Round One: Lights meet Argos

In wrestling, there’s no love lost between the Montana State University-Northern Lights and the University of Great Falls Argos. That’s no secret. And because the rivalry is so special, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Now it’s time for the first installment of the Northern/UGF battle this season. And, given how things have gone the last couple years, tonight’s battle between the No. 3 Argos and No. 5 Lights should be better than ever. Northern and UGF will meet on the mat at 7 inside the Armory Gymnasium.

“There will be fireworks, there will be coaches going crazy and our guys are ready to get back out there and wrestle,” said MSU-N head coach Tyson Thivierge, who’s led Northern to five straight victories over UGF.

The Lights and Argos split last year’s two duals, each winning on their home mat. Northern’s win came back in February when the Lights mounted a comeback for the ages, capped by Toby Cheff moving up to heavyweight and securing a final win for the Lights in a 27-18 victory in the Armory.

“It is the best dual of the year,” said veteran UGF head coach Caleb Schaeffer. “The atmosphere is electric and our two programs have the best and most knowledge fans in the country. If the dual is anything like last year, wrestling fans will not want to miss out.”

“UGF always brings a great crowd, so in my mind, home turf is ruled out,” Thivierge added. “But our guys are just excited to get back on the mat and compete.”

The Argos do travel well, but the Armory should be packed with Lights’ fans tonight. However, as great as the atmosphere is whenever Northern and UGF hook up, the dual always comes down to the wrestlers. And tonight’s dual features two star-studded and talented lineups.

The Argos will bring six nationally ranked grapplers to Havre tonight. Northern has seven wrestlers currently ranked, but Cheff is out with an injury. The dual will start at 125 pounds with Northern’s Riley Miller taking on UGF’s Luke Schlosser. Schlosser is a returning national qualifier and is currently ranked 11th at 125.

From there, the momentum will swing both ways. UGF’s strengths come in the lower weights. Michael Ruiz is ranked No. 3 at 133 pounds, but he’s scheduled to move up to 141 pounds tonight and face Northern’s Ranier Montes. UGF has No. 2-ranked Kyle Wilson at 141, but Wilson, a returning All-American, isn’t expected to compete tonight. So, Northern will send out either No. 10 Brenton Beard or Justin Rodgers to face UGF’s Jared Berlinger.

But from there, the Argos stay loaded. Senior Ryan Martin is ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds, and he’ll square off against Drew Randall. Then, one of the key matches of the night, especially for the Lights, will pit Tommy Cooper, an MSU-N sophomore who’s unranked but is wrestling like a national contender, against third-ranked Chad Cebulski. That match could be critical to both team’s success tonight.

As the dual moves along, the upper weights tend to lean toward Northern, even with Cheff out of the lineup. The Lights will send out top-ranked Ethan Hinebauch at 165 points to square off against UGF’s Billy Goforth. Tonight’s match will be the last time a Hinebauch wrestles against the rival Argos in the Armory. Then comes another critical match as No. 2 Jared Miller battles No. 5 Shawn Lau. The two have had a tough rivalry the last two seasons, and Lau won their most recent meeting, which came at the Trapper Open two weeks ago. In many ways, the 174-pound match could decide the dual.

At 184 pounds, Willie Miller will make his home debut for the Lights. The former Chinook star is currently ranked 14th at 184 and will take on UGF veteran Taylor Vaughn. At 197, sophomore Garrett DeMers, ranked No. 4, will face UGF’s Andreas Geranois, and the heavyweight bout will pit Northern’s Jorrell Jones against UGF monster Dylan Lemery.

 “There will be a couple of key matchups that will decide the dual,” Schaeffer, a former MSU-N national champion said. “Shawn Lau versus Jared Miller and also Ryan Martin versus Drew Randell. It should be another great dual.”

Indeed. Tonight will be great, and it marks the start of a great weekend for the Lights. Northern is also home to face both North Idaho and Northwest College Friday night. So, taking on three top programs in two days will certainly be a huge challenge for the Lights, and Thivierge says they’re up for the challenge, especially tonight’s emotional home-opener against the Argos.

The rivalry will continue to remain this special as long as Northern and UGF continue to be the only collegiate wrestling programs in the state. The Lights and Argos also compete for many of the same recruits in Montana, they’re also only 111 miles apart, and on top of that, tonight’s dual, like many in the recent past, match two of the NAIA’s top five programs against each other.

In other words, when it comes to college wrestling, it doesn’t get any better than what’s about to go down inside the Armory.

"I think, as always, this dual is going to be close regardless of who is considered the better team,” Thivierge said. “Each team is well prepared, each team understands the rivalry and it will come down to bonus points and wrestling in the moment. On paper, this could be a close dual, it is going to come down to the team that takes advantage of momentum. Every single match is going to be pivotal. And our guys are excited and ready to go.”

Tonight’s dual between the Lights and Argos starts at 7 in the Armory Gymnasium. Northern also hosts Northwest College at 5 p.m. and North Idaho College at 7 p.m. Friday night.