2022 Havre Daily News Area Male Athlete of the Year

Winning a state championship should not look easy. But in the final wrestling match of his high school career, Orion Thivierge pinned his opponent 48 seconds into the match to win his third straight state championship and cement himself as one of the most successful athletes in recent history for the Blue Ponies.

While he made it look easy at times, Thivierge worked hard throughout his high school career to reach the levels of success that he did. His hard work paid off with more success in his senior season last year, making Thivierge the 2022 Havre Daily News Hi-Line male athlete of the year.

In his senior year at Havre High, Thivierge kept himself busy as he competed in football, track and field, and most of all wrestling. In all four years of wrestling, Thivierge was a state placer for the Ponies. After finishing sixth at state his freshman year, Thivierge worked his way to three straight state championships to end his career. Last season, he capped off his high school wrestling career with another state title as he quickly pinned Sidney’s Grady Nelson in the championship match.

“Having the tournament that I had was just a lot of fun,” Thivierge said after wrapping up his final state tournament. “I’m really proud of the team. We had an awesome weekend and that made it really enjoyable.”

Thivierge also had success on the football field in the fall of 2021. While the Ponies had a tough go of it, Thivierge excelled at running back and outside linebacker. At the end of his final football season, Thivierge earned Class A All-State honors for his year at outside linebacker for the second year in a row,, and was a two-way All-Conference performer for the third year in a row.

After wrapping up his wrestling season, Thivierge remained committed to Havre athletics as he competed for the track and field team in the spring. He competed in the triple jump and the 1,600 relay for the Ponies this past season. In his final season, he qualified for the Class A meet in both events and even finished ninth alongside his teammates in the 1,600 relay.

Alongside his success on the mats, Thivierge was recognized for his leadership by his coaches. Since his sophomore year, he served as a team captain on the wrestling team. In his last two years of football, Thivierge served as the team captain as well.

Outside of athletics, Thivierge was a model student at Havre High School. Along with being a member of the student council and the National Honor Society, Thivierge also served as the class president his sophomore and junior year and then served as the student body secretary his senior years, while earning a 4.0 GPA at Havre High.

Thivierge is now continuing his wrestling and academic career at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.