Darrell Holland began planning for the event the day he received notice Hamilton High School would be the scene of the Montana State Class B/C wrestling tournament. This weekend, those plans came to fruition with 38 teams and 240 wrestlers descending on Hamilton. Oh, don’t forget the coaches, friends, and family that came with them. The gym was almost packed for all sessions and everyone agreed, Hamilton was a great venue and the tournament was a success.

“I started lining up help early,” said Holland, activities director at Hamilton. “By Christmas I had 110 workers lined up.”

Darby’s Caleb Caicedo had the upper had for a time in the championship round at the state tournament. But Taylor French of Forsyth flipped him for the pin and the championship. Jean Schurman photo.

Those workers ranged from student wrestlers who worked as runners and clock-watchers to secretarial staff. All were visible in sage green tee shirts and all of their hard work paid off. The two-day tournament concluded Saturday night with Forsyth taking the championship back to eastern Montana.

Florence brought nine wrestlers but was struck with bad luck prior to the state tournament. Wednesday night, Cody Lund went down with a knee injury. He was able to compete and finished fifth at 135 pounds.

“If there is something that really put an exclamation point on his season, it would be his performance this weekend and the gut check he had,” said Florence coach Scott Stiegler. “It was really hard to see someone out there working that hard in a situation that would have been different if they were healthy.”

Lund wrestled his first match against Kyle Forbes of Whitehall in obvious pain. He was wearing a brace from his hip to his ankle and every tug to the leg brought a grimace of pain to his face. Lund won that match with a 12-7 decision. He was pinned in the quarterfinals by Harlem’s Colton Dirden. Lund came to finish fifth with a 6-5 decision over Drake Lorance of Cascade.

KC Sutton was also expecting big things in his final year of wrestling. Last year, he placed fifth at 215 and this was going to be his year. He won his first two matches but then ran into Jorrell Jones from Chinook. The two battled to a 4-1 decision with Sutton on the short end.

“I did pretty good but had a rough semi match,” said Sutton. “He was a tough kid and it was a hard match.”

Sutton came back to top Jack Clark of Choteau with a pin in 54 seconds to finish third for the Falcons.

Tanner Lund took fifth at 125 pounds. He defeated Caylor Jacobsen of Fairfield with a 5-3 decision. Zac Newbary finished fifth at 152 pounds with an injury forfeit. Tanner Cobbs took a 4-2 decision over David Wilson of Eureka to finish fifth at 171. The team finished in eighth place with 83 points.

“We had a strong finish,” said Stiegler. “Everyone that made it to the medal round won their match. We placed five of the nine we brought.”

Darby also had their share of bad luck. Coach Todd Ruark had high hopes for the five wrestlers that made up the Darby team. However, at the weigh in on Friday morning, one wrestler didn’t make weight. He was over his weight limit by only a few ounces. However the four that were able to wrestle all came back with medals. Darby finished in 10th place with 74.5 points.

Caleb Caicedo wrestled very well throughout the weekend at 125 pounds. He began with a major decision over Drummond’s Jake Adler in the opening round. In the quarterfinals he pinned Trey McDaniel of Forsyth. That moved him to the semi finals on Saturday morning. He went up against Florence’s Tanner Lund. The two have battled all season and this time it was Caicedo who took away the 9-5 decision. Caicedo wrestled Taylor French of Forsyth in the championship match. French quickly got the upper hand and pinned the Darby junior in the first period.

“I’m happy,” said Caicedo. “I just wanted to improve from last year.”

He went on to say that although it was nice to wrestle in front of his friends and family, it almost didn’t seem like state. He finished in fifth place in 2010.

Wrestling at 130 pounds, Tanner Evers of Darby started his tournament with a pin over Bucky Finley of Cascade. He then pinned Flynn Stormer of Circle in the quarterfinals. Val Rouser of Townsend put an end to Evers’ championship hopes in the semi finals with a pin. Evers lost to Scotty Gilleard of St. Ignatius/Charlo in the third place match.

Christian Hammersmith pinned Eli Folda of Fairfield in his opening round at 135 pounds. He then won a 20-15 decision over Colt Harris of Conrad in the quarterfinals. Garretti Rath of Forsyth pinned Hammersmith in a tough match in the semi finals. Colton Dirden of Harlem won a 6-3 decision over Hammersmith and finished fourth.

Dalton Roundy won his first match against Boone Helm of Townsend with a technical fall. He then pinned Erik Kelly in just over a minute in the quarterfinals. Jesse Werdal of Choteau won a 10-3 decision in the semi finals. Roundy came back to pin Chris Shupe of Harlem and take third at 140 pounds.

Davis champion again

Corvallis was ahead at the end of the first day of the State A Wrestling tournament held this year at the Butte Civic Center. With a total of 17 wrestlers, the Blue Devils moved 12 wrestlers into the quarterfinals. There were six Blue Devils still standing after the quarterfinals. However, the semi finals were a bit rough and only two advanced to wrestle in the championship round. The Blue Devils finished fifth behind Laurel (198), Havre (186), Belgrade (179.5), and Glendive/Terry (152) with 151 points. Hamilton finished with 33 points.

Travis Davis came away with his second state championship, at 135 pounds. He defeated Brennan Gorder of Sidney with a 4-2 decision. Davis advanced to the championship with a pin over Robert Nalewaja of Miles City in the semis, a major decision over Brandon Gifford of Havre in the quarterfinals, and a pin over Carston Baertsch of Ronan in the first round. Davis is only a junior.

Travis Davis raises his hands in celebration after winning the championship at 135 pounds. Brian Davis photo.

Riley Nagel was the only other Blue Devil to wrestle in the championship round. He took on Eli Hinebauch of Havre at 145 pounds. Nagel lost, 8-0. He advanced to the championship round with a semifinal decision over Rex Martin of Lewistown. Nagel won a major decision over Bryce Akers of Belgrade. He won his opening round with a pin over Jared Young of Polson.

Levi Gingerich finished third at 112 pounds. He defeated Gilbert Bara of Havre in a close, 3-2, decision. Gingerich lost to Tyler Kinn of Glendive in the semifinals. He opened with a pin over Joe Lemon of Havre and then pinned Trei Bullock of Lewistown.

Josh Venema of Corvallis finished in fifth at 98 pounds. He defeated Lucas Polk of Polson in an 8-2 decision. Venema lost to Karson Kukes of Laurel in the semifinals. Venema opened his tournament with a major decision over Tate Stortz of Glendive. He defeated Layne Shafer of Sidney in the quarterfinals.

At 125 pounds, James DeBose finished fifth. He pinned tucker White of Billings Central for that medal. Justin Whiteman of Columbia Falls won a 6-2 decision over DuBose in the semifinals. DuBose defeated Layne Landis of Glendive in the first round. DuBose pinned Tre Yaeger of Lewistown in the quarterfinals.

Kyle Thomas finished sixth for the Blue Devils at 160 pounds. He lost to David Anderson of Frenchtown. Thomas opened with a win over Ethan Blythe of Lewistown. Thomas pinned Steven Bohne-Keefer of Havre in the quarterfinals. He lost to Connor Malone of Lewistown in the semis.

Hamilton’s Forest Fortney finished fifth at 189 pounds. He pinned Randy Green of Sidney for that medal. Fortney lost to Levi Cade of Belgrade in the semi finals. Fortney won by decision over Matt Gretchell of Billings Central in the quarterfinals. He won by forfeit in the opening round.

Troy Capp finished in sixth place at 171 pounds. He opened with a pin of Dill Wippert of Browning. Capp lost to Cole McArthur of Ronan in the quarterfinals.

Three selected for Tournament of Champions

Corvallis will have two wrestlers, Travis Davis and Riley Nagle at the 3rd Annual Tournament of Champions in Great Falls this weekend. The Tournament of Champions includes the three state champions from AA, A and B/C plus additional wild card entries. KC Sutton of Florence will also compete. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, ast the Great Falls High School Old Gym.

Darby gives Victor a run

Although Victor came out the victor against Darby, it was a battle and the Tigers never gave up. Victor won, 61-54, in what will be a new 13C rivalry next year when Darby drops down a classification. Dalton Buker again had the hot had for the Pirates, scoring 24 points. Kyle Ball and Dennis Mitcham added 13 and 10 points respectively.

Victor’s coach, Jay Jagelski, said he wasn’t surprised at how hard Darby played. “When you have your senior night, they come out ready to play and Darby did that. Darby is more of a Class C team. They are very aggressive.”

Several times the Pirates had more than a ten-point lead in the game but each time, the Tigers clawed back in and closed the gap. Strong play underneath by Devin Thomas gave the Tigers an advantage on rebounding. Thomas finished with 16 points.

Coach Scott Marsh said his team played the best team ball of their season against Victor. “We played very unselfish basketball tonight. This was our highest assist night. It shows that being patient and passing the ball around for the best shot helps.”

Darby’s Jeremy Campbell makes a lay up as Victor’s Randy Lewis tries to get out of his way. Jean Schurman photo.

Victor 61, Darby 54

Victor - Dennis Mitcham 10, Randy Lewis 6, Corey Deering 3, Kyle Ball 13, Dalton Buker 24, Kurt Manely 2, Tanner Sacks 3,

Darby - Josh McCrossin 6, Jeremy Campbell 17, Dylan Leidner 4, Luke Meuchel 2, Storm Wanstrath 2, Sherman Smith 7, Devin Thomas 16.

Victor topped St. Regis, 65-27, in their final game of the season. The Pirates will begin post-season play this Thursday night in Frenchtown at the 13C District Tournament. They will play Seeley-Swan at 6 pm.

A strong fourth quarter powered the 4th ranked Florence Falcons to a 61-38 win over Valley Christian. The Falcons scored 19 points in the final stanza while only allowing the Eagles nine points. Adam Greger continued to be a strong scorer, dropping in 31 points to lead Florence.

Florence 61, Valley Christian 38

Valley Christian - Christopher Wiley 2, Matthew Bohlken 8, Lincoln Palmer 2, Josiah Paterson 2, Cody Becker 7, Alex Love 8, Lane Norberg 9.

Florence - Adam Huot 4, Adam Greger 31, Quinn Smith 14, Mike Finlay 6, Aaron Ward 2, Ryne Baerlocher 4.

Florence finished their weekend with a win over valley rival Darby on Friday night. The Falcons came out strongly and never looked back as they cruised to a 70-25 win. Greger had 22 points and Ross Mangun added 10 more.

Florence 70, Darby 25

Florence - Ross Mangun 10, Ryne Baerlocher 9, Chantz Hotsinpiller 6, Dylan Reynolds 3, Adam Greger 22, Quinn Smith 8, Mike Finlay 4, Aaron Ward 4, John Johnson 4.

Darby - Sherman Smith 15, Jeremy Campbell 6, Devin Thomas 4.

Hamilton had to make the tough trip to Dillon where they took on the No. 2 ranked Dillon Beavers. Although Hamilton made a run at the end of the game, it was not enough. Dillon won, 80-54. Graham Silcher had 16 points and Cody Lewis came off the bench to score 13 points.

Dillon 80, Hamilton 54

Hamilton - Zach Stoeger 1, Brad Palin 3, Eli Rogers 5, Cody Lewis 13, Dace Moerkerke 6, Beau Maus 6, Graham Silcher 16, Tyler Pigman 4.

Dillon - Austin Williams 8, Ben Folson 8, Chevy Reed 13, Wes Knox 15, Tyson Reese 3, Evan Williams 5, JT Linder 13, Cache King 4, Monte Folson 7, Alex Basile 2, Caleb Gillis 2.

Stevensville picked up another win, defeating Frenchtown, 58-33. The Yellowjackets were paced by Josh Schultz’ 20 points. Austin Kelling, who had been injured for the last four weeks, scored 11 points.

Stevensville 58, Frenchtown 33

Stevensville - Josh Haynes 7, Austin Lords 2, Kadin Beller 3, Josh Schultz 20, Zack Gavlak 8, Austin Kelling 11, Caleb Vance 5.

Frenchtown - Daniel Lebsock 2, Jackson Mahlum 2, Austin Blank 14, Ryan Anderson 2, Matt Price 4, Dustin Tucker 2, Blake Normand 1, Kyle Cyr 3, James Hebnes 3.

Florence and Darby will play in the District 6B tournament in Hamilton. Florence has a first round bye and will play the winner of the Deer Lodge/Superior game at 2 pm on Thursday. Darby will play Valley Christian on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Darby tops Victor

The Lady Tigers earned a non-conference win over Victor on Thursday, topping the Lady Pirates, 48-37. Victor couldn’t contain Sarah Jakober in the middle who scored 12 points for Darby.

“It’s always a good win,” said Darby coach JP McCrossin. ‘We enjoy playing them.”

McCrossin told his seniors – Jakober, Brekkan Green and Latisha Smith – that this would be the last time they walked off the floor and to make the effort to make this a great last game.

Green got the Lady Tigers going with a long trey from the corner and gave confidence to the team. Although Victor made a few runs in the first quarter, Darby controlled the tempo of the game. Darby was paced by Jaokober’s 12 points. Victor’s Liz Taylor had 16 points.

Victor coach Michelle Widder was pleased with how her team played but disappointed their shots didn’t fall. “We’re really playing hard as a team and that’s good, heading into tournament.”

With Pirate hands blocking her shot, Sarah Jakober takes aim on the basket during Darby’s game against Victor. Jakober and her team topped Victor, 48-37. Jean Schurman photo.

Both teams will play in district tournaments this week. Victor plays Lincoln at 2:30 on Thursday in Frenchtown. Darby will play Florence at 6:30 on Wednesday in Hamilton.

Darby 48, Victor 37

Victor - Haley Tilloston 8, Ryanne Tracy 5, Rachel Borowiec 5, Elizabeth Taylor 16, Desi Charlton 1, Amber Ibey 2.

Darby - Kailey Bergren 8, Halie Rennaker 8, Julie Abrahamson 5, Sarah Jakober 12, Brekkan Green 3, Latisha Smith 4, Brianna Massey 8.

Florence topped Valley Christian and Darby in their final games of the season. The Lady Falcons held off the Eagles, 40-35. Sisters Carli O’Brien and Rosie O’Brien each had 10 points to pace the Lady Falcons.

Florence 40, Valley Christian 35

Florence - Courtney Byrne 7, Brittney Heinz 8, Carli O'Brien 10, Rosie O'Brien 10, Kayla Johnson 5.

Valley Christian - Hollin Wittmier 3, Kaylee Velin 2, Tessa Pearson 13, Heidi Cross 5, Charisa Ireland 10, Dez Dargon 2.

Darby and Florence were tied at the end of the first quarter but then a huge second quarter powered Florence on to a 41-21 victory. Brittney Heinz had 11 points to pace Florence and Courtney Byrne returned from an injury to score 10 points.

Florence 41, Darby 21

Darby - Kailey Beigren 4, Keionna Cartaglia 2, Julie Abrahamsen 6, Sarah Jakober 6, Brekkan Greene 1, Tisha Smith 2.

Florence - Courtney Byrne 10, Brittany Heinz 11, Paige Bodner 2, Jill Harris 3, Cody Miller 2, Rosie O'Brien 6, Cassandra Skeers 3, Kayla Johnson 4.

Stevensville continued their winning streak with a conference win over Corvallis, 48-20. Strong play under the basket by Alycia Sims gave the Lady ‘Jackets the momentum. Sims scored 16 points and freshman Kyla Paulsen dropped in 10 points. Corvallis was led by Korie Conder who had eight points.

Stevensville 48, Corvallis 20

Corvallis - Korie Conder 8, Anne Jessop 4, Jen Mosbrucker 3, Sadi Henderson 3, Carrie Jessop 2.

Stevensville - Alycia Sims 16, Kyla Paulsen 10, Baylee Bergman 9, Blaire Brookshire 6, Britney Chilcott 5, McKenzie Sebastian 2.

Stevensville traveled to Frenchtown to take on the Lady Broncs. Frenchtown won earlier in the season. The Lady Yellowjackets had a strong first quarter and held on for a 44-40 win. Sims again had 16 points for Stevi.

Stevensville 44, Frenchtown 40

Stevensville - Baylee Bergman 4, McKenzie Sebastian 6, Alycia Sims 16, Lindsey Thorstad 6, Blaire Brookshire 8, Kyla Paulsen 4.

Frenchtown - Jaylynn Garrison 2, Angel Lowery 2, Sarah Lester 19, Abbey Indreland 1, Emma Oostdyk 2, Brittnee Richardson 8, Kayla Blood 3, Holly Jacobs 3.

Hamilton took on the powerful Dillon Beavers on Friday. Dillon held Hamilton to only 10 first-half points and cruised to a 60-21 win. Kara Wetzsteon had six points to lead the Lady Broncs.

Dillon 60, Hamilton 21

Hamilton - Rebecka Hood 4, Presley Chadwick 3, Kara Wetzsteon 6, Mary Conwell 3, Meghan Kratofil 4, Kennedy Chadwick 1.

Dillon - Greer Crabtree 2, Kate Ferris 5, Alex Brammer 21, Amanda Reed 7, Charlee Hahnkamp 14, Faith Keck 11.

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