George Ferguson Column: Four-timers aren't new to the Hi-Line, but this week is different

There are plenty of distinguished records when it comes to high school athletics in Montana. But perhaps no list is as distinguished as the one two Havre High wrestlers are on the verge of joining this weekend.

As it stands, 27 wrestlers in Montana high school history have won four consecutive individual state championships. It’s a list that spans generations, and started over 50 years ago when Missoula’s Gene Davis became the first to do it in 1963.

Now, Havre High’s Parker Filius and Jase Stokes have the opportunity to etch their names into the most prestigious list in high school wrestling, and high school sports for that matter.

Should Filius and Stokes win their respective weight classes Saturday afternoon inside the Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, they’ll not only become four-timers, but they’ll somewhat become Havre High’s first four-time state champions.

It’s funny to think that way given all the success the Blue Pony wrestling program has had over the years, and I even got an email from a resident Blue Pony fan not long ago saying he just couldn’t believe Havre has never had a four-time champion before.

Well, mostly, it’s completely true. Havre has had a plethora of three-time champs, including Chris Recio most recently, as well as Matt Schnittgen, Evan Hinebauch, Terry Richardson and Nate Flesche, who was the first Blue Pony to accomplish that feat in 1990. Of course, Filius and Stokes are already on that list, too.

However, the incredible list of four-time state champs in Montana wrestling history actually does have Havre High’s name on it, not once, but twice.

In 1979 and 1980, Matt Campbell won back-to-back Class AA state championships for the Blue Ponies, and in 1984 and 1985, his younger brother T.J. did the same. However, both Campbell brothers would eventually move from Havre and complete their four-time careers. Matt won his last two state titles at Missoula Hellgate, while T.J. completed his four-time run with Flathead High in Kalispell.

So while Filius and Stokes could be the first all Havre High four-timer’s, the list still has plenty of Hi-Line names on it.

Interestingly, it took 10 years after Davis became the first four-time champion for it to happen again. And then, the third member of the list was from the Hi-Line, as Chester’s Colin Lybeck won four tiles from 1974-1977. Matt Campbell was just the fifth Montanan to complete the feat and T.J. was the next. From there, it would be quite a long stretch before another local product was able to accomplish it.

Between 1987 and 2012, 13 wrestlers joined the list, but none from Havre or the Hi-Line. Of course, in 2012, that all changed, as four grapplers won their fourth straight state title on the same night. In that group was Chinook’s Ben Stroh, who won four straight titles from 2009-2012, and went undefeated for three straight seasons. Stroh, who now wrestles for MSU-Northern, also set the national high school record for pins in a career, among his many incredible accomplishments, and he brought the four-time list to the Hi-Line.

There’s also been plenty of other four-time champions who have a connection to Havre through their collegiate careers at Northern. Currently, Stroh and Northern sophomore Matt Weber are members of the Lights’ team on the list. Former Lights who have accomplished the feat also include the Campbell’s, Butte High’s Eric Dunmire and Poplar’s Hunter Azure.

But, one thing none of the guys that have done it that have any connection to the Hi-Line have in common is, none of them were wearing a Blue Pony singlet their senior year when they accomplished the magical feat.

And it is a magical feat. In my years of covering the All-Class state tournament, I’ve actually witnessed the feat 13 times, starting with the night when Skyview teammates Joe Lauer and Beau Malia did it together. What a night that was.

And Stroh, well, he finally gave me the opportunity to cover a four-time champion. I think, following his amazing accomplishment, I thanked him probably 100 times because I had wanted to write about a local product doing it for so long.

Yes, watching any wrestler achieve the four-time thing is amazing. It’s a historical moment, it’s as special as special gets, whether they are local or not. It’s an amazing achievement, and one that should never be taken lightly, no matter how big the list gets.

But this weekend in Billings will be different for Havre High and its fans. It will be different because for two days, Havre High’s crew at the state tourney will be on pins and needles, on the edge of their seats, waiting, hoping for that moment, that moment that’s been so long in the making.

Parker Filius and Jase Stokes each have four more matches to get there. Four more victories to put their names on that list. And while I won’t jinx them by saying it’s a forgone conclusion, because nothing in sports ever is, Saturday night in Billings should be a special one for Havre High — even with all the incredible things the Pony wrestling program has already achieved over the years, this moment, this weekend is going to be extra special.

Yes, there’s been local wrestlers who have made their way onto the four-time list. And, yes, Havre fans who have been traveling to Billings for the better part of two decades have seen a grappler or two accomplish this incredible feat. But this time, thanks to Stokes and Filius, it’s Havre’s turn.

It’s Havre’s turn to feel what it feels like to stand up and applaud the greatest individual accomplishment in Montana high school sports.

And this time, hopefully, Havre fans will get to do it, get to see it twice.