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After looking very strong in Missoula, Havre grapplers host Scotties Tuesday night

With a stellar showing at the Cut Bank Invitational, the Havre High wrestling team was looking to make a lot of noise at one of the toughest meets in the state of Montana, the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula.

And the Blue Pony grapplers put up quite the fight, finishing the meet in 12th place and being the second highest Class A Montana school at the meet. To finish in that range, especially up against the toughest schools in Montana and the rest of the northwest, says a lot about how much the Ponies put forward over the weekend. Even if the team did not place as high as they had hoped, HHS head coach Beau LaSalle was still proud of what his team did on the mat down in Missoula.

“We had three kids that placed,” LaSalle said. “I thought we wrestled pretty well. We would’ve liked to place all five of the guys that were on the second day.”

Havre’s three grapplers on the podium were Mick Chagnon, placing third in the 113-pound weight class, Orion Thivierge, who also placed third at 160, and Cameron Pleninger, who finished fifth at 126. All three were also in the semifnals Friday. The Ponies had two wrestlers, Kale VanCampen and Riley Pleninger, that lost in the blood round to place.

Overall, the performance in the Rocky Mountain Classic went fairly well for the Havre squad.

“Orion had a great weekend,” LaSalle said. "He ended up losing to the kid who won the tournament and then beat a kid who has beat him previously from Lewistown. Mick is kind of getting back to where he was a year ago as a state champ. He lost to the kid that ended up second and Mick wrestled pretty well throughout the tournament.”

Now, after a good run in Missoula, Havre will head back home to face off against the Glasgow Scotties in a duals in the Havre High Gymnasium at 5 p.m. Tuesday. But not only will Havre be at home for the second time this season, it will be the senior night for the Blue Pony grapplers, too. The three seniors, Connor Harris, Cameron Pleninger and Joey Bender will be celebrated for their achievements and commitment to the wrestling program at Havre. It will be a big night for the three seniors, as well as a moment they will never forget.

“Two of them have been with us for four years and Joey Bender came out, wrestled as a young kid and came out this year for his senior year at 103,” LaSalle said. “Joey is just starting to hit his stride where he’s getting matches under his belt and getting his feel back. He’s doing well for us at 103. As far as Cameron and Connor go, Cameron has been a finalist a couple of times and Connor has been third three times. They’ve just really been staples in our lineup for four years. They both started since they were freshmen, done a really good job for us over the years and it’s been a pleasure being able to coach those guys and be a part of their wrestling journey.”

Glasgow will be a tough opponent on the mat, as the Scotties are the top Class B/C team in the state. Glasgow has had a great program throughout the years, as well, being a force on the mat. Havre will be put to the test against some exciting talent outside of Class A and AA.

The dual against the Scotties Tuesday is something for the Blue Pony matmen to look forward, too. But LaSalle sees a big challenge against Glasgow.

“They got a really good team,” LaSalle said. “From top to bottom, they don’t have many holes in their lineup and very year Glasgow does a good job. In the state, they have been one of the top programs. We’re just going to have to wrestle every match and not give up bonus points for us to win that dual. It’s not a gimme by any means. They’ll be ready to go and we should be ready to go, too.”

Havre currently has a tentative lineup against the Scotties. Bender will compete at 103, Chagnon at 113, Riley Pleninger or Hunter Velk at 120, Cameron Pleninger at 126, Dominick Perkins at 132, Kendall Pleninger at 138, VanVampen at 145, Harris or Randy Tommerup at 152, Wyatt Hansen or Thivierge at 160 and 170, Brayden Stadell at 182 and Cole Adams at heavyweight.

The Ponies will wrap up their home schedule with their senior night dual against Glasgow Tuesday at 5 p.m.

 

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