HISTORICALLY HAVRE: 4-timers

BILLINGS — The accomplishments of the Havre High wrestling program are hard to fathom. But what’s even harder to fathom is that before this past weekend, the Blue Ponies had never had a four-time individual state champion.

Of course, that changed when Jase Stokes and Parker Filius made Havre High history Saturday night inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra, doing something no Blue Pony has ever done — become a four-time champ.

“It’s bittersweet,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “But these guys are ready to move on, ready to go onto other things. They did what we have come to expect them to do. They just always show up.”

Stokes was the first to do it, only because the draw on finals night started things off at 170 pounds. That meant Stokes, who wrestled at 205 pounds this season, got the first bite at the apple, while Filius, who wrestled at 145, had to wait.

Stokes, like he seemingly always does, took care of business, despite falling behind early. Then, shortly after he became the first Havre wrestler to achieve the feat, Filius matched him.

“I think growing up with a buddy and being able to accomplish that, it’s pretty special,” Stokes said. “Not a lot of people have even won one state championship, but to be able to do that four times with your best friend, that’s unbelievable.”

Filius, who won his match with ease just more than an hour after Stokes did, expressed similar sentiments.

“It has been awesome,” Filius said. “Jase and I have been best friends for a long time. We were training partners and we played football together. We grew up playing in the backyard, running around, so it’s awesome. It’s a cool way to go out.”

Since their freshmen seasons, Stokes and Filius have been great. They each won championships back in 2014, when they weren’t necessarily expected to. In each subsequent state tournament, they have been overwhelming favorites and each time, they delivered.

“It has taken a whole lot of work,” Filius said. “In this sport, you have to continue to work hard to keep doing what you have been doing. You saw tonight, there were guys that were the favorites and they were supposed to win and they didn’t win. So you have to keep working to make sure things like that don’t happen.”

While Stokes and Filius are the first Ponies to win four individual champions, they join a group of now 31 wrestlers that have achieved the feat in Montana wrestling history, as Belgrade’s Sawyer Degan and Colstrip’s Clayton Currier also accomplished the feat Saturday.

They are also just the second pair of teammates to become four-timers in the same season, which was done previously by Beau Malia and Joe Lauer of Billings Skyview back in 2004.

However, there is one thing Stokes and Filius achieved Saturday, that no pair has ever done on the mat, as they became the first four-time individual champions to also be part of four consecutive team championships.

“It really means a lot,” Filius said of the team titles. “When your team is doing well, it really pushes everyone to try and get as many points as they can.”

Obviously, winning four consecutive state titles is impressive. But what makes the accomplishment even greater for each wrestler is the dominance with which they did it.

Of the 16 wins Filius, who also capped a perfect season, racked up during his state tournament career, 14 of the 16 came by pin or technical fall. This past weekend in Billings, he three got pins, pushing his total in the state tournament to 11. He also got one technical fall, where he won 16-1. That was the only match of the meet that went beyond the first period and it ended in 3:49. Only two his 16 state tournament matches went the distance and both were in his freshman year.

“There is something about the atmosphere here,” Filius said referring to the Metra. “And with our fans here, it makes you want to do your best.”

Stokes’ state tournament resume is equally strong. Eleven of his first 12 victories came via pin. On Friday, he pinned opponents in 8 seconds and 1:28 respectively. In the semifinals, he won an 11-5 decision, before getting a pin in the final over Travis Catina of Whitefish in 1:57. Just like Filius, only two of his 16 matches at the Metra went the distance, proving the they didn’t just win, they dominated. Stokes also became the heaviest wrestler to ever be a four-time champion.

“There is just something about the Metra that’s just special,” Stokes said. “To come out here as a freshman and win it, just all the hard work paid off.”

The hard work certainly paid off for Stokes and Filius, who stand together, not just as the two most accomplished wrestlers in the history of Havre High, but as two of the greatest individual competitors Montana wrestling has ever known.

“This one is the best one,” Stokes said. “For sure. It’s a big sigh of relief. I really can’t describe it, it’s crazy.”