Havre wrestlers own the Blue Pony Corral

Last season, the Havre High wrestling team had to compete in duals throughout the year. Now this winter, the Blue Ponies will once again get the chance to compete in tournaments, starting with the Havre Invitational at Blue Pony Gymnasium this past weekend.

On Saturday, the Ponies competed against wrestlers from other schools such as Cut Bank, Lewistown, Chinook, Malta, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Butte Central and Big Sandy. At the end of the day, Havre finished first in the tournament with 243.5 points.

"I thought we did a pretty good job. I think there's a lot of places to improve," HHS head coach Beau LaSalle said about their performance to open the season. "I think we did pretty good. Pleased with the effort and the way they competed."

Not only was it nice to win their first tournament of the season, but it was nice to have one after only competing in duals last season.

"It's nice to have a tournament. It has a little more meaning," HHS senior Orion Thivierge said. "Kids get more excited about it. It's more fun to watch the competitiveness at a tournament."

Cut Bank finished second in the tournament with a score of 188.5 points and Lewistown took third with a score of 173.0 points. Friday night before the tournament, the tournament's wrestlers competed against one another in the Havre Mixer to get warmed up.

That warmup helped five Ponies win their brackets Saturday. Thivierge competed in and took first in the 170-pound weight class. He started the tournament by winning by technical fall over Lewistown's Peyton Hartford after taking a 15-0 lead. In the semifinal, he again won by technical fall as he took a 16-0 lead over Spencer Gibbs from Malta.

In the championship match, Thivierge defeated his teammate Kale VanCampen by a score of 3-2. Thivierge is coming off a state title so he hopes to make another run in his senior season as a Pony. While there is a lot of work still left, a first-place finish is not a bad start to the year.

"I think I've been doing well. Obviously a lot to improve. Not where I want to be, but what else can you expect from the first weekend," Thivierge said.

Randy Tommerup took first in the 205-pound weight class for the Ponies, winning all three of his matches by pin. In the first round, he pinned CJI wrestler Sebastian Mansfield 1:01 into the match. He then pinned Lewistown's Quinn Boogman 40 seconds into the match and in the third round, Tommerup pinned Cut Bank's Ron Grant 1:10 into the match to secure the first-place finish.

Riley Pleninger took first in the 152-pound weight class Saturday. He pinned his first three opponents, Byron Lopez of Lewistown, Colton Honey of Malta and Drake Berreth of Chinook, in the first period of each match on his way to the championship match. He then won by major decision over Matt Larson of Cut Bank by a score of 17-7.

Tristian Stygles took first for the Ponies as he wrestled at 145 pounds. He pinned his first two opponents, Malta's Shawn Gilkerson and Lewistown's Andrew Kuhlmann, to advance to the championship match. He then defeated Chinook's Lane Snider with a major decision of 12-2 to take first.

Matthew Lemer took first in the 120-pound weight class. He first pinned his teammates Colter Solomon and Brooklyn Nelson before winning by major decision over Cut Bank's Kellen Cassidy by a score of 11-2 to secure a first-place finish.

In the 170-pound bracket, VanCampen finished second after losing to his teammate Thivierge in the championship match. He first received a bye to start the bracket before winning by technical fall over his teammate Mason Wilting by a score of 21-6 to reach the championship match.

Many Ponies took third in their respective brackets. Colter Solomon finished third wrestling at 120 pounds after he pinned Nelson 3:53 into the third round. In the 126/132 weight class, Carson Harris pinned his teammate Jack Gillen 1:46 into the third-place match. In the bracket, Harris pinned CJI's Averie Matteson 1:43 into the quarterfinal and he pinned CJI's Savannah Riggin 31 seconds into the consolation semifinal.

Kendall Pleninger won three matches to take third in the 160 weight class. In the first round, he received a bye before pinning Lewistown's Liam Gordon 30 seconds into the quarterfinal. After a loss, Pleninger pinned Jacob Hjartarson of Cut Bank before winning by major decision over Malta's Colton Mears by a score of 10-1 to take third.

Gillen took fourth for the Ponies as he wrestled in the 126/132-pound weight class. In his bracket, he defeated Matteson from CJI with a pin 50 seconds into the match. Brooklyn Nelson also took fourth for the Ponies as she wrestled at 120 pounds.

Jacob Kunz took fifth wrestling at 138 pounds. In the quarterfinal, he pinned CJI's Chester Sullivan 1:16 into the match. In the fifth-place match, he pinned CJI's Kyler Anderson 48 seconds into the match. In the 170-pound weight class, Wilting took fifth for the Ponies. He pinned Caden McCord of Lewistown 16 seconds into the match in the quarterfinal and then took fifth after McCord forfeited the fifth-place match. Pierce Caplette took fifth wrestling at 182 pounds after pinning Cut Bank's Wyatt Michaels and Lewistown's Payson Jensen in his bracket.

In the 152-pound weight class, Tate Nelson took sixth after he pinned Lewistown's Byron Lopez and Malta's Taylin Johannesen. Danish foreign exchange student Lucas Fhal took sixth wrestling at 160 pounds as he defeated Lewistown's Zac Chinn by a score of 7-4 and he pinned Lewistown's Liam Gordon. This season will be Fhal's first time wrestling, so he is enjoying the new experience.

"It's really fun. I like it," Fhal said. "It feels really amazing especially when you're winning."

Not only did the tournament allow the Ponies to demonstrate what they have in front of their home fans for the lone time this season, but it also allowed them to gain experience in a tournament format that should prove beneficial over the course of the year.

"Anytime you can get on the mat and get matches and go through a little bit of the tournament grind, it's invaluable," LaSalle said. "The goal is February and all this stuff leading up is just kind of a stepping stone to get to the state tournament."

The Ponies will next wrestle at the Butte Central Mixer and the Mining City Duals in Butte this weekend.

Havre Invitational

Team Scores

Havre 243.5, Cut Bank 188.5, Lewistown 173.0, Chinook 85.0, Malta 81.0, CJI 38.0, Butte Central 16.0, Big Sandy 15.0.

Order of finish

103/113: Richard Schmidt, CUT; Jake Simac, LEW; Grace Buck, CHI.

120: Matthew Lemer, HAV; Kellen Cassidy, CUT; Colter Solomon, HAV; Brooklyn Nelson, HAV.

126/132: Alex Wahl, CUT; James Holmes, BTC; Carson Harris, HAV; Jack Gillen, HAV; Savannah Riggin, CJI; Averie Matteson, CJI.

138: Kason Olson, LEW; Kanon Branch, CUT; Tannin Bauman, BIS; Ryder Cole, CJI; Jacob Kunz, HAV; Kyler Anderson, CJI.

145: Tristan Stygles, HAV; Lane Snider, CHI; Shawn Gilkerson, MAL; Caden Ferdinand, LEW; Caleb Simpson, CUT; Andrew Kuhlmann, LEW.

152: Riley Pleninger, HAV; Matt Larson, CUT; Carson Nelson, LEW; Drake Berreth, CHI; Conner Birdwell, LEW; Tate Nelson, HAV.

160: Wyatt Elam, LEW; Ty Curry, CUT; Kendall Pleninger, HAV; Colton Mears, MAL; Jacob Hjartarson, CUT; Lucas Fhal, HAV.

170: Orion Thivierge, HAV; Kale VanCampen, HAV; Spencer Gibbs, MAL; Peyton Hartford, LEW; Mason Wilting, HAV; Caden McCord, LEW.

182: Austin Vanek, CUT; Camryn Mears, MAL; Tyler Schoen, CHI; Jett Boyce, LEW; Pierce Caplette, HAV; Payson Jensen, LEW.

205: Randy Tommerup, HAV; Sebastian Mansfield, CJI; Quinn Boogman, LEW; Ron Grant, CUT.

285: Wyatt Dunbar, CHI; Jeremy Gallagher, CUT; Tye Jones, MAL; Christian Wolfe, LEW; Carson Lotan, LEW; Cameron Baker, LEW.

Individual Results

120 - Colter Solomon

Round 1 - Matthew Lemer, HAV, p. Colter Solomon, HAV, 3:46; Round 2 - Kellen Cassidy, CUT, won by major decision over Colter Solomon, HAV, 18-4; Round 3 - Colter Solomon, HAV, p. Brooklyn Nelson, HAV, 3:53.

120 - Matthew Lemer

Round 1 - Matthew Lemer, HAV, p. Colter Solomon, HAV, 3:46; Round 2 - Matthew Lemer, HAV, p. Brooklyn Nelson, HAV, 1:57; Round 3 - Matthew Lemer, HAV, won by major decision over Keller Cassidy, CUT, 11-2.

120 - Brooklyn Nelson

Round 1 - Kellen Cassidy, CUT, p. Brooklyn Nelson, HAV, 3:35; Round 2 - Matthew Lemer, p. Brooklyn Nelson, HAV, 1:57; Round 3 - Colter Solomon, HAV, p. Brooklyn Nelson, HAV, 3:53.

126/132 - Carson Harris

Quarterfinal - Carson Harris, HAV, p. Averie Matteson, CJI, 1:43; Semifinal - James Holmes, BTC, dec. Carson Harris, 9-2; Cons. Semi - Carson Harris, HAV, p. Savannah Riggin, CJI, 0:31; 3rd Place Match - Carson Harris, HAV, p. Jack Gillen, HAV, 1:46.

126/132 - Jack Gillen

Quarterfinal - Jack Gillen, HAV, received a bye; Semifinal - Alex Wahl, CUT, p. Jack Gillen, HAV, 1:04; Cons. Semi - Jack Gillen, HAV, p. Averie Matteson, CJI, 0:50; 3rd Place Match - Carson Harris, HAV, p. Jack Gillen, HAV, 1:46.

138 - Jacob Kunz

Quarterfinal - Jacob Kunz, HAV, p. Jadon Sullivan, CJI, 1:16; Semifinal - Kanon Branch, CUT, p. Jacob Kunz, HAV, 0:46; Cons. Semi - Tannin Bauman, BIS, p. Jacob Kunz, HAV, 4:48; 5th Place Match - Jacob Kunz, HAV, p. Kyler Anderson, CJI, 0:48.

145 - Tristian Stygles

Quarterfinal - Tristian Stygles, HAV, p. Shawn Gilkerson, MAL, 5:56; Semifinal - Tristian Stygles, HAV, p. Andrew Kuhlmann, LEW, 0:34; 1st Place Match - Tristan Stygles, HAV, won by major decision over Lane Snider, CHI, 12-2.

152 - Riley Pleninger

Champ. Round 1 - Riley Pleninger, HAV, p. Byron Lopez, LEW, 0:16; Quarterfinal - Riley Pleninger, HAV, p. Colton Honey, MAL, 0:37; Semifinal - Riley Pleninger, HAV, p. Drake Berreth, CHI, 1:01; 1st Place Match - Riley Pleninger, HAV, won by major decision over Matt Larson, CUT, 17-7.

152 - Tate Nelson

Champ. Round 1 - Tate Nelson received a bye; Quarterfinal - Matt Larson, CUT, p. Tate Nelson, HAV, 1:46; Cons. Round 2 - Tate Nelson, HAV, p. Byron Lopez, LEW, 0:24; Cons. Round 3 - Tate Nelson, HAV, p. Taylin Johannesen, MAL, 1:34; Cons. Semi - Drake Berreth, CHI, dec. Tate Nelson, HAV, 7-2; 5th Place Match - Conner Birdwell, dec. Tate Nelson, HAV, 7-3.

160 - Kendall Pleninger

Champ. Round 1 - Kendall Pleninger, HAV, received a bye; Quarterfinal - Kendall Pleninger, HAV, p. Liam Gordon, LEW, 0:30; Semifinal - Ty Curry, CUT, dec. Kendall Pleninger, HAV, 6-3; Cons. Semi - Kendall Pleninger, HAV, p. Jacob Hjartarson, CUT, 2:29; 3rd Place Match - Kendall Pleninger, HAV, won by major decision over Colton Mears, MAL, 10-1.

160 - Lucas Fhal

Champ. Round 1 - Wyatt Elam, LEW, p. Lucas Fhal, HAV, 1:13; Cons. Round 1 - Lucas Fhal, HAV, received a bye; Cons. Round 2 - Lucas Fhal, HAV, dec. Zac Chinn, CHI, 7-4; Cons. Round 3 - Lucas Fhal, HAV, p. Liam Gordon, LEW, 1:37; Cons. Semi - Colton MEars, MAL, p. Lucas Fhal, HAV, 1:37; 5th Place Match - Jacob Hjartarson, CUT, p. Lucas Fhal, HAV, 2:24.

170 - Kale VanCampen

Quarterfinal - Kale VanCampen, HAV, received a bye; Semifinal - Kale VanCampen, HAV, won by tech. fall over Mason Wilting, HAV, 21-6; 1st Place Match - Orion Thivierge, HAV, dec. Kale VanCampen, HAV, 3-2.

170 - Orion Thivierge

Quarterfinal - Orion Thivierge, HAV, won by tech. fall over Peyton Hartford, LEW, 15-0; Semifinal - Orion Thivierge, won by tech. fall over Spencer Gibbs, MAL, 16-0; 1st Place Match - Orion Thivierge, HAV, p. Kale VanCampen, HAV, 3-2.

170 - Brisbin Reiter

Quarterfinal - Spencer Gibbs, MAL, p. Brisbin Reiter, HAV, 1:20; Cons. Round 1 - Peyton Hartford, LEW, p. Brisbin Reiter, HAV, 5:07.

170 - Mason Wilting

Quarterfinal - Mason Wilting, HAV, p. Caden McCord, LEW, 0:16; Semifinal - Kale VanCampen, HAV, won by tech. fall over Mason Wilting, HAV, 21-6; Cons. Semi - Peyton Hartford, LEW, p. Mason Wilting, HAV, 4:06; 5th Place Match - Mason Wilting, HAV, won by forfeit over Caden McCord, LEW, FF.

182 - Clara Laird

Champ. Round 1 - Clara Laird received a bye; Quarterfinal - Jett Boyce, LEW, p. Clara Laird, HAV, 0:54; Cons. Round 2 - Payson Jensen, p. Clara Laird, HAV, 0:28.

182 - Pierce Caplette

Champ. Round 1 - Pierce Caplette, HAV, received a bye; Quarterfinal - Tyler Schoen, CHI, p. Pierce Caplette, HAV, 1:20; Cons. Round 2 - received a bye; Cons. Round 3 - Pierce Caplette, HAV, p. Wyatt Michaels, CUT, 0:41; Cons. Semi - Jett Boyce, LEW, won by major decision over Pierce Caplette, HAV, 11-3; 5th Place Match - Pierce Caplette, HAV, p. Payson Jensen, LEW, 0:24.

205 - Randy Tommerup

Round 1 - Randy Tommerup, HAV, p. Sebastian Mansfield, CJI, 1:01; Round 2 - Randy Tommerup, HAV, p. Quinn Boogman, LEW, 0:40; Round 3 - Randy Tommerup, HAV, p. Ron Grant, CUT, 1:10.