State Wrestling Preview

It's time to hit the mats folks! State wrestling kicks off tomorrow at the Metra for every high school class (the B-C schools are combined into one tournament). Here's what to expect:

Class AA

Kalispell Flathead - The Braves come in as the team to beat. The two-time defending state champions (and winners of 3 of 4 overall) are maybe stronger this year than they have ever been. Flathead went 20-0 in Dual meets this year, along with winning all 6 tournaments they entered. At last weekend's Western AA Divisonal, the Braves put 17 wrestlers in the finals and won 11 weight classes. Overall, Flathead qualified 29 of a possible 30 wrestlers, and have six #1 ranked guys. They also return 13 state-placers from last season's record-setting squad.

Skyview - If anyone is going to challenge Flathead, it will be Skyview. The Falcons bring 28 wrestlers into the tournament, only one less than the Braves. They are led by their two Divisional Champions, Bryce Gretch at 112, and Lucas Polkow at 171. Brennan Barta (105 - Divisional runner-up) will also be a big factor. Skyview went 21-1 in Duals this year.

Great Falls - Great Falls High qualified the 3rd most wrestlers for State with 23. They also finished 3rd in the final Wrestling Coaches Poll, behind Flathead and Skyview, respectively. The Bison enter tomorrow with three #1 ranked wrestlers.

Great Falls CMR - The Rustlers finished just behind their crosstown rival at Divisionals, qualifying 20 wrestlers, and finishing 4th in the final Coaches Poll.


Individual Wrestlers - While Skyview is the only Billing team with a shot at the state title, West and Senior have several individuals that could challenge for their own Championship:

Tucker Sprenkle (Senior - 125 lbs...#1 ranked at 125)
Tanner Spenkle (Senior - 119 lbs)
Nik Richardson (West - 98 lbs)
Nathan Kobold (West - 160lbs)


Class A

Sidney - The Eagles won their 6th staight Division title last weekend, including claiming 7 individual titles (98 lbs, 145 lbs, 152 lbs, 160 lbs, 172 lbs, 189 lbs, 215 lbs.) They look like the Eastern A's best shot at a state title.

Havre - The Blue Ponies might be the Class A Title favorites after a dominating performance at the Central A Divisional. Havre beat Belgrade, the 2nd place finisher, by 100 points (341-241), including 9 individual title winners.

Corvallis - Corvallis won the Southwest A Divisional by a slim margin over Frenchtown, who actually had almost as many individual title winners (Corvallis with 5 to Frenchtown's 4.) However, Corvallis showed they were stronger across all weight classes to take the points title.

Ronan - Ronan won the Northwest A Divisional also by a slim margin over Polson. But Ronan dominated the finals with 6 individual title winners, and are looking to improve on that number after having their Heavyweight Tommy Parker, lose in his final match.


Class B-C

Glasgow - Glasgow absolutely dominated the B-C this year, a trend that continued at Divisonals as they won by a whopping 124 points over 2nd place Colstrip. The Scotties put 14 wrestlers in the finals last weekend, including 6 individual title winners. They are without a doubt the favorite to win State.

Conrad - The battle for the state B-C title is a two-horse race, as Conrad is the only team with a chance to beat Glasgow. Like the Scotties, Conrad dominated their divisional, beating 2nd place Chinook by 107.5 points. They put 9 wrestlers in the finals, and arrive at the Metra with 6 individual title winners.


In my estimation, those are the teams and indivivuals to watch for over the next couple of days. The action starts tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, with the Quarterfinals set for 2:30 PM.

See you at the Metra!