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Havre High standout Orion Thivierge, front, goes for an escape during a Havre Invitational match last month at the HHS gymnasium. Thivierge and the Blue Ponies return from the holiday break and are heading to the Sidney Duals Saturday, where they'll take on the top-ranked Eagles, as well as Eastern A rivals Lewistown and Glendive.
There has been a lot of intense competition between two teams in Class A wrestling and, this Saturday, those teams, Havre and Sidney, will get to take to the mat against each other once more. Havre travels to the Sidney Duals Saturday afternoon.
The rivalry between the Blue Pony and Sidney matmen has always been big, especially since the two schools have been praised for the toughness and tenacity of the wrestling programs. But in recent years Havre has looked to top the Eagles, who have beaten the Ponies at the state meet the past two years.
HHS head coach Beau LaSalle is excited to get another go at one of the top programs in the state of Montana.
"I think anytime you get the chance to wrestle the number one team in the state it's a great opportunity to kind of see where you're at," LaSalle said. "They got a lot of high-ranked guys as far as the polls go, so we just get to see where we kind of match up with those guys."
Havre and Sidney will be two of the four Class A teams attending the dual, the other two being Glendive and Lewistown. The Red Devils and the Golden Eagles have made some strides in the season already and will now get a crack at the defending state champs alongside the Ponies.
Saturday will be full of intense matches among all the teams. For Havre, senior Connor Harris will look to stay dominant in the season against the competition, while fellow senior Cameron Pleninger has a lot to look forward to after a great showcase in the Mining City Duals. The other two Pleninger brothers, Kendall and Riley, will aspire to continue improving on the already good season.
For LaSalle, the compeititon will be another great challenge within the already considerably tough season schedule.
"Glendive had a good showing at CMR and Lewistown is always tough," LaSalle said. "We'll get three tough matches and, at this time in the year, that's just what we're looking for. I think Sidney is the top team in the state and in the top two of all classifications. So, I don't think, I know they're the best team."
The duals will have some big trials from Havre, too. Joey Bender will be wrestling in the 103-pound weight class, Mick Chagnon will look to continue his prowess at 113 and Riley Pleninger and Hunter Velk are set to impress at 120. Cameron Pleninger will compete at 126 pounds; Dominic Perkins will wrestle at 132, and Kendall Pleninger and Kale VanCampen will look to push through at 138.
Harris will look to be a big threat in the 145-pound class and continue to add more victories to his already great career as a Havre grappler, while Randy Tommerup has another chance to continue his good season at 152. Sophomore Orion Thivierge will wrestle at 160, Wyatt Hansen is at 170 and Cole Adams will compete at 285 in the Pony lineup.
Among Sidney, Glendive and Lewistown, the Ponies will be excited to go up against some great teams in Class A. On top of that, LaSalle sees his team doing well against the big three.
"As far as our guys, I would just like everybody to see how much the break helped," LaSalle said. "We can see if we corrected some of our mistakes since the last time we were on the mat."
Havre will take on Sidney, Lewistown and Glendive at the Sidney Duals Saturday. The Ponies then head to the Cut Bank Invite next weekend.
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