Fort Benton, Chinook see wrestlers win state titles

As the Havre High Blue Ponies wrapped things up in the Class A State wrestling tournament on Saturday, other Hi-Line schools competed in the Metra in Billings as well. The Fort Benton Longhorns wrestled well as they finished second in Class C and tenth overall in the Class B-C tournament. The Fort Benton team is only made up of six wrestlers, so head coach Colby Cline was pleased with their performance to end the season.

"I'm happy with our team. We've only had six wrestlers all year and we've been right there in any tournament," Cline said. "Every one of our kids contributes all the time. I take six good wrestlers anywhere I go."

Brock Hanford capped off his Longhorn career with a state championship wrestling in the 285-pound weight class. He started the day in the semifinals with a pin 3:17 into the match against Choteau's Carter Morgan. In the championship match, he went at it with Caden Crowell from Cascade. 5:35 into the match, Hanford finally pinned his opponent to clinch the title.

"It's great. You work for something for so long since middle school, once you win it, it's kind of overwhelming," Hanford said.

Another Longhorn that placed on Saturday was Trevor O'Hara who wrestled at 113 pounds. On Saturday, O'Hara won a consolation match with a pin against Bradin Murphy from Cut Bank. However, he lost his next two matches to finish sixth in the tournament.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters also saw one of their wrestlers win a championship as Tyler Schoen won the 170-pound state title. He started the day with a 2-0 decision over Damien Nesbitt from Glasgow. In the championship match, Schoen won, 7-2, against Wylee Lindeen from Huntley Project.

As a team, Chinook placed 26th in the Class B-C state tournament. The Chinook girls wrestling team took 42nd in its tournament. It was the Sugarbeeters' first year at state under the leadership of head coach Ben Stroh, the four-time state champion for Chinook. As he finished his first year leading the program, he believed Schoen's state title was a good stepping stone for his program.

"The kid puts in the work and he's worked hard. All year, he's been willing to learn and this is where it got him," Stroh said. "This just gives our team and our coaching staff something to look forward to and build on as we move forward."

The Chester-Joplin-Inverness girls wrestling team saw some action on Saturday. At 120 pounds, Savannah Riggin took fifth for the Hawks. She started the day with a consolation win against Aydin Gonzalez from Butte. In the fifth-place match, she pinned Bella Arriaga from Flathead to end the year. In the girls tournament, her team placed 33rd.

Last season, the Class B-C state tournament was not held at the Metra in Billings. As the Longhorns, Sugarbeeters and other schools competed on the grand stage for the first time in two years, it was more than exciting for everyone involved.

"I live for the adrenaline that you get here. You don't get it anywhere else," Cline said.