Of course they'll all be chasing Kalispell Flathead, which is seeking its third Class AA championship in a row and fourth title in five seasons.
With 15 state-placers returning from a team that set numerous records at state last winter, the Braves are favored to three-peat come February, when the all-class state meet hits Billings.
Despite Kalispell's addition of a new high school (Glacier), the Braves still have one of the state's deepest wrestling rooms with roughly 70 kids out.
None of the Garden City's grappling programs have that kind of manpower, but they'll trot out a score of individuals hoping to stand with the best come Feb. 8-9 at MetraPark Arena.
Here's a look at the five teams from western Montana:
Thompson and the Brave Brawlers continue to set the standard for wrestling in the state of Montana.
Flathead returns 21 state-qualifiers from a year ago, with four returning individual state champs - seniors TC Decker (140) and Brian Ham (130), junior Bryce Stacy (145) and sophomore Shawn Lau (112).
The Braves, who set records for points, placers and finalists at last year's meet, are ranked in the top 30 of a preseason wrestling publication.
“Just because we are opening a new school in the community doesn't mean we are changing our goals and tradition,” said Thompson, who begins his eighth year. “Each year we as a program are gunning for a state championship and a nationally-ranked team.”
Seven of Flathead's nine finalists return this season.
“Flathead's going to be tough,” Missoula Big Sky coach Jon Cusker said. “They've got what we're trying to do in Missoula.”
The Braves lost just four state-placers from last year - most of them in the upper weights. They've filled in nicely, though.
“They're just loaded, it's unbelievable,” said Sentinel coach Ron Beck. “I didn't recognize the kids at 215 or heavyweight, but everywhere else, they're two deep. I couldn't imagine having a room like that.”
Beck begins his fifth year at Sentinel, which has between 35-40 wrestlers in its room.
“We're four or five kids away from being really tough,” said Beck. “We don't have the numbers I'd like to have. The kids I got are great, but it's not the depth I need to sustain what I want to do.”
The Spartans are looking to build on last year's eighth-place finish, which was the best by a Missoula team in the new millennium.
Sentinel's strength is in the middle weights with two-time state runner-up junior Jake Love (125) and three-time state-placer senior Dan Hamilton (135).
The Spartans have 10 state-qualifiers on their roster, including two transfers from crosstown rival Big Sky, which has drawn some unwarranted accusations, Beck says.
“I'm happier than hell to have those kids in the room, but this open enrollment is crazy, it puts me in the light that I recruited,” he said, “but I'm not going to beg a 17-year-old kid to do anything like that.”
Seniors Nick Ramsey (130), who was sixth at state last year, and Brad Volkmann (171) went to Sentinel for the final quarter of last school year, Beck said.
Ramsey is still nursing a knee injury from football and Volkmann is seeking his first state berth.
A strong sophomore class of Cliff Evans (98), David Marne (112), Austin Edwards (140), Josh Hamilton (152) and Bentley Alsup (215) looks for its second trip to state, as does junior Justin Mikkola (145).
Super senior Scott Hickey (171) advanced to state in '06, but was hurt last year. He's 19 years old and needed a waiver to wrestle this year.
Beck is by no means declaring any of them title contenders yet.
“That's so far down the road,” he said. “I don't have a kid that's a lock. Even a Jake Love, being a finalist, there's some good kids out there.”
Sentinel again hosts the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic on Jan. 11-12.
At Big Sky, Cusker is starting his fifth season as a head coach. He has 38 kids in his wrestling room, “with more to come, once we get healed up,” Cusker said.
Some of the Eagles' lower weights, like sophomores Dante Swallow (105), who injured his leg during cross country, and Garret McNeil, who was hurt in a horse accident, won't be ready until Jan. 1.
Another, sophomore Cody Moore (112), still suffers from shin splints from cross country.
“They were trying to get in shape for wrestling, but every sport is a contact sport with a wrestler's mentality,” Cusker joked.
After those weights Big Sky goes two deep the rest of the way and should be alright.
Senior Don Widdicombe (160) is the most experienced of the group. A two-time state-placer, he took third last winter and after Ramsey's departure, Widdicombe's the only one in the Eagles' room with state hardware.
Cusker was a little miffed that Ramsey, a team captain, transferred. Ramsey was close to the top in Big Sky's career take-downs, Cusker said.
The Eagles can look to one of their seven other qualifiers to step up, like senior Jeremy Conklin, who'll start at 125 and work down to 119 and junior Kody Reed, who's slimmed down to 171 for speed.
Big Sky hosts the Garden City Duals, which decides the city champion, on Jan. 18.
First-year coach John Smith is looking to increase numbers at Hellgate, his alma mater.
The Knights had 24 as of last week, with more wanting to sign on, Smith said.
The former assistant takes over for Ed Snook, who hung up his whistle after eight years to watch his own children play sports at Big Sky.
Smith is getting some help from Cody and Lanny Bryant, both of whom had coaching stops at Hellgate.
The Knights lost their only state-placer (Roy Pritchett) to graduation and they only have two seniors this year.
“It's a young team, but we have a lot of kids that wrestled last year,” Smith said. “They're more experienced than last year. We just have a great bunch of kids coming back.
“We are working hard earlier in the year, because we don't have to teach basic stuff. The kids are going to push themselves really hard this year.”
Hellgate's top returner is junior Chris Lavoie, who won two matches at 152 pounds last season. Sophomores Stephen DeYoung and Cole Jensen each went 0-2 at state a year ago.
Smith is hoping for good things from senior TJ Wicklund and juniors Seth McCracken and D.J. St. John.
Glacier is under the thumb of Mark Fischer, who has eight years of head coaching under his belt, and one season of assisting at Flathead, too.
The Wolfpack have mostly freshmen and sophomores in their room. Junior Jordan Nelson (130) was a state-qualifier last winter for Flathead.
“Flathead is still the real deal,” Cusker said. “Thompson and his crew have done a good job, but it will be fun wrestling Glacier, to see how tough they are.”
Around the state, powerhouse Butte moved to the Eastern AA and will likely contend with Great Falls Russell and Great Falls High for the program over there. Billings Skyview is another squad to watch.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)