Plains/Hot Springs Wrestling team takes first at tournament
<p>The Plains/Hot Springs wrestling team took first place at the Ted Kato Invitational with a point total of 146 points. They finished over 20 points ahead of Big Sky JV. Overall the team had seven placers during the tournament.</p>
PLAINS – After an exciting day at the Ted Kato Invitational in Thompson Falls, the Plains, Hot Springs wrestling team came home with their first medal in 13 years.
The boys wrestled to their best of their abilities – something they proved on the mats.
The team placed seven wrestlers and won the tournament with a grand total of 146 points, beating out second place by over 20 points.
“It has been a long time coming for sure,” Head Coach Kenny Marjerrison said. “It’s awesome for those kids to experience that. There’s almost nothing that compares to that.”
Marjerrison was very proud of his wrestlers. It shows the team is in a good place for divisionals and even the state competition.
“It adds a whole other level of pride to win a tournament like this,” Coach Marjerrison said.
When the announcement of the team scores came in before the finals, Plains was already in first place. According to Marjerrison, the kids had no idea they were leading the tournament and were on cloud nine when they heard the news.
“For them to carry through, they were pretty excited. I haven’t seen the kids that excited in a long time,” Marjerrison said.
The team had three first place medals with Russell Kujala at 132 pounds, Logan Goodwin at 138 pounds and Ben Gorham at 285 pounds taking the victory.
“Our three champions all had a great day,” Coach Marjerrison said. “They were our standout performances for sure. They wrestled very, very well.”
The other five placers included Brandon Shea who took second at 220 pounds; Joe Detienne placed third at 160 pounds, Dustin Henning took fourth at 132 pounds and Jake Lile took fourth at 145 pounds.
The meet should serve the kids as a confidence builder. According to Coach Marjerrison, it shows the kids what they can do when everyone has a good day on the mats.
The team is headed to Choteau this weekend to wrestle at a tournament that resembles the state competition.
Although a tough weekend is expected, Coach Marjerrison said the kids now know they can be professional at the competitive level.
With their skill level rising, the team could be top three at divisionals and high up on the rungs further on into the competition, something that has not happened in a great while.
“It hasn’t happened in as long as I remember. I think they are kind of eyeballing that now and are realizing if we all collectively have a good day maybe we could achieve even more. That’s exciting,” Coach Marjerrison said.
The tournament at Choteau will give the three kids eyeballing state a chance to see how they measure up against other teams not only from their area but the eastern part of the state.
Kujala, Goodwin and Gorham will be able to get a scouting report while they are there. Coach Marjerrison said the tournament will also be good for the younger kids because they have yet to see that level of competition.
“It’s a good experience for everyone,” Coach Marjerrison said.
The hope is the kids remain healthy and work hard until that tournament so they can wage where they stand for the long run.