The State Wrestling Tournament remains exciting for fans in ways both old and new

BILLINGS — After a year away, the State Wrestling Tournament finally made its return to the Metra. And what a grand return it was. Over the course of two days, I had the pleasure of getting down on the floor and watching the best high school wrestlers compete against one another.

The biggest difference for this year’s state tournament was the growth of girls wrestling. With more girls wrestlers this season, the girls got their own set of mats over the course of the weekend and even their own mat during the final matches of the weekend. With the opportunity on a bigger stage, watching the best girls wrestlers in the state compete was a treat to watch. As the sport continues to grow, the Girls State Wrestling Tournament should only become more exciting over the years.

This season, Class B and Class C combined to compete in the Class B-C State Wrestling Tournament. Under this new format, wrestling fans got to see wrestlers from these different classes go at it for the first time in the state tournament.

One sight that was not new in the Class B-C Tournament was Chinook’s Tyler Schoen bringing home another state championship. It was the second straight first-place trophy to end his career, cementing himself as one of the best athletes for the Sugarbeeters in recent memory.

And of course, the Class A State Wrestling Tournament remained as exciting as ever. The Havre High wrestling team was well represented in the championship matches with three wrestlers. After surviving an exciting overtime match in the semifinal, Tristan Stygles made quick work of his opponent in the title match to win state at 138 pounds. After falling short in his previous state appearances, it was nice to see Kale Van Campen grind it out to finally break through to win state at 182 pounds.

But the magic of the state wrestling tournaments would not be there if not for the grand venue that is the Metra. Witnessing wrestling fans from all across the state gather to celebrate these young wrestlers is special to see and the energy of it is unmatched by any other state tournament.