The Braves scored 244 points to win their second Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic championship in three years on Saturday at Missoula Sentinel.
The last time Kalispell won the prestigious two-day meet, it went on to win the Class AA state championship in 2004, a fact that was not lost on head coach Jeff Thompson.
The Braves held off a valiant charge by Western AA rival Butte and Libby, a Class A powerhouse. The Bulldogs finished with 226 points and the Greenchain surprised a lot of folks with 180fi points.
“We have a lot to learn,” said Butte senior Cole Dallaserra. “We made some strides this weekend. A couple of our kids are getting better and better and better. We're working towards that state tournament. That's where we want to peak, that's where we want to be the best.”
“Being an A school and going against those AA schools and just being under them is an accomplishment,” said Libby senior Travis Hjort. “It's what our coach wanted to do and we did it.”
Butte, Libby and the Frenchtown Broncs all had three wrestlers win individual titles. Kalispell had the most wrestlers reach the finals - six - but only one became a champ.
Spokane's University High, the 2005 meet champions, took fourth with 170 points, followed by Great Falls High (162fi) Spokane's Central Valley (149) and Frenchtown (105fi).
Dallaserra was named the meet's Most Outstanding Wrestler. He beat Central Valley's Jeff Croskrey 11-0 in their 135-pound final and joined an exclusive club in the process.
Dallaserra, a three-time state champ, became a four-time Rocky champ. He joins Great Falls' Kole Tolliver (1999-2002) and Polson's Kevin Owen (2002-05) as the only wrestlers to earn four crowns.
“It's been one of my goals I've had since I won it here when I was a freshman,” Dallaserra said. “At that time there was only one other. It was just a good goal to work hard for. It set the tone for me, gave me something to work for and now it's just a great feeling to accomplish it.”
Chase Fish of University High won his third Rocky title by pinning Great Falls' Ben Spencer in 5:04. Fish, a senior, won't be able to join the above mentioned wrestlers with four crowns.
Also, making history was the Stedman brothers from Frenchtown, who became the seventh set of siblings to win a Rocky title in the same year. Brandon, a senior, beat U. High's Mike Malsam 5-3 in their 119-pound final, while Josh, a junior , topped Central Valley's Nick Cambron by technical fall at 4:50.
The Broncs' Chad Hansen began the night with a 3-2 win over Sentinel phenom Jake Love in the 98-pound final.
Hjort and his cohorts - the Libby Greenchain - really cut down the Braves in Saturday's finals. Hjort pinned Kalispell's Damian Farrier in 3:21 in their 215-pound final.
Hjort, who improved his record to 26-0, earned the award for quick pin. He won all four of his matches by pin, including two in under 60 seconds.
Senior Jake Spencer (171) beat Levi Holt 12-4 in the first of three straight wins for Libby wrestlers over Kalispell wrestlers. Junior Jake Graham (189) followed with a second-period pin against Kalispell's Scott Cassel.
“It's great when you can go back-to-back-to-back in the championships,” said Hjort, who completed the trifecta.
“Those big guys are tough,” Thompson said. “They beat us up.”
Libby junior Steve Bertelsen wasn't as lucky as his teammates. Central Valley's Camren Ebat picked up his second straight individual title with a 5-2 win over Bertelsen. Ebat's teammate, Lucas Chesher, also defended his Rocky title by beating Butte's Brody Verrall 3-1 in one of the night's more exciting match-ups.
The Braves sent 10 wrestlers to the semifinals, but only senior Mikey Kuehne was able to win. He beat Polson's Ted Morigeau 17-6 in the finals of their 152-pound match to become a two-time RMC champ. Teammate T.C. Decker (112) was a runner-up for the second year in a row. He fell, 5-0, to CMR's Nash Hallfrisch in their final.
Kalispell's Brian Ham was the only defending Rocky champ to not make the finals. Ham (105) lost Cambron in the semis.
Hamilton's Mike Lewis (145) and Kalispell's Dan Ogden (heavyweight) suffered their first losses of the season in the finals. Butte's Nick Haynes and Trever Hass, won those matches.
Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic
At Missoula Sentinel
Saturday
Team scores - Kalispell 244, Butte 226, Libby 180fi, University High (Spokane) 170, Great Falls High 162fi, Central Valley (Spokane) 149, Frenchtown 105fi, Polson 102, Mead (Spokane) 99fi, Missoula Sentinel 94, Great Falls Russell 92, Corvallis 89, Ronan 86fi, Hamilton 79, Whitefish 78, Clarkston 62, Missoula Big Sky 60, Ferris (Spokane) 60, Anaconda 54, Columbia Falls 52, Missoula Hellgate 30, Superior 11.
98 lbs
Championship - Chad Hansen, Ftn, dec. Jake Love, Sent, 3-2.
Third-fourth - Pat Belknap, UHi, md. Kelly Olds, CMR, 13-4.
Fifth-sixth - Zach Hettick, But, pinned Phillip Murphy, Wf, 4:12.
Championship semifinals - Hansen, Ftn, pinned Belknap, UHi, 4:39; Love, Sent, dec. Olds, CMR, 11-4.
105 lbs
Championship - Josh Stedman, Ftn, tech fall Nick Cambron, CV, 15-0, 4:50.
Third-fourth - Brian Ham, Kal, dec. Zach Mendenhall, GF, 5-1.
Fifth-sixth - Tyler McLaughlin, But, pinned Austin Bailey, CMR, 2:46.
Championship semifinals - Cambron, CV, pinned Ham, Kal, 2:42; J. Stedman, Ftn, dec. Mendenhall, GF, 7-2.
112 lbs
Championship - Nash Hallfrisch, CMR, dec. T.C. Decker, Kal, 5-0.
Third-fourth - Shane Ludwick, Pol, dec. Seth Clary, Ron, 5-3.
Fifth-sixth - Ryan Thiel, Kal, dec. Kyle Richie, Sen, 9-7.
Championship semifinals - Decker, Kal, dec Richie, Sent, 7-4; Hallfrisch, CMR, major dec. Ludwick, Pol, 12-0.
119 lbs
Championship - Brandon Stedman, Ftn, dec. Mike Malsam, UHi, 5-3.
Third-fourth - Landon DellaSilva, Cor, pinnned Conlin Benson, Pol, 4:18.
Fifth-sixth - Ian Matson, Mead, dec. Chris Bick, Ftn, 10-5.
Championship semifinals - Malsam, UHi, pinned DellaSilva, Cor, :58; B. Stedman, Ftn, dec. Benson, Pol, 6-0.
125 lbs
Championship - Chase Fish, UHi, pinned Ben Spencer, GF, 5:04.
Third-fourth - Boomer Peek, Lib, dec. Logan Torgison, Pol, 5-3.
Fifth-sixth - Tyler Johnston, But, dec. Austin Zapata, Kal, 4-1.
Championship semifinals - Fish, UHi, pinned Peek, Lib, :54; Spencer, GF, dec. Torgison, Pol, 7-2.
130 lbs
Championship - Taylor Yonago, Fer, dec. TJ Renz, But, 1-0.
Third-fourth - Zach Gregoire, GF, dec. Taylor Nagel, Cor, 3-2.
Fifth-sixth - Corey Pete, CF, dec. Jeremy Savage, CV, 6-3.
Championship semifinals - Yonago, Fer, dec. Nagel, Cor, 9-2; Renz, But, dec. Gregoire, GF, 4-3.
135 lbs
Championship - Cole Dallaserra, But, major dec. Jeff Croskrey, CV, 11-0.
Third-fourth - Duran Flaget, Kal, pinned Spencer Bailey, CMR, 3:53.
Fifth-sixth - Andy Love, Sen, dec. Matt Roberts, Lib, 9-5 OT.
Championship semifinals - Dallaserra, But, pinned A. Love, Sent, 3:19; Croskrey, CV, pinned Flaget, Kal, 4:48.
140 lbs
Championship - Lucas Chesher, CV, dec. Brody Verrall, But, 3-1.
Third-fourth - Bobby Vinson, GF, dec. Michael Hader, CF, 5-1.
Fifth-sixth - Jason Fairley, Ckn, inj. default over Elliott Nay, UHi.
Championship semifinals - Chesher, CV, dec. B. Vinson, GF, 6-4; Verrall, But, dec. Fairley, Ckn, 9-3.
145 lbs
Championship - Nick Haynes, But, dec. Mike Lewis, Ham, 5-2.
Third-fourth - Seth Cummings, Lib, dec. Luke Fischer, Kal, 11-4.
Fifth-sixth - Mike Walker, BSH, dec. Ryan Peck, Mead, 6-5.
Championship semifinals - Haynes, But, major dec. Fischer, Kal, 14-2; Lewis, Ham, major dec. Cummings, Lib, 15-2.
152 lbs
Championship - Mikey Kuehne, Kal, major dec. Ted Morigeau, Pol, 17-6.
Third-fourth - Tyler Wells, Kal, dec. Brock Anderson, Ham, 9-8.
Fifth-sixth - Brandon Penrose, But, inj. default over Toby Bender, GF.
Championship semifinals - Kuehne, Kal, dec. B. Anderson, Ham, 6-5; Morigeau, Pol, pinned Bender, GF, 1:09.
160 lbs
Championship - Camren Ebat, CV, dec. Steve Bertelsen, Lib, 5-2.
Third-fourth - Ty Vinson, GF, dec. Brad Watterud, Wtf, 7-3.
Fifth-sixth - Nick Zumwalt, UHi, dec. Josiah Nelson, Kal, 9-6.
Championship semifinals - Ebat, dec. T. Vinson, GF, 5-2; Bertelsen, Lib, dec. Zumwalt, UHi, 3-2.
171 lbs
Championship - Jake Spencer, Lib, dec. Levi Holt, Kal, 12-4.
Third-fourth - Andrew Peterson, UHi, pinned Tyler Espinosa, Ron, 4:17.
Fifth-sixth - Nick Severns, CV, dec. Tim Lehner, Wtf, 6-5.
Championship semifinals - Spencer, Lib, dec. Peterson, UHi, 11-1; Holt, Kal, dec. Lehner, Wf, 12-9.
189 lbs
Championship - Jake Graham, Lib, pinned Scott Cassel, Kal, 2:46.
Third-fourth - Bryce Picard, Pol, pinned Cameron Prinzing, GF, 2:12.
Fifth-sixth - Wes Braun, Ckn, pinned Nick Weller, Ftn, 2:38.
Championship semifinals - Graham, Lib, dec. Picard, Pol, 7-6; Cassel, Kal, dec. Braun, Ckn, 8-3.
215 lbs
Championship - Travis Hjort, Lib, pinned Damian Farrier, Kal, 3:26.
Third-fourth - Casey Poier, Kal, pinned Cory Tallon, But, 1:47.
Fifth-sixth - Roy Pritchett, Hgt, pinned Alex Storud, BSH, 3:11.
Championship semifinals - Hjort, Lib, pinned Tallon, But, 2:18; Farrier, Kal, dec. Poier, Kal, 3-2.
Hwt
Championship - Trever Hass, But, dec. Dan Ogden, Kal, 7-1.
Third-fourth - Dono Totten, UHi, dec. Mike Magee, Mead, 4-0.
Fifth-sixth - Blake Cranmore, Cor, pinned Tyler Goff, Lib, 2:38.
Championship semifinals - Ogden, Kal, dec. Magee, Mead, 8-2; Hass, But, pinned Cranmore, 5:12.
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