Ponies take their shot at mighty Sidney

Havre head coach Beau LaSalle knows exactly what it's like to be in the Sidney Eagles shoes right now. After all, LaSalle has been a part of many different Blue Pony wrestling teams that were completely dominating the Class A ranks at that time.

And during different stretches, Havre would rarely, if ever, lose a dual, though the Ponies would always get everyone's best shot.

One month into the 2021 wrestling season, that's actually where the Eagles are. They are not only undefeated, they've rarely been challenged. Take last weekend for example, where Sidney shut out Williston, North Dakota, 70-0, Billings Central 75-0 and almost did the same to second-ranked Lewistown, as the Golden Eagles were crushed 58-6. There's no denying, Sidney is as dominant as it gets but, nonetheless, the Blue Ponies will take their shot at the defending state champions this weekend on Sidney's home mat.

Saturday, Havre will travel east to battle the Eagles and face Glasgow for a second time this season, in what will be the Ponies' final road trip of the regular season.

Of course, Havre already knows just how loaded Sidney is. The Eagles have top-ranked wrestlers in Owen Lonski at 113 pounds, Zander Dean at 126, Jordan Darby at 138, Aden Graves at 152, Riley Waters at 205 and Brodey Soken at heavyweight. The depth doesn't end there though. Easton Hopes (182), Kade Graves (160), Zander Burnison (145) and Kolton Reid (132) all hold No. 2 rankings, while in all, the Eagles have 17 wrestlers ranked in the Class A Poll.

As good as the Eagles are, Havre won't be a pushover. That's not in the Blue Ponies' nature. Ranked fifth in the Class A Poll, Havre has gone 7-1 in duals the last two weeks, and Mick Chagnon (120), Dominic Perkins (126) and Orion Thivierge (170) are all still undefeated on the season. Add to that the likes of Riley Pleninger (138) and Kendall Pleninger (145), along with Randy Tommerup (182), who have all been on a roll of late, and the Ponies are getting themselves into position to make a deep run once again in the postseason.

First things first though, LaSalle and the Ponies are focused on the Eagles and Scotties Saturday in Sidney. After that, HHS will come home to finish the regular season with duals against Laurel, Lewistown and Billings Central.

Note: There have been recent changes to the Class B-C postseason, including the announcement last week that the B-C State Tournament will be held in Shelby. Also, the Northern B-C Divisional Tournament has been moved from Colstrip and instead will be held in Glasgow Feb. 26-27.