Blue Ponies repeat as Class A champions

The Havre High wrestling completed its mission. It wasn't easy with Sidney breathing down their neck all weekend long, but at the conclusion of the 2014 Class A state tournament Saturday night at the Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, the Ponies stood tall.

Havre captured its ninth state championship under head coach Scott Filius, scoring a whopping 294.5 points. The Ponies crowned four individual state champions Saturday night and dominated the meet placing 13 of the 17 wrestlers they qualified. Sidney was strong too, but the Eagles ran out of steak on finals night, and wound up second with 268.5 points. Columbia Falls was a distant third with 172.

HHS marched six grapplers into the finals, with brothers Tyler and Travis Adams starting things off by competing for the 220-pound title. Tyler, a senior, wound up winning 14-4 for his first state title, but Travis' run in the same bracket was a huge factor in the Ponies' team title run. Two freshman also made headlines for the Ponies Saturday night. Parker Filius pinned Sindey's Jordan Stevens to win the 138-pound title and cement the team title for HHS. Not long after Filius finished off a brilliant freshman season, teammate Jase Stokes Columbia Falls' Brian Schaeffer for the 152-pound championship. Both Filius and Stokes were ranked behind their respective opponents coming into the tournament, but both dominated their final bouts. Now, both grapplers have the first leg of what could be a pair of four-time state champions.

HHS also capped final's night with a state title from junior Jace Billy at 195 pounds. Billy beat Belgrade rival Jaden Bryant 4-3 in the last match of the night. HHS's only loss in the finals was when 106-pounder Keegan Kennelly was upset by Dillon's Koltin Starkel 8-5. Kennelly suffered heartbreak for the second straight season, as he lost the 98-pound final a year ago.

Still, it was a huge night for the Ponies, who just keep churning out quality teams. Sidney had two more wrestlers than Havre in the finals but HHS's depth proved too much as Logan Pleninger (113), Grayson Brenna (120) and Thomas Gruber (132) all finished third, while Kody Pribyl (145) and Dustin Odegard (182) finished fourth and Dylan Stewart (126) and Jake Williams (170) added fifth-place finshes. Also, every member of the Blue Pony team scored at least one point over the two-day tourney. That was the case for the second straight season.

The Blue Ponies' point total also tied their own record for the most points in a Class A meet. Havre scored the same total in winning 2009 state championship.

For complete and extensive coverage of the Ponies' state championship, see Monday's Havre Daily News and more at http://www.havredailynews.com.

Finals

Weight: 106

Thunder Morales (POL) def Cody Warner (FTN) Forf

Wyatt VanBuren (SID) def Winfield West (CFS), Fall 1:34

Kohltin Starkel (DIL) def Keegan Kennelly (HAV), Dec 8-5

Weight: 113

Jaron Morgan (POL) def Casey Christian (SID), Dec 7-3

Logan Pleninger (HAV) def Mason Fetters (CFS), Dec 6-0

Trace Jones (SID) def Clay Stillwagon (BUC), Fall 1:51

Weight: 120

Zach Wall (CEN) def Kwin Stoddard (DIL), DQ 2:31

Grayson Brenna (HAV) def Clayton Carter (LAU), M-Dec 13-0

Gresh Jones (SID) def Chase Conner (COR), M-Dec 9-0

Weight: 126

Dylan Stewart (HAV) def Josh Venema (COR), Dec 1-0

Hunter Grover (LEW) def Carlos Quinones (POL), M-Dec 10-2

Shonn Roberts (CFS) def Ethan Graves (SID), Dec 6-0

Weight: 132

Skyler Higareda (LIB) def Haze Bell (CFS), Dec 3-0

Thomas Gruber (HAV) def Layne Schaefer (SID), M-Dec 8-0

Jarrett Degen (BEL) def Dillon Tennant (GLE), Dec 6-3

Weight: 138

Tylor Olsen (COR) def Bryant Dorn (HAR), M-Dec 12-3

Zach Crace (LIB) def Lyle Degen (BEL), Fall :36

Parker Filius (HAV) def Jordan Stevens (SID), Fall 3:23

Weight: 145

Zayne Brunz (CFS) def Zeus Rutherford (BRW), Dec 3-0

Cody Lemons (FTN) def Kody Pribyl (HAV), Fall :36

Bryan Armstrong (ANA) def Ryan Chatterton (SID), Dec 4-0

Weight: 152

Riley Jessop (COR) def John Preller (LAU), Dec 6-4

Shawn Purcell (HAR) def Mason Mavrinac (ANA), Dec 12-5

Jase Stokes (HAV) def Bryan Schaffer (CFS), Fall 4:50

Weight: 160

Tanner Delp (HAR) def Wyatt Jessop (COR) Forf

Cody Walters (CFS) def Justin Hinson (HAM), Fall 1:59

Cody Johnson (SID) def Keevan Pickle (BEL), M-Dec 9-0

Weight: 170

Jake Williams (HAV) def Doug Womack (FTN), M-Dec 9-0

Casey Fredericks (HAR) def Tel Motichka (POL), Dec 2-1

Garret Chapel (LIB) def Cody Christian (SID), Dec 10-5

Weight: 182

Connor Murdock (HAR) def Tele Seemann (POL), Fall 2:25

Raven Cunningham (BEL) def Dustin Odegard (HAV), Dec 4-0

Ethan Blythe (LEW) def Dace Fisher (SID), Dec 4-1

Weight: 195

Parker Tezak (DIL) def William Ollinger (BRW), Dec 7-4

Michael Bumgarner (HAM) def Monty Jessop (COR), Fall 2:53

Jace Billy (HAV) def Jaden Bryant (BEL), Dec 4-3

Weight: 220

Hunter Severson (SID) def Isaiah Williams (POL), Fall 2:13

Rand Pritzkau (FTN) def Bryce Blumenshein (BEL), Fall 1:22

Tyler Adams (HAV) def Travis Adams (HAV), Dec 14-5

Weight: 285

Robert Becker (HAR) def Cord Murray (MCY), Dec 6-4

Spencer Ross (CFS) def Christian Gomez (SID), Fall 2:31

Donovan Hucke (DIL) def Bryce Wigert (ANA), M-Dec 9-1

Weight: 98

Abi Gontarek (LAU) def Manny Guzman (CFS), Dec 6-4

Travis Kinn (GLE) def Caleb Bagnell (FTN), Fall :52

Sawyer Degen (BEL) def Eric LaFontaine (HAR), Fall 1:38