Lights ready to defend their mat against an SOU Raid

The Montana State University-Northern Lights have wrestled just three duals in the Cascade Conference this season, and only one has been at home. But to start the new year, the Lights get the chance to take on a conference rival on their home mat.

Tonight, the 10th-ranked Lights come home to battle 13th-ranked Southern Oregon in a Cascade showdown. The dual, which is one of three the Lights will have at home in the next six weeks, starts at 7 inside the Armory Gymnasium.

And it's a big one.

Northern moved up to No. 10 in the new NAIA Coaches Poll, but in conference the Lights are just part of what is clearly the toughest conference in all of NAIA wrestling. Northern, SOU, Providence, Menlo, Embry-Riddle and Eastern Oregon are all ranked inside the Top 20 this week, and for good measure, the Raiders are coming to Havre fresh off a 20-18 win over the Argos Tuesday night in Great Falls.

"I think SOU is a tough team, and they have been for years," Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge said. "They have some talented guys and they are always dangerous."

Indeed. The Raiders are a perennial NAIA power, and this season is no exception. While graduation did hit SOU hard last season, the Raiders still bring plenty of firepower to Havre tonight.

In the middle of the SOU lineup, there should be some intriguing matches in tonight's dual. SOU has Deven Poppen ranked No. 4 at 141 pounds, and he'll face off against MSU-N's Matt Weber, currently ranked seventh. Brandon Weber, ranked second for Northern at 157, will get to face a familiar rival tonight as well, as he goes head-to-head with SOU's Hunter Hodges. Those two bouts will be big ones for the Lights, as will a huge showdown at 197 pounds.

Northern freshman Isaac Bartel has burst onto the NAIA wrestling scene, with an impressive start to his career. But he'll have a big challenge tonight when he faces third-ranked Tanner Fischer from SOU. Those three matches could really turn the tide of what's likely to be a close dual.

However, Northern has key grapplers up and down its lineup, including Andrew Bartel currently ranked ninth at 165, Steeler French, who's moved up to No. 15 at 184, as well as the steady emergence of true freshman Nick Kunz. The former Helena grappler has really come on strong as of late and is now ranked 11th at 125 pounds.

Landon Bailey will go at 133 for the Lights, while Dylan Veis will battle 10th-ranked Michael Chandler of SOU at 149 pounds. Northern will send out either Chris Nile or Chase Short at 174, and will be open at heavyweight.

"They (Raiders) definitely came to Montana with an agenda, and we are not expecting them to come into our gym and lay down," Thivierge said. "Second semester they are always on top of their game, so this is gonna be a great challenge for us coming back from break."

Tonight's dual, which starts at 7 in the Armory, also marks the start of a busy stretch for the Lights. MSU-N will dual Dickinson State and wrestle in the Tyler Plummer Classic, then travel to the Missouri Valley Invitational, all in the next three weeks, before hosting Cascade rivals Embry-Riddle and Providence in the first week of February.