the weight class and reduced the overall number of them from 15 to 13.

This is the second straight year in which MHSA has made changes to the weight classes after the member schools adopted the National Federation’s weight class with the exception of the 98-pound class prior to the 2013-14 season. (See related

n See Hungry Page 31

Havre Daily News/File Photo Blue Pony sophomore Jase Stokes is one of three returning state champs for HHS this season.

BILLINGS — There is nothing quite like finals night at the Montana All-Class state wrestling tournament. And once again this year, the Havre Blue Ponies made quite sure that they left their mark on it.

After qualifying 13 wrestlers for the semifinals on day one of the tournament Friday at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park, Havre put six wrestlers into the finals and for the second straight year had an allHavre championship. By Saturday night’s end, the Blue Ponies walked away with five individual titles, and of course, a third straight Class A team title.

The all Havre final took place at 145 pounds, where sophomore Parker Filius, who came into the tournament in search of his second individual title, squared off against senior Gunnar Aageson. Aageson, who made a Cinderella run to the finals, couldn’t quite conquer Filius, who completed the second leg of his quest to be a four-time state champion by pinning Aageson in 1:07 to lock up the title.

“It meant a lot,” Filius said. “It was my goal all year to win one.

It was fun. I just tried to focus on wrestling my match all weekend.

“It was extremely weird for my first time in the finals and having to wrestle your own teammate — it was weird. I didn’t know what to expect,” Aageson said. “But I am glad that it was against Parker. He’s a great guy and glad that it was me and him that got a matchup here.”

Outside of Filius and Aageson, four other Havre wrestlers made it to the finals, including Grayson Brenna at 132 pounds, Jase Stokes at 160 pounds, Jace Billy at 205 pounds and Travis Adams in the heavyweight class.

Brenna, who won an individual title in 2013 but finished third a year ago was desperate to get back into the winner’s circle on finals night and he did just that with an 11-3 major decision over Kaleb Graveline of Columbia Falls. Early on, the match was a stalemate and was tied at zero after the first period. But then, after a series of takedowns and a near fall, Brenna built a big lead and made sure to hang on for his second career title.

“It feels good,” Brenna said af-

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre's Parker Filius, right, and Gunnar Aageson square off in the 145-pound Class A state title match Saturday night in the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park in Billings. Aageson's run to the final made it the second year in a row in which the Ponies had an all-Havre final. Filius won the match for his second state championship. For more photos, go to www.havredailynews.com. ter his victory. “I have really been working hard. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my coaches, teammates, my family, our fans and especially my dad. All of them pushed me to be where I am at now.”

Brenna was happy to win and he was not alone. His head coach, Scott Filius was also pleased to see him go out on top where he belonged.

“Grayson has been a leader for us for the last three years,” Scott Filius said. “This year, he has been lights out. He has prepared mentally as strong as any kid that we had all year. I am very confident putting him out there and even though there was a styles conflict in the last match, he just flat outworked him.

He’s been fun, I’m going to miss Grayson.”

After Brenna and Filius took home titles, it was Stokes’ turn and once again the superbly talented sophomore took care of business.

Stokes, who wrestles at 160 pounds, not only pinned all three of his opponents on the way to the finals, he made it a clean sweep by notching a seemingly effortless pin over Doug Rooney of Sidney in just 1:21.

The win was significant for two reasons. The first was that it puts Stokes, along with Parker Filius at the halfway mark to becoming fourtime state champions, the rarest of feats for wrestlers. The second was that Stokes’ victory officially clinched the team championship for Havre by making it mathematically impossible for Sidney to catch the Ponies.

“It feels good and I just have to keep aiming for the next year,” Stokes said. “I just want to take it one year at a time but hopefully I can do it (win four state titles).”

Once Stokes officially wrapped up the title for Havre, the only question that remained was how many individual champions Havre would get and next up for the Ponies was Billy, who was looking to cap his senior season with a second straight title.

Billy, who will wrestle for Montana State University-Northern next season, was dominant all weekend and even surprised himself by how well he wrestled in the 205-pound finals.

Billy was wrestling Hunter Severson of Sidney and after being in

a dog fight for much of the match, he led just 2-0 in the middle of the second period. But that’s when Billy struck with his patented cradle maneuver and once he applied it the match was over. In the end, he pinned Severson in 3:48 to end his Pony career in style.

“I’m just so surprised by what just happened,” an ecstatic Billy said immediately after the match.

“He’s a good kid and I thought it was going to the third or maybe even overtime. I was expecting a dog fight so that pin really shocked myself. I cracked his cradles like crazy than I got him locked up tight and usually once I get (other wrestlers) into it, they are not getting out.”

Last but not least on finals night for Havre was Adams. Last year, Adams lost to his brother Tyler in the finals and after tasting defeat in the championship round as a sophomore, he was determined to become an individual champion.

After getting two falls and a technical fall on his way to the heavyweight finals, Adams continued his domination on the biggest stage in Montana wrestling by pinning

Bryce Blumenschein of Belgrade in just 1:33.

“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” Adams said. “I felt just awesome. The key was hard work, the lord Jesus Christ and unrelenting stubbornness on my part. I’m hard headed.

I have always wanted to come away with the title since my freshman year and this year, I finally had the ability to do that.”

The lone defeat for Havre on finals night was Aageson, who fell at the hands of Parker Filius, but even though he lost, he put together the best state tournament of his Havre wrestling career and was a big reason why Havre went on to win the Class A team title.

“Gunner wrestled well,” Scott Filius said. “He went up against three kids that we thought he could beat and he beat them. So you have to give a lot of credit to him.”

When all was said and done, the Ponies stole the show on finals nights, finishing with five victories and just one loss, which came at the hands of a Havre wrestler as they cruised to a third straight team championship and a seventh in the last nine years.

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MAT KINGS

Blue Ponies rumble to a 3-Peat in Billings Chris Peterson

consolation final at 126 pounds.

BILLINGS — The Havre High wrestling team went to the All-Class state wrestling tournament with one objective: win a third consecutive Class A state championship.

And after a record-breaking performance over two days, it was mission accomplished for the Blue Ponies.

It didn’t always come easy for the Ponies and despite an incredible opening day Friday at the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra Park in Billings, Havre still had work to do Saturday to wrap up the coveted 3-peat, which was just the second in school history.

Yet, when it mattered most, HHS wrestled its best and scored a Class A record 297 points to beat secondplace Sidney, which finished with 268 points. Columba Falls finished a distant third. At tournament’s end, Havre claimed five individual state titles and placed 13 Ponies on the medal stand.

“This was a fun one,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “The kids wrestled up to their abilities and we had a blast. We welcomed the challenge (from Sidney). It was nice that they came and competed. It was nice that (Sidney) had a team that could push us a little bit and it was a lot of fun.”

Speaking of fun, the Ponies had plenty of it Friday in the first day of the tournament, when they went an incredible 31-4. All 16 Havre wrestlers won at least two matches and 13 advanced into the semifinals, which set a new HHS record.

Thanks to that performance, the Ponies lead over Sidney following day one was 146-124, which seemed insurmountable. However, the Eagles were not about to roll over, and they won seven of nine semifinal matches Saturday morning, compared to just six of 13 for Havre, making things interesting as the Pony lead shrank to three after the semifinal round was complete.

Havre still had six wrestlers get into the finals, which tied a school record, but it was not enough to separate from Sidney. Yet, HHS did exactly that in the consolation semifinals and finals.

The Ponies ended up winning 11 of 13 matches in the final two rounds of consolation and no victory was more important than junior Logan Pleninger’s, who advanced to the

With Havre clinging to a threepoint lead entering the round, Pleninger squared off against Sidney’s Brady Gorder. Up to that point, the Eagles had all the momentum, but Pleninger and the Ponies stopped them in their tracks and after the junior’s 9-0 victory, Havre once again had control of the tournament.

“That was the most important match of my weekend,” Pleninger said. “I was able to beat him and get bonus points with a major (decision) so that was really good. We knew we just had to keep going and come back. They came close but we had a really good round. Then, in the next round, they didn’t win any (matches) and we won almost all of ours, so that was really big, too.”

It was big and Pleninger was not the only Pony to notch a key victory. Ryan Stewart, Dane Flammond, Kody Pribyl, Tyler Schaub and Jordan Schroeder all won in the consolation semis, which pushed the Havre lead back to nine at 256-247.

Then, in the consolation finals, Havre won five of seven matches as Stewart (103), Pleninger (126), Flammond (138) and Schroeder (182) all finished third. Pribyl (152) and Schaub (170) took fourth, while Keegan Kennelly (120) was fifth.

“It’s always the kids in the wrestle backs that salt it away for you,” Filius said. “The kids in the finals get the last hurrah because they are up last, but it’s your kids in the back that make the difference. Jim Street (former Butte High wrestling coach, who won 14 state titles) did that for a 100 years. He outcoached everybody’s bottom end. Our coaches coach all our kids. We have great coaches that put a lot of time and that has lot to do with (Havre’s success).”

Schroeder in particular had an exciting day as the senior won his consolation semifinal over Devin Blythe of Lewistown in overtime 8-6, then pinned Sam Burdette of Corvallis to wrap up third place. That flurry of excitement closed out his career in memorable fashion, especially considering he missed most of the season due to injury and returned to the mat little more than a month ago.

“It feels really good, I could have beat the kid in the semis but came out flat. But it felt good to come all the way through the back door (for

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/Jake Shane Havre senior Jace Billy raises his arms after winning the 205-pound Class A state championship Saturday night at the All-Class state tournament at the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park in Billings. Billy was one of five individual champions for Havre, while the Ponies won their third straight state championship by placing 13 wrestlers and scoring a tournament-record 297 points. third),” Schroeder said. “It feels great to help your team. Win or lose, I helped them out as much as I could. It will be hard to leave coach Filius, he has meant so much to me, but my career is over and I finished it with a bang.”

While the Ponies dominated the consolation finals, they were even better in the championship round as Havre crowned five individual champions in Grayson Brenna (132), Parker Filius (145), Jase Stokes (160), Jace Billy (205) and Travis Adams (heavyweight) Saturday night.

Gunnar Aageson also qualified for the finals after the senior pinned his first three opponents in the 145-pound weight class. He ended up falling to Parker Filius in an allHavre final but that did nothing to taint a clutch performance that was an essential part of HHS capturing the team championship.

“This experience really differed from all the other times I’ve been (at state),” Aageson said. “Normally, I never even made it to the second day, this year, I made it to the finals. It’s just crazy. I think it was my senior year. I wanted to be a bigger part and score more points and do more to help the team.”

Aageson also produced one of the iconic moments of the tournament for Havre in the quarterfinals Friday. Aageson, who was wrestling Colton Gove of Columbia Falls, got a key pin to earn a berth in the semifinals. It was such an important win that it prompted coach Filius, who is not prone to showing emotion, to pump his fist in the air and shout with joy in the direction of the Havre fans in attendance.

“I felt like I had just won the state tournament,” said Aageson as he chuckled. “I was so happy and so proud of myself. It was a great

accomplishment. It was kind of the perfect senior year. I could never imagine being in the finals, and it was a perfect end to my career.”

And even though they did not place, John Chinadle, Zacc Schroeder and Dylan Stewart also contributed to the team championship by winning two matches apiece, meaning for the second straight year, every single Havre wrestler scored points in the team competition.

The Ponies’ astounding two-day performance was yet another reminder of Havre’s dominance under Filius. The title was not only Havre’s third in a row but also the seventh in nine years and the 10th of the Filius era.

“This is the most recent so it’s the most fun,” Filius replied when asked where his 10th championship ranked among the others. “But they are all special. This is fun. The kids wrestled pretty dog gone well.”

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Hungry: The Ponies will defend their Central A Divisional title ■ From Page 30 story below).

Essentially, the 98-pound class and the 106-pound class were combined into the 103-pound weight class, while the 195 pound and 220 pound weight classes had the same fate and were combined into the 205-pound weight class.

“It certainly takes two guys out of our lineup because we had the numbers to fill everything, so it’s kind of frustrating from that standpoint,” Filius said. “It’s going to make the state tournament more competitive, considering there were 15 weights and now there are just 13. It will make those weights around there more competitive and more competitive is always a good thing. It hurts us more than other teams, because typically we have been full and have been able to fill those weights.”

When asked if he supported the measure Filius said he did, because it was what is best for the sport of wrestling.

“I didn’t pen it but I didn’t fight it either,” Filius said. “I thought it was the best thing for the sport even though it certainly wasn’t the best thing for Havre. But it will

make it tougher for some teams too that could skate by at some of the weights and now they won’t be able to do that.”

Another change on the horizon for Havre is to the divisional format. This will be the last season that Havre will compete solely against the Central A at divisionals. Next season, the tournament will include the Central A and the Eastern A, meaning Havre and Sidney, the two powerhouses of Class A will compete for divisional as well as state championships every year, starting in 2015-16.

“I don’t think it will change much,” Filius said. “We proposed it years ago and have got resistance from other people and I think most of that resistance was from other people thinking it doesn’t give someone an advantage. I think if people didn’t like the four divisional tournaments and thought it gave someone a leg up, they would have voted for the two a long time ago.”

In terms of this season, even though the Ponies will not do battle with Sidney at divisionals, the Eagles are still the biggest threat to

stop Havre from a three-peat, which they will be determined to do after finishing as the runner-up to Havre at state two years running.

Central A rival Belgrade along with Columbia Falls, Hardin and Corvallis are other traditional contenders that will be looking to unseat Havre this season.

However, that task of knocking off the Ponies will prove extremely difficult and even though the new weight class rules may hurt Havre’s ability to score points, it will make the team on the mat even better, with the competition fierce to earn a spot in the Pony lineup.

The veterans with spots in the lineup in hand are Parker Filius, a state champ at 138 pounds a year ago, Stokes, a state champ at 152 and Jace Billy, who won state at 195 pounds. This season, Billy will man the 205-weight class, while Parker Filius will move up to 145 and Stokes will bump up to 170.

Kennelly will wrestle at 120 pounds this season after a secondplace finish at state in the 105-pound class last season. At 103 pounds, the Ponies will have Ryan Stewart and

at 126 pounds will be Pleninger, who finished third at state at 113 pounds last year. He will compete against Dylan Stewart, who will also wrestle in the 126-pound class after a fifth-place finish there at state.

Brenna, who finished third at 120 pounds a year ago, after winning a state title as a sophomore, will wrestle at 132 pounds this season for Havre, while at 138 pounds, Havre has a trio of wrestlers fighting it out with Dane Flammond, Jazz Schroeder and T.J. Lovenguth all battling it out for a spot in the lineup. At 152 pounds, there will be Pribyl, who finished fourth at state at 145 pounds last season as well as Gunner Aageson, who will see time at 152 pounds and 160 pounds. Walter White will also be in the mix at 160 pounds.

Rounding things out in the upper weights will be John Chinadle and Tyler Schaub in contention at 182 pounds, followed by Travis Adams in the heavy weight class, who is last but certainly not least after finishing runner-up at state at 220 pounds last season. Adams lost to older brother, Tyler in the state title

match a year ago.

The Ponies will open their season this Friday at the Havre Invitational and from there they will navigate a busy schedule starting in Butte from Dec. 11 to Dec. 13, where they will compete in the Butte Central Mixer and Mining City Duals. Then, on Dec. 19 and Dec.20, the Ponies will test their strength against one of strongest wrestling fields in the state at the CMR Holiday Classic. In the second half of the season, HHS will compete in the Cut Bank, Chester and Missoula invitationals, while also squaring off in duals against Great Falls High, CMR, Malta and, in the Class A Duals, Belgrade Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.

The Ponies will defend their Central A Divisional title in Livingston on Feb. 7 with their state title defense set to begin at the All-Class State Wrestling meet at the Metra in Billings on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.

The Havre Invitational, which features teams from along the HiLine as well as Lewistown and both CMR and Great Falls High will get underway Friday at 1 p.m.

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2015 CLASS A

February 2015

STATE WRESTLING CHAMPS

www.havredailynews.com

STATE CHAMPIONS GRAYSON BRENNA #132

PARKER FILIUS #145

JASE STOKES #160

JACE BILLY

#205

TRAVIS ADAMS HWT