Local wrestlers perform well at Jug Beck, Choteau Classic

The Plains-Hot Springs co-op wrestlers (Savage Horsemen) are on a roll on the mats. 

This past weekend the Savage Horsemen turned in another strong team performance at the Choteau Classic high school wrestling event which drew competitors from 25 area schools. 

A separate wrestling event this past weekend, the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula was attended by Mineral County’s lone wrestling high school, Superior, which finished 27th in the team title chase in the event, which was littered with Class AA schools. 

Led by the highly anticipated return of 157-pound standout John Waterbury, who saw his first action of the year a few weeks ago after missing some meets at the beginning of the season while he rehabbed a badly injured ankle-foot. 

Waterbury, a state B-C finals placer from last year, won his weight classification, his second straight big individual title of the year to help Plains-Hot Springs to an impressive fourth-place team finish in a field full of Class B and Class A teams and wrestlers. 

Waterbury, who improved his season record to 12-0 during the Choteau meet, scored a 12-1 win over Brett Riley (Florence-Carlton) as part of the 139 points accumulated by the Savage Horsemen.  Host Choteau won the team title with 165 team points, while Cascade was second with 161.5. 

Sanders County’s only other high school wrestling team, the co-op formed by Thompson Falls and Noxon, placed 17th in the team chase with 56.0 point.  In addition to Waterbury’s win, the Savage Horsemen also got two third place finishes (Matthew Thurston, 118 pounds) and Gavin Schrenk (132 pounds).  Plains-Hot Springs also got fourth-place medals from David Chapman (190 pounds), Beau Crabb (150 pounds) and Cody West (138 pounds). 

Thompson Falls was paced by the second place showing by eighth grader Ethan Traver, who lost the title match by fall at the 1:41 mark to Choteau eighth grader Tate Crabb.  Noa Stevens captured a third-place finish for the Blue Hawks with a consolation final win over Kyler Bailer of Manhattan by an 11-3 decision. 

Thompson Falls’ girls placed ninth in the team competition with 45.5 points.  Anaconda’s girls won the team title with 113.0 team points. 

The Lady Hawks got a pair of third place medals from Veronica Vega (100 pounds) and Lexi Volk-Ocacio (105 pounds).  Also finishing in the top six were: Alayna Hockhalter, fourth (145 pounds) and Jaden Bewick, sixth (110 pounds). 

At the Jug Beck event in Missoula, Superior sophomore Turner Milender, who has been having a great year so far (28-6 record) placed fifth at 157 pounds.  He won the fifth-place match with a 5-1 decision over Missoula Sentinel’s Luke Widman. 

Superior wrestlers Dylon Arbogast (126 pounds) and Wade Calloway (138 pounds) took part in the meet but did not place in the top six. 

Next up for area wrestlers is the Ted Kato Invitational this Saturday (Jan 25) in Superior.  All three schools host “mixers” during the coming week on their home mats. 

    Plains-Hot Springs 157-pound senior John Waterbury goes for the pin during this past weekend's Choteau Classic wrestling tournament.  Waterbury won the 157-pound individual title. (Photo by Teresa Waterbury)
  

    Plains-Hot Springs senior 190-pounder David Chapman (black uniform) nears a pin of an opponent during this past weekend's Choteau Classic wrestling event.  (Photo by Teresa Waterbury)