It's Time to Wrestle

The Havre High wrestling team has been waiting since last February to get back onto the mat and today in the Havre High gymnasium, the Blue Ponies will finally get their chance.

Today is the first day of the Havre Invitational, a two-day wrestling tournament that has been the traditional start of the season for the Ponies. The competition opens this afternoon with round-robin action. The actual tournament in each weight class starts Saturday at 10 a.m. The finals will take place in the afternoon.

"I think for us, the most exciting thing is just to give the kids a chance to wrestle against someone besides themselves," HHS head coach Beau LaSalle said. "We are just looking to go out and compete hard and see where we are at and what things we need to work on."

While starting the season with the Havre Invitational has become a tradition for the Ponies, this season will have a different feel as it will be the first in two decades without legendary head coach Scott Filius. Filius, who led the Ponies to 12 Class A state championships during his illustrious career, stepped down after last season and gave way to LaSalle, an assistant coach and former state champion.

Filius may no longer be with the program, however, he certainly left the cupboard plenty full for LaSalle, who inherits a team that features a three-time state champion in senior Martin Wilkie, as well as a number of others who have reached the podium at state. Some of those names include Cameron Pleninger, Marc Ramirez, Lane Paulson, Connor Harris and Mick Chagnon. On top of that, the Havre Invite will serve as the debut for several impressive freshmen, including Orion Thivierge, the son of Montana State University-Northern head wrestling coach Tyson Thivierge, as well as Kendall and Riley Pleninger, the younger brothers of Cameron Pleninger, a two-time placer at state.

The other individuals who will be in action for the Ponies this weekend are Hunter Velk, Dominic Perkins, Randy Tommerup, Devin Nelson, Isaiah Tracy, Wyatt Hansen, Shaun Head, Taylor Gopher, Brayden Stadell, Austin Ratliff, Isaiah Stiffarm, Derek Olson and Josh Johnson.

"I want to see the kids go out and show some toughness," LaSalle said. "I want to see them go out and compete and that's the biggest thing I am looking for."

Like in past renditions, the Havre Invitational will feature a number of teams from along the Hi-Line Chinook, Malta, Cut Bank and Chester-Joplin-Inverness will be in attendance, along with both Great Falls High and CMR. Representing Class A, along with the Ponies, will be Butte Central and Lewistown.

Havre should be among the teams contending for the team title, however Lewistown, which finished third last season at state, could be another team to keep an eye on. Like the Ponies, the Eagles will come into the tournament boasting one returning state champion in Cooper Birdwell, who won at 120 pounds last season as a freshman.

"It will be a lot of the same teams that we have had in the past," LaSalle said. "So I think we will get some good competition. Right now, we just want to see the kids competing hard. That's our main focus."

The first day of the Havre Invitational is set to begin this afternoon with the tournament slated to begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m. All matches will be held inside the HHS gymnasium. Havre is on the road next weekend for the annual Mining City Duals in Butte.