Local wrestlers impress at big meets

Montana has some really good wrestlers. No doubt about it. And it’s not just in the Class AA and A schools, there are some outstanding wrestlers in the B and C categories also.

Its just a fact that the more students you have at a school, the better the probability of state champion quality grapplers.

In two different wrestling meets this past weekend, one local school ventured into the land of the big schools, while the bi-counties’ two other teams, both Class B, continued to impress at some very big meets.

Thompson Falls stepped out of the B ranks and traveled to Great Falls this weekend for the CMR Holiday Classic at Charles Russell High.

They had reasonable expectations that one of the Blue Hawks might come home with the top prize against opponents from the upper ranks, but the law of probability no doubt caught up to the Blue Hawks.

Thompson Falls 182-pound senior Max Hannum, the defending B-C champ at that weight class from last year, tasted defeat for the first time after winning three early season events in over-powering fashion.

But Saturday, Hannum lost a pair of bouts and finished fourth at 182-pounds, losing to McCoy Banner of Fairfield/Augusta in the third-place match, by a tough 3-2 decision.

Hannum, who is no doubt a challenger for a second state B-C championship this Spring, fell to 12-2 in bouts this year with the two defeats at the CMR.

He was the only Blue Hawks who placed at the meet, as T Falls finished 31st in the team title chase, just one notch below Helena High. Billings West nosed out Great Falls and Kalsipell to capture the team title in a meet that was dominated by Class AA and A teams.

Meanwhile, at the Buzz Lucy Invite in Eureka, also this past weekend, the area’s two other wrestling schools, Plains and Superior, continued their back and forth battle in the team standings.

Plains finished fourth in the team chase, behind first place finishes by Drew Carey in the 145-pound class, and John Waterbury, first in the 152-pound competition.

Carey, a senior, beat Flathead’s Brett Chivers via a pin at the 1:54 mark, while Waterbury, a state placer from last year, brought home the top prize at 152 pounds with a fall at 4:00 over Superior’s Lucas Kovalsky.

The Horsemen also got team points from David Chapman, second at 170 pounds, and a fourth place showing by Gabe Rasmussen in the 205-pound division.

Superior scored big points via senior Jaxson Green’s win in the heavyweight class, and by the first place showing of 160-pound freshman Turner Milender, his second tournament win in the past two weeks.

The Bobcats also got a third place finish from Chase Woodson at 182 pounds.

Eureka’s boys piled up 220 team points to finish first in the team standings, ahead of second place Flathead and Florence (third)

Plains racked up 112 points for fourth place in the team chase, while Superior took fifth with 96 team points.

T Falls takes to the mats again this Tuesday (Dec 19) in a mixer in Deer Lodge. After that, the Blue Hawks take a seasonal break before returning to action in the Cut Bank Invite Jan 5-6.

Superior journeys to Florence this Thursday for a mixer, then is off until returning to action at the Cut Bank event.

Plains will also be in action at the Cut Bank event nex month.

    Superior senior Jaxson Green is in charge on his way to a first place finish in the Heavyweight division of this past weekend's Buzz Lucy Invite in Eureka. (Photo by Kami Milender)