Back to Work: Pony grapplers head to Cut Bank

As schools across the Hi-Line return from winter break, winter sports also resume their seasons. One of those programs will be the Havre High wrestling teams, who will get back on the mats for the Cut Bank Invitational this weekend. While it has been a couple of weeks since the Blue Ponies' last wrestled, HHS head coach Beau LaSalle does not expect anything different from his team.

"(Our expectations are) the same as usual. Just to get better every week and we really want to come out and finish our matches," LaSalle said. "Hustle all the way through all of our matches which is kind of the big focus this week."

At the Cut Bank Invitational, about 60 boys and girls teams will compete in a pair of tournaments. Some schools that LaSalle expects to be the Ponies' toughest competition this weekend include the likes of Cut Bank, Lewistown, Browning and Eureka.

Other Hi-Line schools such as Harlem, Fort Benton, Chinook, Big Sandy and Chester-Joplin-Inverness will also compete at the Cut Bank Invitational. The other schools that Havre will wrestle against over the weekend includes Arlee, Big Forks, Cascade, Choteau, Circle, Clarkfork, CMR, Columbus, Conrad, Fairfield, Great Falls, Heart Butte, Jefferson, Malta, Mission/Charlo, Poplar, Shelby, Simms, Thompson Falls, Three Forks and Valier.

Many Ponies will be looking to continue their strong starts to the season. Orion Thivierge, who typically wrestles in the 170-pound weight class, hopes to continue his strong start to his senior season. He placed first at the Havre Invitational to begin the season and he took second at the CMR Holiday Classic last month.

Kale VanCampen has also had a solid start to the season. He took second at 182 pounds at the Havre Invitational and he took third at 170 pounds at the CMR Holiday Classic. Riley Pleninger will look for another bracket win as he took first at 152 pounds at the Havre Invitational.

Randy Tommerup, who wrestles at 205 pounds, also took first at the Havre Invitational while he placed eighth at the CMR Holiday Classic. Tristan Stygles will look to place again after taking first at 145 pounds at the Havre Invitational and eighth at the CMR Holiday Classic.

The HHS girls wrestling team will also be competing this weekend. Both Maleigha Fuzesy and Clara Laird took second in their brackets at the CMR Holiday Classic last month.

This weekend will be the first time the Ponies have wrestled in a few weeks. However, the teams stayed busy during the break so LaSalle expects them to be ready to return to competition this weekend.

"Physically we should be in a pretty good spot," LaSalle said. "We had a really good break, kids worked hard taking the last couple days here, getting our bodies back and ready for competition."

The Ponies will begin competing in the Cut Bank Invitational in Cut Bank this Friday and Saturday.