George Ferguson Column: Wrestling fans seeing history being written

For the past two years, on this very day, I've sat in front of a computer screen and basically whined about not being able to go cover the annual All-Class state wrestling tournament. Now, here I am again, thinking about the same exact thing.

But, I promised myself I wouldn't do it. I promised myself I wouldn't complain about the fact that for the third straight year, I won't be inside the Rimrock Auto Arena Friday and Saturday covering what I consider to be the biggest sporting event in Montana each year outside of the annual Cat-Griz football game.

No, I won't be in Billings because trusty Havre Daily News' sports writer Chris Peterson, along with our outstanding photographer, Jake Shane, will be. They will be on the scene covering all of the Havre High, Chinook, Harlem, Chester/J-I and Big Sandy action as it unfolds this weekend.

No, I'll be here because I know Chris and Jake will do a great job and because there's plenty for me to do at home. There's a lot of basketball and hockey that still needs to be covered, and that's what I'll be doing when I'm not staring at the computer watching all of the wrestling results come in from Billings.

But while I'm here in Havre, I know many of you reading this will be in Billings. And since many of you will be there, instead of whining about it, I want to take this opportunity to make sure you all understand what you're seeing while you're down there this weekend.

What you are seeing, as it relates to the Havre Blue Ponies, is ongoing history being written. You're seeing a dynasty continue and you're seeing the record books being re-written.

Under Scott Filius, Havre has won nine Class A state team titles, and countless individual state championships. If the Blue Ponies prevail this weekend, and they're heavy favorites to do just that, they'll rack up their 10th team title since 1997. That number alone is staggering, and many programs around the state would like to say they won maybe one or two. But Havre is simply on another plane right now, and the 2014-15 team is on the verge of writing the latest chapter in what is becoming a long and storied novel in the annals of Montana high school wrestling history.

Think about this. When I started covering the Blue Ponies in 2002, Havre was coming off its most recent state title, the 2001 championship. That was Filius' third as head coach. At the time, few thought it would take five years to win another one, as good as Havre was, but the Blue Ponies did have to sit back and watch the great Sidney program rattle off four straight titles. However, during that run, it wasn't like Havre fell off the map either. In both 2005 and 2006, the Ponies finished second to the Eagles, and the next year, the Ponies started their own four-peat. Havre captured state titles from 2007-2010, equaling Sidney's record run.

And the Ponies have never slowed down. Yes, they finished second in 2011 and third in 2012, but now they're on the verge of their second three-peat under Filius, and what's more remarkable, if Havre finishes in the top three this weekend, which would take a disaster not to happen, the Ponies will have earned a trophy at the state tournament for an incredible 11 straight years.

To do something like that, to be one of the three best wrestling teams in the state for over a decade, that's not luck. A run like that doesn't happen by accident. It takes an incredible amount of effort and dedication and hard work, from the wrestlers, the coaches, the parents, the managers, and anyone else involved with the program.

And that's exactly what Havre has had the last decade and even longer under Filius. Yes, the Blue Ponies have had great coaches before, including the legendary Walt Currie and Jerry Vandersloot to name a couple. But right now, under Filius, Havre's program, its run of excellence is standing almost alone. Not even the great years from Sidney can match what Havre has achieved in wrestling, and if it weren't for Butte High's near stranglehold on Class AA's mats from 1980-2003 when the Bulldogs won a mind-boggling 17 state championships, including an incredible 13 in a row, Havre would already stand alone as perhaps the greatest and most consistent wrestling program in Montana history.

But no matter where the Blue Ponies rank in Montana high school wrestling history right now, it doesn't change the fact that Havre High's wrestling program is special. Even if Havre never gets to the bar that those great Butte High teams set, it doesn't change the fact that the Ponies have already earned their place on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling programs in Treasure State history. And in Class A, there's no denying, Havre stands alone right now.

I'll admit, all of those years of driving through blizzards and icy roads from Havre to Billings, it never, ever got old. The state wrestling tournament is special in so many ways, but when you cover the team that comes out on top, and when it's you're alma mater, it's even that much better. But at times, I often wondered, can Havre really keep this going? Can they keep being the best, year after year? Well, that question, no matter the outcome this weekend, has already been answered. Because for the last decade, the Blue Ponies, under Filius, have been the best wrestling program in Montana. That debate is over.

Now it's the 2015 team's turn to keep answering that question. Now, it's this Havre team's turn to write their own page in this fairy tale of high school wrestling.

And for all you fans making the trip, my suggestion would be, soak it all in. Experience everything there is to experience this weekend in Billings. Watch all the matches, meet all the fans from other towns, experience history as kids put all their hard work on the line to do things like win state championships, become four-time state champions and help their team achieve the highest level of success that a team can achieve in the great sport of wrestling. My suggestion is, be a part of it all.

And lastly, don't take this weekend for granted. Make sure to stop and realize what you're really seeing when you watch the Blue Ponies this weekend. Realize that you're witnessing history and you're witnessing greatness. Because no matter who wins and who loses this weekend, and whether the Ponies win their third state championship in a row, or not, you, as Havre wrestling fans, are witnessing something extremely special - the Havre High wrestling program at the pinnacle of one of the greatest runs in Montana high school wrestling history.

I'm not complaining this time around, but I sure wish I was going to be there.