Past Lights give back on the mat

Rudy James has traveled the world with his amateur wrestling career. Travels that have taken him to three silver medals at the World Veteran Championships. But as much as any wrestling mat James wrestles on, he holds the one he gets on every October inside the Armory Gymnasium as one that's extremely special.

That's because James values the time he spent wrestling for the Northern Lights, and that's why, for 22 years now, James returns to take part in the annual MSU-Northern Alumni Dual.

Saturday, James was once again back in Havre to take part in the Alumni Dual and help the Northern Alumni beat the 2018-19 Lights 45-15 in a 17-match, shortened-period extravaganza. James won his match over MSU-N senior Chris Nile 3-1, but returning to the Alumni Dual is much more than about winning, or even wrestling for James.

"It's my opportunity to give back to the sport, and to this program," James said. "Once you find wrestling, you're in it for life. I live a great distance from here, but I stay in contact with the program as much as I can, and it's great to be able to come back and be a part of this every year."

And it's guys like James, and so many others, that had Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge, an MSU-N alum himself, smiling Saturday when the dual was over - regardless of what the scoreboard said.

"I'm excited," Thivierge said. "This is the most alumni I've had since I've been here. The support these guys give us, I'm so thankful to all of these guys for that. It's awesome to hear how excited all of these guys are about our program right now and it means a lot. And today there were so many great matches. And these matches against all these guys today, that will light the fire for us going forward. So today was a blast. It was special."

The day was indeed a special one. Highlights included an exciting overtime match between former Light and current Havre High head coach Beau LaSalle and MSU-N junior Dylan Veis, who was edged by LaSalle 2-1. Former Northern great and Chester Coyote Mitch Overlie also shined in an exciting 3-1 win over Matt Weber, while Garrett DeMers, his first Alumni Dual, pinned MSU-N standout sophomore Isaac Bartel, and former Northern great Carl Valley edged junior Landon Bailey 3-2.

Another exciting match could only happen in the Alumni Dual, as 2017 NAIA national champion Ben Stroh faced off against Northern freshman Jase Stokes in a match of four-time Montana high school state champions. Stroh would win the match 3-1, in what was the first time the two longtime friends had ever faced each other.

The Alumni also got wins from Trevor Goss, Toby Cheff, Willie Miller, Duell Stadel, Ethan Hinebauch, Cameron Neiss and Bobby Mantle, while Stokes, Chase Short, Andrew Bartel and Rylan Moldenhauer posted victories for the Lights.

But wins, scores and pins were secondary to just how special the Alumni Dual was for both past and present Lights. And, 22 years running now, James pointed out just how impressive the day really is.

"Tyson has done such a great job of engaging us as alumni and making us feel connected to the program," James said. "For us, who have already gone through what this present team is going through, it means a lot to feel connected to the program. I mean, what we do today, and what this alumni dual is every year now, it's not like this anywhere else. So it's a great thing we have going with the program right now.

And because of what a great connection there is between the alumni and the Northern program, James also got to see one more thing on his latest trip back to his old stomping grounds - he got to see just how special the 2018-19 Lights are and what a great season they hope to have ahead of them.

"The thing I see with this team is, you feel their energy," James said. "You feel the excitement they have for this season, and the energy they have together as a team. You can feel that, and you see what kind of team they have here when you walk in here and meet all those guys. Tyson has done such a great job with this program, I think they can do great things going forward. They'll have their highs and lows throughout the season, but this team has that feeling of being able to do special things. I have no doubt about that."

Next up for the current Lights will be their annual Maroon/Gold Dual, which will be held Thursday night in the Armory Gymnasium.

Alumni 45, Lights 15

Trevor Goss (A) dec. Tony Evans (N), 8-4; Jase Stokes (N) dec. Taylor Kornoely, (A), 6-5; Toby Cheff (A) maj. Dec. Rylan Moldenhauer (N), 8-0; Beau LaSalle (A) dec. Dylan Veis (N), 2-1 in OT; Chase Short (N) dec. Austin Ouelette (A), 4-2; Willie Miller (A) maj. Dec. Steeler French (N), 16-3; Andrew Bartel (N) dec. Tommy Cooper (A), 3-2; Duell Stadel (A) dec. Nick Kunz (N) 5-2; Ethan Hinebauch (A) maj. Dec. Jake French (N), 9-0; Mitch Overlie (A) dec. Matt Weber (N); Cameron Neiss (A) dec. Brandon Weber (N), 6-2; Garrett DeMers (A) pinned Isaac Bartel (N); Bobby Mantle (A) dec. Tony Evans (N), 7-2; Ben Stroh (A) dec. Jase Stokes (N), 3-1; Rylan Moldenhauer (N) inj. Def. Evan Hinebauch (A); Carl Valley (N) dec. Landon Bailey (N), 3-2; Rudy James (A) dec. Chris Nile (N).