By Ryan Divish/Havre Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com
You really can't call it an official rivalry yet. The Montana University-Northern and University of Great Falls' wrestling teams have had exactly one dual - a very lopsided one at that.
A rivalry: technically is supposed to be closer and take place over a longer period of time. Hopefully, Northern and UGF will get to that point, but for now they are just in the budding stage.
The two teams will take another step towards building that rivalry tonight when they meet at 7 p.m. at the MSU-Northern gymnasium.
It will be the final home wrestling action for the Lights this season and the final home wrestling action for the careers of five seniors as Brian Luna, Dan Shaw, Dustyn Azure, Stryder Davis and Jesse Juarez will take to the mat one last time in the MSU-Northern gym.
Because it's Great Falls, because it's the last home action and because it's senior night, Lights head coach David Ray expects his wrestlers to come out highly motivated.
"We should come out ready to wrestle," he said. "I expect them to wrestle hard and go out and take care of business."
That's basically what the Lights did last time when they faced the Argos earlier this season in Great Falls. Northern crushed UGF 39-6, losing just one match as former Chinook standout Eric Hinebauch pinned the Lights' Brian Fritchman at 197 pounds. Ray is looking for the same, if not better, results the second time around.
"They are a very young team with not much experience," Ray said of UGF. "But they are going to get much better with each year."
Right now, the Argos will go to battle with a group of eight freshman and two juniors against a Lights squad filled with experience, albeit a man short.
Sophomore Chris Smith was lost for the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee and his having surgery today. Smith, who was a runner-up in the NAIA national tournament at 133, had solidified the spot at 141. He will be replaced by senior Dan Shaw.
"Losing Chris hurt us a lot," Ray said. "Our depth won't be nearly as good. But those kind of things happen in a season and you have to overcome them."
Even without Smith, Ray knows that his team is a heavy favorite tonight, and that UGF will gladly embrace the underdog role.
"Really for them they have nothing to lose and everything to gain," Ray said. "They are going to come in here and wrestle that way."
Of course, Northern should be in the opposite situation with everything to lose and nothing to gain, and in a sense its true.
Both teams are a week away from the Northern Regional tournament in Huron, S.D., which means for Northern that upset losses simply can't happen.
"We want to maintain our high seedings for each wrestler at the regional tournament," Ray said.
But more than anything, Ray wants to win the dual. He wanted a shutout the first time they faced UGF and didn't get it.
He isn't demanding one this time, but something close.
"We want to go in there and dominate," Ray said. "It sets the standard that says you have a long way to go to beat us."
Instead, Ray is just looking for a complete effort.
"I want to see all of those things we've been working on all season," Ray said. "We need to come out focused and aggressive and if we do get behind, I want them to find ways to win. We have to raise our level, starting this week."
125 - Ray wasn't sure as of press time whether usual starter Zach Morgan (5-11) or fellow freshmen Mike McPeak (20-14) would go against UGF freshman Curtis Clowdus (2-10) of Whitefish. Morgan defeated Clowdus 11-7 in the first dual. McPeak has wrestled 133 for most of the season and has placed in the top five in his last four tournaments. He is cutting down to 125 for regionals and nationals and Ray hopes he will be ready to go tonight.
133 - Top-ranked Brian Luna (24-1) will be facing freshman Spencer Griffiths (22-6), who he pinned in under a minute the last time out. Luna is 3-0 versus Griffiths this season and should be even more motivated, having suffered his first loss of the season the last time Northern competed.
141 - Senior Dan Shaw (18-8) will take on UGF freshman John Borey (7-18). Shaw wrestled varsity during the fall semester and has still been active, placing at several tournaments this spring. Borey was pinned by Chris Smith in the previous dual.
149 - Senior Dustyn Azure (9-4) will take on freshman Justin Harjo (6-15) in his final varsity match at the MSU-Northern gym. Azure, who has battled through injuries the past three seasons, is ranked third in NAIA and scored a 17-2 technical fall over Harjo in the first dual.
157 - Top-ranked senior Stryder Davis (30-1) will conclude his short, but stellar career as a Light against either freshmen Joe Casey of Anaconda or Ryan Smith of Arlee. Davis had a less than stellar 13-7 win over Smith in the first dual and Ray said he fully expects Davis to come out motivated to dominate either opponent.
165 - Fifth-ranked junior Aaron Jensen (22-7) will see a tough rematch in freshman Mike Kummer of Reno, Nev. Jensen edged Kummer 12-11 in a dramatic match. Ray was far from pleased with that match and expects Jensen to come out highly motivated.
174 - Junior Ryan Mattingly (12-6) will look for his second win against fellow freshman Robert Hazenberg (20-12) of Kennewick, Wash. Mattingly lost to Hazenberg early this season, but avenged the loss with a 7-1 decision in the dual.
184 - Second-ranked Jesse Juarez (10-3) will also be competing in his final varsity match at home. Juarez will take on Chinook's Eric Hinebauch (4-6). Juarez has battled a bad back recently, but Ray said he is starting to get closer to 100 percent.
197 - Freshman Brian Fritchman (10-12) will be wrestling a new opponent in fellow freshman Larry Johnson (2-5) of Kalispell. Fritchman hit a bit of a freshman wall in recent weeks, but Ray believes he is ready to break out against Johnson, who finished third at last year's Class AA state tournament.
HWT - Fifth-ranked junior Chase Gormley (18-4) will take on fellow junior and eighth-ranked Luke Roberts of Spokane in what should be the match of the dual. Roberts (24-3) did not wrestle in the first dual because of a bad ankle. Still, both wrestlers have met twice already this season with each one notch.will look for his second win against fellow freshman Robert Hazenberg (20-12) of Kennewick, Wash. Mattingly lost to Hazenberg early this season, but avenged the loss with a 7-1 decision in the dual.
184 - Second-ranked Jesse Juarez (10-3) will also be competing in his final varsity match at home. Juarez will take on Chinook's Eric Hinebauch (4-6). Juarez has battled a bad back recently, but Ray said he is starting to get closer to 100 percent.
197 - Freshman Brian Fritchman (10-12) will be wrestling a new opponent in fellow freshman Larry Johnson (2-5) of Kalispell. Fritchman hit a bit of a freshman wall in recent weeks, but Ray believes he is ready to break out against Johnson, who finished third at last year's Class AA state tournament.
HWT - Fifth-ranked junior Chase Gormley (18-4) will take on fellow junior and eighth-ranked Luke Roberts of Spokane in what should be the match of the dual. Roberts (24-3) did not wrestle in the first dual because of a bad ankle. Still, both wrestlers have met twice already this season with each one notching a win.
