Pony grapplers head to prestigious Class A duals

The regular season is almost up for the Havre High wrestling team and the Blue Ponies look to finish it off strong. After the victory over the Glasgow Scotties Tuesday in the Havre High Gymnasium, the Havre grapplers will be put to a grand test of duals in Class A.

Sure, the Ponies have faced teams like Sidney and Glendive already, but the Class A Duals in Lewistown today and Saturday will be a challenge. Facing off against tough Class A opponents is always tough on its own, but when it comes to duals, the difficulty gets raised higher.

Even so, HHS head coach Beau LaSalle is ready to see his team put in some work on the mat this weekend to help prepare the Ponies for the postseason.

"The Class A Duals, like any dual, it makes it a little tougher," LaSalle said. "But I think our guys are ready. We didn't give up many bonus points tonight (against Glasgow Tuesday) and that's huge in goals and that made a difference. If we can do that this weekend, we'll be alright."

Havre has wrestled hard in many duals throughout the season in meets like the Mining City Duals, Sidney Duals and more recently against Glasgow. Going into the weekend, there will be a lot of tough competition on the mat, but the Glasgow Dual gave some insight on how strong the Blue Pony grapplers can be.

A big factor in Havre's win over the Scotties came from the multiple pins that the Ponies produced. The senior class this year, made up of Joey Bender, Cameron Pleninger and Connor Harris, all pinned their opponents, along with many other wrestlers. Cameron Pleninger pulled off the fastest pin of the night and has been known to be lethal in that regard, too. Other veteran wrestlers like Mick Chagnon and Hunter Velk have been working hard, as well.

With some great senior leadership, the younger part of the Havre lineup has been driven and focused on wrestling with intensity. Grapplers like Randy Tommerup, Riley and Kendall Pleninger, Kale VanCampen, Brayden Stadell and Cole Adams are aiming to give Havre more points in the postseason.

But so will the other teams at the Class A Duals. Tough programs like Sidney, Glendive and Lewistown will be itching to take the top spot among the competition. It will not be an easy battle for the Blue Ponies against Class A adversaries.

And LaSalle knows the team that has been and will be a force this weekend in Lewistown.

"Sidney, as I've said before, is the best team in the state," LaSalle said. "They got a good dual team and a tough team from top to bottom. Hopefully we do our part and get another crack at them in the championship."

Havre will wrestle Frenchtown, Browning, Stevensville and Glendive in Pool A today. Pool B consists of Dillon, Libby, Laurel, Whitefish and Sidney. Pool C includes, Hamilton, Miles City, Polson, Columbia Falls and Livingston, while Pool D is made up of Corvallis, Lewistown, Billings Central, Hardin and Ronan. The top teams from each pool will compete in a championship bracket Saturday, to determine the Class A duals championship.

The 2020 Class A Duals starts today and runs through Saturday afternoon. The Ponies conclude the regular season next weekend at the Malta Invite.