HISTORICALLY HAVRE: Saturday night belonged to the Blue Ponies

Billings - As far as high school sports in Montana go, there is no single event that can rival finals night at the All-Class State Wrestling meet, and Saturday inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra, the Havre Blue Ponies once again owned the night.

While the Blue Ponies have always had a big presence on finals night, HHS outdid itself this year, with a school-record tying seven finalists and five state champions, which also tied a previous high for the Ponies, done most recently in 2015.

Much of the excitement surrounded Havre seniors Jase Stokes and Parker Filius, who were each gunning for their fourth individual state championships. And ultimately, it was Stokes who got the first shot at being a four-timer.

Over the years, Stokes has been a dominant force at the state tournament, with nearly all of his victories coming via pin. Yet, his semifinal match went all three periods and even though he won 11-6 over Hamilton's Justin Hinson, it proved to be one of his toughest matches.

"I have to give that kid credit," Stokes said. "He battled hard."

Yet it wasn't enough to slow Stokes down, who advanced to the championship match at 205 pounds against Travis Catina of Whitefish. During the season, Catina had just one loss, just like Stokes, but the Havre senior remained a heavy favorite, at least until Catina scored an early takedown, that put Stokes behind at the state tournament for the first time since finals night 2016.

"I think everyone got a little nervous there for a second," Stokes said. "He came out and surprised me early. I had to re-focus a bit and I was able to come back."

Stokes recovered thanks to his brute strength. After an escape got him within a point at 2-1, he lifted and slammed Catina down on the mat to take a 3-2 lead. Soon after, he pinned him, with just three seconds remaining on the first-period clock. It was classic Stokes and the perfect ending to an illustrious career.

"It's crazy to think that's my last match in the Metra," Stokes said. "My last match ever. But it was a good way to end the season and my career."

After Stokes won at 205, Havre was guaranteed to get its second champion of the weekend at 103 pounds because the final featured two Pony freshmen as Quinn Reno battled Cameron Pleninger.

The freshmen met one week ago in the Eastern A Divisional championship and just like in that match, it was Reno who came out on top thanks to a pin just before the second-period buzzer.

"It feels good," Reno said afterward. "It's the best feeling in the world right now. It was kind of hard to wrestle (Pleninger), but we have faced each other the last three weekends. But we are really good friends."

"There are no hard feelings," Pleninger added. "It's just hard because we are practice partners and know our moves so well. But I am glad that I made it to this point and it is only going to make me want to come back and win it even more next year."

After the all-Havre final at 103 pounds, Lane Pauslon was the next finalist at 120 pounds. And even though the sophomore came up short in his bid for an individual title, losing by pin to John Mears of Belgrade, he said it was still a positive experience.

"It was really fun," Paulson said of wrestling on finals night. "Last year, I came here and I didn't place and it really made me want to work hard. Right now, losing sucks, but it has made me really want to come back and get it next year."

Right after Paulson left the mat, Martin Wilkie took center stage and the sophomore, who rolled through the 126-pound weight class, took on Clay Fisher of Butte Central in his bid to become a two-time individual champion. After getting two victories by pin in under three minutes and getting another win by way of an 8-5 decision, Wilkie cruised again in the finals, pinning Fisher in 2:48 to capture his second crown.

"I'd say that I had a lot more confidence than I did last year," Wilkie said. "I wrestled these kids a lot all year long, and so the difference between this year and last year was just I had more confidence."

Thanks to the random draw starting things at 170, Filius had to sit through 10 rounds of finals, before he took his turn on the mat. But the Havre senior is always cool and collected, and against Ben Windauer of Columbia Falls, he was his normal steel-nerved self.

And with machine-like efficiency, with what seems like zero wasted movements, Filius made quick work of his opponent, pinning him in 1:24. It was his second pin on finals night and when the official slammed hand to mat to signal it was finished, Havre had its second ever four-time state champion.

While Filius said the state championship he won as a freshman was still his most memorable because it was more unexpected, the soon-to-be Purdue Boilermaker said it was special to share the moment with his father and head coach Scott Filius.

"Yeah it was really cool," Parker Filius said. "After the match, I hugged all my coaches and thanked them. They have all done a lot for me, and I couldn't have done this without them."

To most observers, nothing could top being a four-time champion. But for Dane Flammond, a senior who had come close with two third-place finishes but had never won one prior to Saturday, winning on finals night was a dream come true.

Scott Filius never won a state championship in high school, so he understands better than most, the pain of falling short, which is maybe why he wanted Flammond to win so badly, saying afterward, it was one of the highlights of his weekend.

Much like his senior counterparts, Parker Filius and Stokes, Flammond's championship match offered little drama. It was apparent early that Hunter Fritsch of Polson was overmatched and early in the second period, it was over. Flammond scored a technical fall in just 2:34 and at that point, the dream he sought, seemingly forever, was realized at last. And at end of the day, he said the semifinal losses in 2015 and 2016, only made his triumph, that much sweeter.

"It really did," Flammond said. "It just showed that everything I went through to get here, all the losses, all the hard work, all the 6 a.m. workouts, it's finally paying off."

The 160-pound final, which will be the last match of Flammond's career, also brought about mixed emotions.

"It's bittersweet," Flammond said. "Part of me is glad that it's over. Now I can go out and eat some junk food, but at the same time, I am already missing it and wish I had another year at it."

After reaching his long-time goal of being an individual state champion, Flammond's next objective will be to satisfy his sweet tooth.

"I just want something with sugar in it," Flammond said. "Anything that is sweet, that's all I want right now."

Of course, all of Havre's seven finalists can enjoy some sweets now. Especially after such a sweet night in what is the greatest couple of house in Montana high school sports. Yes, finals night once again belonged to the Ponies.