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The HHS girls wrestling team took second in its tournament
The postseason finally got started for the Havre High wrestling teams as they hosted the Eastern A Divisional at Havre High Gymnasium this past weekend. As the Blue Ponies looked to do well to send as many wrestlers as possible to state, the HHS boys wrestling team took fifth at the tournament. While HHS head coach Beau LaSalle wished they could have done better, they did what they set out to do.
"It was so-so but we got 12 guys qualified (for state)," LaSalle said. "Divisionals is not our goal. Next weekend is. We got a couple of things to fix and clean up and we'll be ready to go for next week."
As a team, the HHS boys wrestling team scored 174 total points. Miles City won the tournament with 224 total points while Laurel came in second and Sidney-Fairview came in third.
Kale Van Campen had the best finish for the Ponies as he took first wrestling in the 182-pound weight class. He started the tournament with a pin against Thor Fulgram from Sidney/Fairview. Then in the semifinal, Van Campen pinned James Mills from Lockwood in the first period.
In the championship match, Van Campen won a 4-2 decision against Easton DeJong from Miles City. While he was happy to win the individual divisional title, Van Campen is already looking forward to the next chapter of the season.
"It set myself up for great seeding at state as I get to be at the top of the bracket," Van Campen said. "I feel good. My confidence is good and I feel healthy."
At 113 pounds, Matt Lemer qualified for state with a second-place finish. He started the tournament with a pin against Bryce Brisbin from Park/Sweet Grass County. Then in the quarterfinal, Lemer pinned Trent Penrod from Miles City. Then in the semifinal, Lemer pinned Cale Nedens from Hardin.
Reinhard Bold finished second for the Ponies at 152 pounds. He got started with a pin against Jimmy Barnick from Glendive. In the quarterfinal, Bold pinned Layne Alexander. In the semifinal, Bold won a 6-3 decision against Kade Wersland from Laurel.
At 138 pounds, Tristian Stygles finished third in the tournament. He started his run with a pin against Aaron See from Sidney/Fairview. In a consolation match, Stygles pinned Luke Knaub from Laurel. In the third-place match, Stygles won an 11-4 decision over Colter Fleming from Park/Sweet Grass Co.
Tommy Lewis also finished third wrestling at 285 pounds. He started the tournament with a quick pin against Zander Dingfielder from Glendive. In the quarterfinal, Lewis pinned Laurel's Tye Brown. In a consolation match, Lewis pinned Dingfielder again. Then in the third-place match, Lewis won a 4-1 decision over Caleb Kleinke from Sidney/Fairview.
At 126 pounds, Reed Mantle took fourth place in his bracket. He started his weekend with a pin against Damen McCord from Lewistown. In a consolation match, Mantle pinned Holden Hoiness from Laurel.
Carson Harris finished sixth wrestling at 132 pounds. He had a strong start to his weekend with pins against Brayson Dimond from Billings Central and Keith Little Light from Hardin. At 170 pounds, Pierce Caplette finished sixth. He started the tournament with a pin against Charlie Seemann from Park/Sweet Grass County and then he won a 10-5 decision over Quinn Boogman from Lewistown.
Teegan Solomon took seventh at 113 pounds. He started the tournament with a pin against Hunter Groves from Glendive in the first period. In a consolation match, Solomon pinned Brisbin. In the seventh-place match, Solomon pinned Penrod in the first period.
Colter Solomon finished seventh at 126 pounds. He capped off his weekend in the seventh-place match with a pin against Ryder Lufborough from Miles City. At 160 pounds, Landen Caplette took eighth for the Ponies. In a consolation match, Landen pinned Taylor Tatro from Park/Sweet Grass County. Mason Wilting finished eighth at 205 pounds in the tournament. In a consolation match, Wilting pinned Kingston Oe from Laurel.
The HHS girls wrestling team had a strong weekend with 96 total points to finish second in its tournament. Miles City won the girls Eastern A Divisional with 117.5 total points as a team. Many Ponies had success over the weekend to lead the girls team to success.
At 126 pounds, Maleigha Azure finished first. She started her run with a pin against Samantha Stanbary from Park/Sweet Grass County. Then in the championship match, Azure won a 7-0 decision over Jaycee Britton.
Aubree Erickson finished first wrestling at 145 pounds. In the semifinal, Erickson pinned Lidia D'Hooge from Lewistown in the first period. She took care of business in the championship match with another quick pin against Carmelia Horn from Hardin. After taking first, Erickson was excited to earn a spot in her first state tournament.
"It feels pretty great. I wasn't expecting to do it so it's nice," Erickson said. "I'm excited about state and I think it'll be a fun run."
At 185 pounds, Clara Laird took first for the Ponies. In the first-place match, Laird pinned Madilyn Juelke from Miles City. At 235 pounds, Aliyah Stiffarm won by injury default over Autumn Ownby from Sidney/Fairview in the championship match. These wrestlers first joined the program when it first started a few years ago, so LaSalle has enjoyed seeing their growth as well as the growth of the sport over the years.
"Girls wrestling in general is growing like crazy," LaSalle said. "Our girls are more and more invested in it every year and obviously it showed today with four champs. We just really like their growth as wrestlers and just their growth in learning the sport."
Other Ponies that placed include McKenna Caplette who took fourth at 114 pounds and Brooklyn Wilting who took fourth at 120 pounds. In the consolation semifinal, Wilting pinned Anastasia Saldana from Hardin.
The Ponies who placed at the tournament have now clinched their spot in the upcoming Class A State tournament in Billings. While they have a lot of work to do in the upcoming week, the Ponies are happy to finally be getting ready for their most important tournament of the season.
"I'm just excited to go and I think the kids are excited," LaSalle said. "We got a little work to do this week so we got to get ready."
The HHS wrestling teams will begin the Class A State Tournament at the Metra in Billings this Friday.
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