Chinook's Schoen, Fort Benton's Hanford bring individual state titles back to the Hi-Line

BILLINGS - The Havre High wrestling team was not the only area team competing for state glory this past weekend at the First Interstate Bank Arena at Metra in Billings.

In fact, it was a huge weekend for a pair of local squads, as Fort Benton's Brock Hanford and Chinook's Tyler Schoen brought Class B-C state championships back to the Hi-Line.

The Fort Benton Longhorns showed strong at the tournament as they placed second in Class C and 10th overall in Class B-C. With a team consisting of only six wrestlers, Fort Benton head coach Colby Cline was pleased with his team's performance to end the year.

"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.

Senior Brock Hanford was the standout for the Longhorns as he capped off his career with a state title in the 285-pound weight class. He had a dominant run through the tournament as he won all four of his matches by pin.

He started the weekend with a pin 1:24 into his match against Arie Mclaughlin from Florence-Carlton. In the quarterfinal, he pinned Riley Hume from Eureka. In the semifinal, Hanford won by pin 3:17 into the match against Choteau's Carter Morgan.

In the championship match, Hanford got a fight from Caden Crowell from Cascade. The two have gone at it before, so Cline made sure to get Hanford ready for this specific matchup as much as possible before Saturday night.

"We talked a lot about being patient out on the mat, not getting to where he thinks he needs to do something right away and panicking and putting himself in a bad position," Cline said. "Brock's an awesome learner. He's a sponge when you talk to him about stuff. He takes it in and learns it right way."

Hanford eventually broke through as he won with a pin 5:35 in to win the state title and solidify his team's finish in the tournament. After so many years working toward a state title, getting to end his career with one was a special feeling for Hanford.

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

Chinook also saw a wrestler finish the season on top as Schoen won the state championship wrestling at 170 pounds. He started the weekend with a pin 23 seconds in against Chase Woodson from Superior/Alberton. He then won, 5-0, against Canyon Sargent from St. Ignatius in the quarterfinal.

In the semifinal, Schoen won, 2-0, against Damien Nesbitt from Glasgow to keep his title hopes alive. In the championship match, Schoen survived three periods to win, 7-2, against Wylee Lindeen from Huntley Project.

"I'm super tired and excited as heck," Schoen said about winning the state title. "Every day I practiced, gave 100 percent and the outcome was great."

In his first year as the head coach for Chinook, former four-time state champion Ben Stroh was excited to see Schoen win a title and he hopes his program can build off that.

"The kid put in the work and worked hard. All year, he's been willing to learn," Stroh said. "For us to share that with him was huge. It just gives our team and our coaching staff something to look forward to and build on as we move forward."

While Schoen was the only Sugarbeeter to place, some others won matches over the weekend. At 145 pounds, Lane Snider won a consolation match, 16-0, for a technical fall over Taylin Johannesen from Malta. At 285 pounds, Wyatt Dunbar won his first match with a pin 44 seconds in against Isaac Lauver.

Outside of Hanford, the Longhorns had several other wrestlers show well at the Metra. At 113 pounds, Trevor O'Hara took sixth for the Longhorns. In his first match, he won, 15-7, for a major decision over Conrad's Logan VanDyke. In a consolation match, O'Hara pinned Poncho Ibanez from Eureka. In another consolation match, O'Hara pinned Bradin Murphy from Cut Bank.

At 126 pounds, Teagan Reimer won a consolation match with a pin against Reed Zander from Boulder. In a consolation match at 182 pounds, Colter Ball pinned Deago Hostetler from St. Ignatius. Damian Ort picked up a win for the Longhorns at 205 pounds as he pinned Choteau's Jacob Major in a consolation match.

Fort Benton placed 10th in Class B-C with 51.0 points while Chinook took 26th with 30.5 points. Huntley Project took first in Class B and Class B-C with a score of 192.0 points. Cut Bank finished second in both B and B-C with 113.0 points and Boulder was third with 112.5 points. Circle finished fifth in Class B-C and first in Class C with 86.0 points.

Some girls wrestling teams from the Hi-Line also competed at the Metra. The Harlem girls team had several wrestlers win matches. In a consolation match at 113 pounds, Izzy Baker pinned Anastasia Saldana from Hardin. In a consolation match at 126 pounds, Kaitlyn Johnson pinned Ashlynn Kistenmacher from Roundup. At 152 pounds, Ihte Stiffarm pinned Havre's Angelina Caplette to win a consolation match.

Amilia Blackcrow had the best showing for the Wildcats as she wrestled at 145 pounds. She started the tournament with a pin 40 seconds in against Mikayla Iten from Flathead. She then pinned Madisyn Frazier from Glacier. In a consolation match, Blackcrow pinned Natalka Rolfson from Billings Senior.

Chinook and Chester-Joplin-Inverness also had some wrestlers win matches over the weekend. In the consolation bracket at 132 pounds, Chinook's Ryley Hofeldt won three straight matches. She first pinned Raimey Hull from Flathead before she pinned Havre's Maleigha Fuzesy. In her last win of the weekend, Hofeldt pinned Paige Gershmel from Billings Senior.

Savannah Riggin wrestled well for the CJI Hawks as she placed fifth at 120 pounds. She started the weekend with a pin 1:55 in against Trinity Bolvin from Flathead. She then pinned Emily Pedron from Glacier 54 seconds in.

In a consolation match, Riggin pinned Isabel Hansen from Billings Skyview. She then pinned Aydin Gonzalez from Butte. In the fifth-place match, Riggin won by pin 3:43 in against Bella Arriaga from Flathead.

Flathead won the girls tournament with 205 points. Harlem took 32nd with 22.0 points while CJI tied for 33rd with 21.0 points. Chinook finished tied for 42nd with 10.0 points.

After being broken up last year, 2022 saw the return of the All-Class State tournament to the Metra in Billings. As they competed over the weekend, the Hi-Line schools were happy to be back on the grand stage.

"The adrenaline you get here, you don't get this anywhere else," Cline said. "There's no state tournament like the state wrestling tournament.

Class B-C

Team scores: Huntley Project 192, Cut Bank 113, Jefferson 112.5, Glasgow 100, Circle 86, Three Forks 83.5, Colstrip 79.5, Columbus 74.5, Thompson Falls 61, Fort Benton 51, Cascade 48, Anaconda 45, Eureka 44, Choteau 41.5, Shepherd 40, Simms 39.5, Superior-Alberton 39.5, Whitehall 37, Poplar 36.5, Fairfield 36, Malta 36, Florence 35, Bigfork 34, Conrad 32.5, Baker 31.5, Chinook 30.5, Plains 28, Wolf Point 24, Townsend 21, St. Ignatius 19, Red Lodge 15, Fodsyth 13, Manhattan 9, Broadus 8, Arlee 1, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 0, Custer-Hysham 0, Harlem 0, Roundup 0, Valier 0, White Sulphur Springs 0.

103

Championship: Cole Rogers, Three Forks, p. Nate Blodnick, Anaconda, 3:38.

Third place: Baylor Burton, Project, p. Traic Fainter, Bigfork, 3:44.

Fifth place: Blake Lancaster, Eureka, p. Aiden Walkowiak, Red Lodge, 0:59.

113

Championship: Brayden Linville, Three Forks, d. Jake Kuka, Glasgow, 6-3.

Third place: Dylan Mikesell, Jefferson, md. Payne Reilly, Forsyth, 11-2.

Fifth place: Leo Anderson, Jefferson, p. Trevor O'Hara, Fort Benton, 3:33.

120

Championship: Gavin Nedens, Project, d. Riley Davis, Baker, TB-1 2-1.

Third place: Steven Schubarth, Simms, md. Guy Williams, Columbus, 14-0.

Fifth place: Jase Frederick, Poplar, p. Dayton Brown, Jefferson, 1:46.

126

Championship: Cooper Lane, Project, p. Langdon Smith, Shepherd, 3;16.

Third place: Cameron Mikesell, Jefferson, d. Dayne Sullivan, Simms, 3-2.

Fifth place: Decker Milender, Superior-Alberton, d. Nate Wadlow, Cascade, 13-7.

132

Championship: Tugg Taylor, Circle, d. Cooper Cook, Columbus, 2-1.

Third place: Alex Wahl, Cut Bank, d. Miguel Ramos, Fairfield, 7-3.

Fifth place: Ty Borge, Colstrip, d. Tristan Sydensticker, Cut Bank, 10-3.

138

Championship: David Schulze, Plains, d. Tyler Niles, Shepherd, 5-4.

Third place: Dylan Kamps, Three Forks, d. Bryson Bartelson, Circle, 7-1.

Fifth place: Kanon Branch, Cut Bank, won by forfeit over Tommy Sawyer, Anaconda.

145

Championship: Trae Thilmony, Thompson Falls, p. Brady Ellison, Columbus, 4:54.

Third place: Roper Mycke, Conrad, md. Mathew Larson, Cut Bank, 11-2.

Fifth place: John Armstrong, Jefferson, d. Grady Schmidt, Project, SV-1 4-2.

152

Championship: Canyon Casterline, Circle, d. Eli Ratliff, Thompson Falls, 12-5.

Third place: Jaron Taylor, Circle, p. Adyn Meinzen, Florence, 1:46.

Fifth place: Riley Richtmyer, Townsend, d. Ian Willoughby, Colstrip, 6-2.

160

Championship: Zach Valdez, Colstrip, d. Miles Hoerauf, Whitehall, 13-6.

Third place: Garrett Sholley, Project, d. Devon Nesbitt, Glasgow, 3-0.

Fifth place: Zach Cox, Colstrip, d. Perseverance Bechtold, Choteau, 8-2.

170

Championship: Tyler Schoen, Chinook, d. Wylee Lindeen, Project, 7-2.

Third place: Samien Nesbitt, Glasgow, d. Brady Armstrong, Jefferson, 8-1.

Fifth place: Canyon Sargent, St. Ignatius, p. Cyrus Richardson, Manhattan, 3:36.

182

Championship: Austin Vanek, Cut Bank, p. Camryn Mears, Malta, 1:25.

Third place: William Loveridge, Project, p. Garrett Buckalew, Colstrip, 2:58.

Fifth place: Connor Sawyer, Cascade, d. Silas Acker, Superior-Alberton, 12-10.

205

Championship: Kyler Hallock, Glasgow, d. Mason Garfield, Wolf Point, 8-3.

Third place: Stran Selman, Project, d. Johnny Fehr, Eureka, 7-0.

Fifth place: Luke Mako, Florence, md. Carter Woodson, Superior-Alberton, 17-3.

285

Championship: Brock Hanford, Fort Benton, p. Caden Crowell, Cascade, 5:35.

Third place: Jacob Berger, Poplar, d. Carter Morgan, Choteau, 9-7.

Fifth place: Jeremy Gallagher, Cut Bank, d. Leo Scafani, Whitehall, SV-1 5-3.

Chinook Individual Results

145 - Lane Snider

Champ. Round 1 - John Armstrong (Jefferson (Boulder)) 36-13 won by fall over Lane Snider (Chinook) 36-17 (Fall 5:47) Cons. Round 1 - Lane Snider (Chinook) 36-17 won by tech fall over Taylin Johannesen (Malta/Whitewater) 16-34 (TF-1.5 3:47 (16-0)) Cons. Round 2 - Griffin Hunt (Broadwater (Townsend)) 27-12 won by fall over Lane Snider (Chinook) 36-17 (Fall 1:50)

170 - Tyler Schoen (State Champion)

Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Schoen (Chinook) 33-8 won by fall over Chase Woodson (Superior/Alberton) 16-16 (Fall 0:23) Quarterfinal - Tyler Schoen (Chinook) 33-8 won by decision over Canyon Sargent (St. Ignatius/Charlo) 36-10 (Dec 5-0) Semifinal - Tyler Schoen (Chinook) 33-8 won by decision over Damien Nesbitt (Glasgow) 40-8 (Dec 2-0). 1st Place Match - Tyler Schoen (Chinook) 34-8 won by decision over Wylee Lindeen (Huntley Project (Worden)) 47-9 (Dec 7-2)

285 - Wyatt Dunbar

Champ. Round 1 - Wyatt Dunbar (Chinook) 32-11 won by fall over Isaac Lauver (Fairfield/Augusta) 19-18 (Fall 0:44) Quarterfinal - Jacob Berger (Poplar) 31-18 won by decision over Wyatt Dunbar (Chinook) 32-11 (Dec 6-4) Cons. Round 2 - Malcolm Mann (Red Lodge) 22-13 won by fall over Wyatt Dunbar (Chinook) 32-11 (Fall 2:15).

Fort Benton Individual Results

113 - Trevor O`Hara (6th Place)

Champ. Round 1 - Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 won by major decision over Logan VanDyke (Conrad) 33-12 (MD 15-7) Quarterfinal - Leo Anderson (Jefferson (Boulder)) 38-7 won by fall over Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 (Fall 5:49) Cons. Round 2 - Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 won by fall over Poncho Ibanez (Lincoln County (Eureka)) 26-13 (Fall 3:17) Cons. Round 3 - Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 won by fall over Bradin Murphy (Cut Bank) 21-10 (Fall 4:45)

Cons. Semi - Dylan Mikesell (Jefferson (Boulder)) 41-7 won by fall over Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 (Fall 2:40) 5th Place Match - Leo Anderson (Jefferson (Boulder)) 38-7 won by fall over Trevor O`Hara (Fort Benton) 34-18 (Fall 3:33).

126 - Teagan Reimer

Champ. Round 1 - Nate Wadlow (Cascade) 30-17 won by fall over Teagan Reimer (Fort Benton) 28-12 (Fall 3:47) Cons. Round 1 - Teagan Reimer (Fort Benton) 28-12 won by fall over Reed Zander (Jefferson (Boulder)) 13-15 (Fall 1:46) Cons. Round 2 - Cameron Mikesell (Jefferson (Boulder)) 37-8 won by tech fall over Teagan Reimer (Fort Benton) 28-12 (TF-1.5 2:19 (15-0))

160 - Cade Ball

Champ. Round 1 - Vaugh Pendlay (Bigfork) 25-10 won by fall over Cade Ball (Fort Benton) 27-13 (Fall 3:45) Cons. Round 1 - Jessie Brawley (Baker) 20-15 won by major decision over Cade Ball (Fort Benton) 27-13 (MD 9-0).

182 - Colter Ball

Champ. Round 1 - Cael Giles (Fairfield/Augusta) 17-9 won by fall over Colter Ball (Fort Benton) 24-19 (Fall 4:56) Cons. Round 1 - Colter Ball (Fort Benton) 24-19 won by fall over Deago Hostetler (St. Ignatius/Charlo) 18-22 (Fall 0:59) Cons. Round 2 - Braeden Jones (Jefferson (Boulder)) 31-16 won by fall over Colter Ball (Fort Benton) 24-19 (Fall 0:37)

205 - Damian Ort

Champ. Round 1 - Johnny Fehr (Lincoln County (Eureka)) 29-7 won by fall over Damian Ort (Fort Benton) 20-18 (Fall 1:17) Cons. Round 1 - Damian Ort (Fort Benton) 20-18 won by fall over Jacob Major (Choteau) 31-14 (Fall 0:56) Cons. Round 2 - Marcos Gallegos (Baker) 13-10 won by fall over Damian Ort (Fort Benton) 20-18 (Fall 0:57)

285 - Brock Hanford (State Champion)

Champ. Round 1 - Brock Hanford (Fort Benton) 43-2 won by fall over Arie Mclaughlin (Florence-Carlton) 7-11 (Fall 1:24) Quarterfinal - Brock Hanford (Fort Benton) 43-2 won by fall over Riley Hume (Lincoln County (Eureka))31-9 (Fall 4:54) Semifinal - Brock Hanford (Fort Benton) 43-2 won by fall over Carter Morgan (Choteau) 33-12 (Fall 3:17). 1st Place Match - Brock Hanford (Fort Benton) 44-2 won by fall over Caden Crowell (Cascade) 29-3 (Fall 5:35)

Harlem Individual Results

132 - Landen Gray

Champ. Round 1 - Miguel Ramos (Fairfield/Augusta) 37-9 won by fall over Landen Gray (Harlem) 18-22 (Fall 1:48) Cons. Round 1 - Tegan Miller (Baker) 27-20 won by fall over Landen Gray (Harlem) 18-22 (Fall 4:54)

170 - Darrius LongKnife

Champ. Round 1 - Canyon Sargent (St. Ignatius/Charlo) 36-10 won by fall over Darrius LongKnife (Harlem) 5-9 (Fall 1:19) Cons. Round 1 - Chase Woodson (Superior/Alberton) 16-16 won by fall over Darrius LongKnife (Harlem) 5-9 (Fall 2:05)

182 - Mike King

Champ. Round 1 - Silas Acker (Superior/Alberton) 32-7 won by fall over Mike King (Harlem) 1-14 (Fall 1:53) Cons. Round 1 - Austin Hughes (Glasgow) 17-27 won by fall over Mike King (Harlem) 1-14 (Fall 4:30).