Ponies take on Sidney in a senior night special

The Havre High wrestling team doesn’t get to compete at home very often. But tonight, the Blue Ponies will be back inside the HHS gymnasium, wrestling Class A rival Sidney.

Over the years, Havre and Sidney have dominated Class A wrestling and while the Eagles aren’t as strong as they once were, the dual between the two teams is filled with plenty of intrigue. The first match between Havre and Sidney will get underway tonight at 5:30.

“It’s always fun to wrestle (Sidney head coach) Guy’s (Melby) kids,” HHS head coach Scott Filius said. “He is competitive as hell. He doesn’t have as good a team as he’s had (in the past), but you know they are going to be well disciplined and that they are going to give you a great effort.”

While the dual will be another test for Havre in the run up to divisionals and state next month, the matchup tonight with Sidney is also senior night for the Ponies and the last time that Parker Filius, Jase Stokes, Dane Flammond and Jared Sienkowski will wrestle inside the HHS gymnasium.

“I have been driving Parker and Jase and Dane around forever,” coach Filius said. “The last few years, Jared (Sienkowski) has really increased his commitment and he has improved a ton. They are great kids to be around. I mean they are great athletes and they bring a lot to the table in terms of competition and they are just a lot of fun to be around.”

Of course, few seniors in the history of Havre High wrestling have as much to celebrate as Parker Filius and Stokes, who are each three-time individual state champions. Filius will man his usual spot at 145 pounds for HHS, while Stokes should be in the lineup at 205 after missing the Jug Beck in Missoula last weekend due to illness.

Flammond, who has also placed twice at the state tournament, will wrestle at 160 pounds for Havre and Sienkowski will be the heavyweight. The rest of the lineup for Havre includes freshman Quinn Reno, who will be at 103 pounds after finishing second at the Jug Beck, as well as Ryan Stewart at 113 pounds and Lane Paulson at 120.

Martin Wilkie, who like Parker Filius, is coming off an individual crown at the Jug Beck, will be in the lineup at 126 for Havre, with Connor Harris to follow at 132. The Ponies will be open at 138 pounds but will go with Mason Dionne at 152 pounds, JayR Caplette at 170 pounds and Walter White at 182 pounds.

Sidney, which failed to crack the top 10 of the most recent Class A wrestling poll, also had just two wrestlers rank in the top six of their respective weight classes. One of those is Christian Dean, who was the top-ranked wrestler in the poll at 120 pounds, as well as Jace Winter, who ranked No. 6 at 138 pounds. The opening match of the dual between Havre and Sidney tonight inside the HHS gymnasium is set for 5:30. Havre’s four seniors will be honored before the match with the Eastern A Eagles.