Savage Horsemen wrestlers earn hardware at Buzz Lucy

In what was a smaller-than-average turnout for a normally big wrestling event, the Plains-Hot Springs boys’ wrestlers finished fourth in a five-team field despite bringing a scaled-down number of wrestlers to the Buzz Lucy meet this past weekend in Eureka.

The Savage Horsemen, along with Cut Bank High, and tournament host Eureka battled a pair of Class A schools (Columbia Falls and Whitefish) for the team title, with Eureka emerging as the top point-getter with 154 points. 

Columbia Falls finished a distant second with 91.5 points, while Plains accumulated 57.0 points in placing fourth.  Neither Thompson Falls nor Superior took part in the Buzz Lucy this year. 

There were no girls’ teams competing for a team title, but Plains-Hot Springs 120-pounder Corbin Ireland, a sophomore, finished second in her weight class for the Plains-Hot Springs. 

Savage-Horseman standout John Waterbury sat this one out after winning the last two tournaments he entered in the 157-pound category.  The Plains-Hot Springs team was also without 190-pound senior David Chapman, and 132-pounder Gavin Schrenk, who have both fared well this season. 

Those grapplers were likely resting up for this weekend’s Divisional championships in Butte. 

The Savage Horsemen wrestlers who did participate in Eureka came home with four second-place medals and one fourth-place finish. 

Sophomore 118-pounder Matthew Thurston was second in his weight classification, falling in the championship match to Eureka’s Hunter Grieve.  The P-HS co-op team also got a runner up finish from sophomore Isiah Schultze, who edged out teammate John Owen Jermyn (third) in the 126-pound division, which was won by Eureka junior Timothy Schmidt. 

Another sophomore, 138-pound Cody West, added another second-place medal to the Plains-Hot Springs haul.  The weight class was captured by Cut Bank’s Ray Dagel. PHS junior Beau Crabb secured the fourth Plains-Hot Springs second place medal at 144 pounds.  Crabb improved his season mark to 9-2 with his showing in the 144-pound classification, which was won by Whitefish senior Landree Aurand, who upped his season mark to 16-1. 

The final Plains-Hot Springs medal was won by 157-pound senior Johnny Felix.  Tyler Raines of Cut Bank won the 157-pound title. 

Next up for the three wrestling schools in Sanders and Mineral Counties (Plains-Hot Springs, Thompson Falls and Superior) is the Western Division B-C championship meet in Butte this Friday and Saturday (Feb 7-8) in Butte. 

The state finals are the following weekend, (Feb 11-13) in Billings.