MASTER MIND

When it comes to the storied history of Havre High athletics, there have been a number of legendary coaches. However, few coaches, in any sport have enjoyed the kind of succes and consistency that Filius has on the mats. When it comes to success, Filius is at the top.

And he’s not done yet.

That fact means no disrespect to the many great coaches that have walked the sidelines in the past for the Blue Ponies, it’s just the truth. Since taking over the program in the late 1990s, Filius has transformed Pony wrestling from a solid program to an all-time great one.

Under his leadership, Havre has captured nine of its 11 state championships in wrestling and those nine have all come since the 1997 season. Also in that span, the Ponies have done things few programs have ever done, regardless of the sport. They captured four consecutive state championships from 2007- 2010 and have won back-to-back titles on three separate occasions.

“I took this job with the idea that we could win and that was always the goal,” Filius said. “I have always had higher expectations for myself, than anyone else. So I’ve never been intimidated by other people wanting me to be successful, or our program or a kid to be successful. I want our kids to win every match. And my coaches are willing to put in the time to help those kids become as good as they want to be.”

Now Filius is shooting for his 10th state championship at the helm of Havre wrestling. And if the Ponies can do what they are favored to do this weekend in Billings at the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park, then it will be the second three-peat of his illustrious tenure and the team’s seventh championship in the last nine years.

Another state title for Havre Saturday means Filius would become just the third wrestling coach in the history of Montana to lead a school to at least 10 championships. That feat would put him in the rarified air of legends like Jug Beck of Missoula Sentinel, who won 12 state titles in his own right and Jim Street of Butte High, who captured 14.

Beck and Street are also the only two coaches in the history of the Montana High School Association to win three consecutive titles on more than one occasion, which is another item Filius can add to his resume with a Havre victory this weekend.

The records, the numbers and the stats could carry on forever. That’s how impressive the run has been at HHS for the former NAIA National Champion at Northern Montana College.

Yet as great his legacy already is, Filius, for one, has no interest in discussing it.

“I don’t look at that kind of stuff,” Filius said. “The people that are up there (in reference to records), I respect them very much. I like how they handled their programs. I liked how they handled their kids. I respect the job they did and I learned a lot from those people. Some of them I have emulated, some I have not. I guess I’m just not willing to stop and look at that. I’m pretty focused on working with these kids and what we are doing in the room today.

“I look at it as private,” he added. “What I’ve done are my accomplishments. I did it for me and I did it because I wanted to. It’s like when you have the little guy wrestling and there is a four-foot trophy for a three-foot kid. What the hell man? There is intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. I get a big smile inside when our kids do well and if that ever becomes not enough to make me enjoy it, then I need to get out.”

Filius and many other great coaches throughout history share the ability to look ahead, not back. And it’s a talent that is harder to master than one might think. But if you can, the results speak for themselves.

Bill Belichick, who has won four Super Bowl championships as head coach of the New England Patriots is famous for his one-game-at-a-time mentality. Same with the “Wizard of Westwood” John Wooden, who coached men’s basketball at UCLA and won 10 NCAA national titles. He had a habit of putting up one-game schedules in the locker room so his team could stay focused on just the next game and never look past an opponent. Those men, like Filius, managed to keep their teams and themselves looking ahead to the next challenge instead of counting their trophies and resting on their laurels.

Maintaining the drive to win in the face of so much success cannot be overlooked. That hunger is a big reason why the Ponies have been so successful. This year’s Pony team is a great example of that as it wrestles with the hunger of a team that is searching for its first state title, not its third in a row.

“We are really excited, (about state) we have been looking forward to it all year,” said Havre junior Kody Pribyl, who has placed twice at the All-Class state tournament. “Coach Filius just really knows how to do it. He knows how to coach great teams. He’s hard on us, but it’s worth it in the end. He makes us better.”

While the ability of Filius to always look forward to the next challenge is key, Pribyl brings up the most important cornerstone of the Havre wrestling program under Filius and that’s hard work, plain and simple.

“The key is hard work and fun,” Filius said. “We work hard and the kids have fun. It all comes down to hard work. We are up on the Hi-Line and it’s the rule of the farm. If you plant it, water it, give it fertilizer, it will grow. But if you show up only three months out of the year, you probably aren’t going to have much of a crop.”

Over the years, Filius and the Ponies have tended their crops well. The nine team championships and slew of other trophies won at state, as well as the numerous individual titles and medal earners are proof of that. But one individual, Beau LaSalle, who captured an individual title as well as a team title under Filius in 2007, vouched for the fact that there is no one better at getting kids to work hard, while having fun.

“For one, he puts the time in, probably more time than anyone else. But he also gets the kids to work hard, while having fun,” said LaSalle, who is now an assistant coach for Filius. “They buy into the fact that hard work is fun. And that is the biggest thing I can see why he’s so successful. He’s getting kids to buy into that. All the great teams that I have ever been around have been able to do that.

“He’s the single biggest influence on me, and everything he did for me has set me on the path to what I’m doing now,” added former Blue Pony and current CMR head coach Aaron Jensen. “I learned everything from him in this sport, and that influences a lot of how I approach coaching my own team.”

If you truly want to get insight on the mind of Filius, good luck. He is, as he says, private. He doesn’t crave the media attention or the accolades thrust upon him. He just wants to win. And he wants to have fun coaching the sport he loves and has been a part of for the better part of his life. That has been the mission from day one as the head wrestling coach at Havre High, and it will continue until the thirst to win has been quenched and the passion for teaching the sport of wrestling dissipates.

Yet, until that day comes, don’t expect the Ponies to do anything but win. They may not win the state championship every year, but it would be crazy for one to bet against them. Not as long as Filius, with his insatiable drive to be the best, is around.

And from the sound of it that could be awhile.

“Right now, I am enjoying the time with my coaches and with the kids,” Filius said. “I enjoy working with people that want to work hard and like winning. Losing sucks. Wrestling is a brutal sport. You are out there in front of god and everybody and when you lose it hurts. Wrestling will cut you all the way to the bone. But, on the other side, when you win out there in front of god and everybody, it’s just you. And that’s a special feeling when you get kids to achieve that. It’s fun to watch.”