George Ferguson Column: Last words on a great state wrestling

Montana high school wrestlers line up after the Parade of Champions at the all-class state wrestling tournament last Saturday night in Billings.

In fact, I have yet to recall a single one I've covered where I walked away without any lasting memories.

This past weekend in Billings was my 10th state tournament and perhaps…my most memorable. There were so many great story lines surrounding the tournament, including four wrestlers making history in the span of an hour – something that may never be seen again.

There was Havre battling for another state title, Chinook doing the same, there was Ben Stroh, Jorrell Jones, there were Chester/J-I kids making noise, and Harlem kids too. There was so much going on in fact, that it felt like I'd run 20 miles on that hard Metra floor by the time I crawled into my hotel room bed at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning.

And that's just a little bit of what made this state tournament so great and so fascinating to cover.

Here's a few more highlights, and even a complaint thrown in from my two-plus days at this year's state tournament, which by the way, I was so glad to see back in Billings after the Father's Day tornado of 2010 ripped the roof off the Metra and the tournament's had to be split up in 2011.

• Ben Stroh. I could write about this kid for the next 20 years and never get tired of it.

The result of his weekend was a shock to no one, but no matter how quickly he pinned his four opponents this weekend, or how fast his fourth straight individual Class B-C state championship came and went, I couldn't have been more excited. I've watched several Montana prep greats accomplish the feat in the last 10 years, but never one from my coverage area. So I was excited for an entire year leading up to this weekend to get to watch Stroh make history.

And he didn't disappoint. The feat itself was exciting and Stroh was the talk of the tournament. He had everyone in the media room discovering what I already knew, which is, he is not just a great wrestler and athlete, but a great person, a great kid to interview and a whole lot of fun just to be around.

Stroh alone made the entire weekend worth it.

• Havre High didn't win the Class A state championship, but the Blue Ponies made a great run at it. I haven't covered an HHS team with so many freshman and sophomores competing at the state tourney, and my hats off to them. Havre never backed down, even though Corvallis was on one of those dream runs and Laurel had more depth.

I was thrilled to see Eli Hinebauch cap off a perfect season by winning his second state title, which now moves the Hinebauch family count to a remarkable eight state championships.

But just as thrilling was Casey Schaub's state title at 189 pounds. Schaub had come up just short to Ronan's Cole McCarthur a year ago and he'd had great runs at the Metra as a freshman and sophomore. But Schaub was never going to be denied in his last try. And it wasn't just that he was going to win state, he demolished every opponent in his wake. It was special weekend for Schaub and one I know all Havre wrestling fans enjoyed.

• Speaking of the Ponies, I have to give the weekend MVP's to three different HHS wrestlers.

What a performance by sophomore Thomas Gruber at 130 pounds. After Gruber finished fourth, which included a stunning quarterfinal win over Laurel's Austin Cannen, and a consolation semi win over Belgrade's Ethan Bristol, Gruber himself said he didn't expect to place at state this year.

Well Thomas, you didn't just place, but you were a big part of why the Ponies brought home yet another trophy for the HHS trophy case, and an even bigger part of why your team battled for a state title to the very end.

I also have to give a big congratulations to senior Kameron Pribyl and freshman Grayson Brenna. Pribyl showed what it means to have heart and character. After nearly upsetting favored Riley Nagel of Corvallis in the semifinals, it would have been easy for Pribyl to be dejected and not battle back in what was his last shot a state title. Instead, Pribyl won two straight matches to finish third, scored as many points as he could for his team and went out a winner. That's the heart of a champion on display.

Brenna had a memorable weekend too. He was expected to get to finals night and those expectations aren't always easy on a wrestler, let alone a freshman. But he met the challenge head on and showed why he'll be a part of finals night for years to come.

• And while I'm handing out MVP awards, how about the performance by Chinook's Rob Klingaman. Not only was he taking on the 189-pound weight class, which belonged to Stroh, but he made a great run to get to the championship bout, where he got to take Stroh head on. Klingaman won a spectacular semifinal match before finishing second, which, as legendary head coach Perry Miller pointed out, was as good as winning a state title when you're standing next to Stroh on the podium.

• OK, here's my one complaint. Though I was happy state wrestling returned to Billings, I have to give a big thumb's down to the Metra for not having reliable Wifi service. The tournament is the second biggest sports media event in Montana next to Cat-Griz football each year, and to not have Wifi working like it should was a big shame. Here's hoping they get that problem fixed before next year's event.

I do have to give a big, thumbs up to the Montana High School Association however. They run the state tournament so well every year, and they made a great gesture this year by bringing back Townsend's Jade Rauser, who became the 19th Montanan to win four titles in a row last February in Hamilton. Rauser didn't get to accomplish the feat in the Metra, but was honored on Saturday night with a standing ovation from the 7,000-plus fans in attendance. It was a classy move by the MHSA and one Rauser completely deserved.

So there you have it. Another state tourney in the books. And while I met say it every year, this was the most memorable for me. But as great as high school wrestling is on the Hi-Line each and every year, I'll probably be saying the same thing come this time next year.