On the mat: Havre Invite starts the season

There is no better signal that the winter sports season is beginning in Havre than when the Havre High wrestling team hosts the Havre Invitational. And as hard as it might be to believe, that day is already here.

The Blue Ponies, who are the two-time defending Class A State wrestling champions, will officially begin the defense of their title today as the 2014 Havre Invitational, inside the HHS gymnasium, kicks off the 2014-15 wrestling season.

Havre will welcome a number of top-notch opponents to the invitational and with the Ponies and Great Falls High both scheduled to be in attendance, it will feature both the Class A and Class AA state champions from a season ago. The Chinook Sugarbeeters, who were the runner-up in Class C last season will also be competing as will the Class AA CMR Rustlers, coached by former Blue Pony Erin Jensen.

The meet will also be the first time that the new Montana High School Association weight classes will be unveiled, as the governing body of high school sports in Montana decided, along with the coaches, to drop the total number of weight classes from 15 down to 13.

The change boils down to four weight classes being combined into two. First, the 98-pound class and the 105-pound class were combined to make the 103-pound weight class. Then, the 195-pound class and the 220-pound class were combined to make another weight class at 205 pounds.

Overall, the move should make things more competitive because it will cause fewer forfeits, especially among smaller schools, but it's only effect on the Ponies will be fewer opportunities to gain victories and points.

"We have always had a pretty deep program, and we were always able to fill those weight classes," HHS head coach Scott Filius said. "So, it will hurt us a little bit, but I didn't fight it because I think it will make things more competitive and more competition is always better."

Regardless of the changes, the 2014 Ponies look to be as strong as ever, boasting three returning individual state champions in Parker Filius, Jace Billy and Jase Stokes, as well as a pair of second-place finishers in Travis Adams and Keegan Kennelly. HHS also returns Logan Pleninger, Kody Pribyl and Grayson Brenna, who each placed in the top four at the Class A State meet a season ago.

Yet, with each season brings changes and that means that Parker Filius, Billy and Stokes will also be wrestling at new weights this season at 145 pounds, 205 pounds and 170 pounds, respectively.

The rest of the Havre lineup will be finalized this weekend, but as of now it will include Ryan Stewart at 103 pounds, Kennelly at 120 pounds, Pleninger at 126 pounds, Brenna at 132 pounds, Pribyl at 152 pounds, Gunner Aageson at 160 pounds, John Chinadle at 182 pounds and Adams in the heavyweight division.

One of the few spots still up for grabs in the HHS lineup is at 138 pounds, where Dane Flammond, Jazz Schroeder and T.J. Lovenguth will be competing for that spot. Pleninger will also get a challenge at 126 pounds from senior Dylan Stewart.

Heading into the opening meet of the season, coach Filius isn’t so worried about the results, but is looking more just to see where his team is at and how they have responded to their training so far this season.

"The biggest thing that I want to see is whether or not we are in good enough shape to wrestle for six minutes," Filius said. "That is the first thing that we need to do. Then you can start scoring points in the middle and on the edge, but the first thing you need to do is make sure you are in good enough shape to wrestle the whole match, so that's the biggest thing I'll be looking for. And we will use this weekend to wrestle off at a few weight classes."

Chinook is also going to bring some talented wrestlers to the meet, including Tate Niederegger, who was a second-place finisher in the Class B-C state meet a year ago and Jesse Dannels, who finished sixth at state. The Beeters will also bring other talented returners such as Kevin Young, Jake Norby, Kenneth Pruttis and Derek Bell.

"I don't think there is a better way to start the season," Chinook head coach Perry Miller said. "You get to compete against the Class AA and Class A champion as well as a number of other tough teams, so it really gives you an idea of where you stand."

The Harlem Wildcats will also be competing this weekend and will be brining Brendan Johnson at 160 pounds, Denton Cornell at 182 pounds, Franki Taylor at 126 pounds, JT Allen at 132 pounds and Holten Stiff Arm in the heavyweight division.

The other schools from along the Hi-Line that will be in action at the Havre Invitational are Big Sandy and Chester/J-I. The action will get underway today inside the HHS gymnasium and will continue Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m.