By Pat Ryan
Helena High dealt the host Bulldogs their second dual defeat Saturday morning at the Mining City Duals Jim Street Classic Wrestling Tournament at the Richardson Memorial Gym.
The pairing of Butte and Helena wrestlers proved to be a tough draw for the Butte High.
“This was a nightmare matchup,” Butte Head coach Cory Johnston said. “In the spots where we’re pretty good, they’re really good. These guys might be the toughest matchup for us of any team in the state.”
The Bengals remain undefeated in the tournament, while Helena’s crosstown rival Helena Capital shocked three-time defending Street Duals champion Havre 42-35 in the same round.
Helena got off to a quick start, as Isaac Romero pinned Wil Queer in the first period. The second mach took a bit longer, as London Norris held off a hard-charging Scout Allen of Butte for a 20-10 major decision.
Butte got one of its three forfeit wins at 120 from Gabe Tierney – the other two came at 152 from Quinn Sullivan and heavyweight from Jeff Queer – while Helena took a forfeit victory at 182 pounds.
Austin Murphy held off Ty Casey for a 14-5 major decision at 126, while Ty Vetter absorbed an 8-2 decision at 132.
Bryson Henningsen took some sharp shots in his 138-pound match with Kyle Tabbert, but the Bengal had an answer for each effort, and prevailed 14-3.
Willie Anderson picked up Butte’s lone contested win against Ridge Troupe at 145 pounds. A pair of hard-fought takedowns and a second period escape gave Anderson a 5-2 win.
Kameron Moreno fought hard yet again at 160, but gave up eight points in the third period for a 13-1 loss to Noah Manibusen, while Carl Anderson suffered a first-period pin at 170. Jacob Manibusen fended off a strong effort from Kyle Harding at 205 to close out the side with a pin.
Butte is back in action at or around 1:30 p.m. with a dual against Great Falls, which was the Pool 2 winner from Friday.
Helena 43, Butte 21
(Dual began at 103 pounds) 103 – Isaac Romero, Helena, p. Wil Queer 1:40. 113 – London Norris, Helena, md. Scout Allen 20-10. 120 – Gabe Tierney, Butte, won by forfeit. 126 – Austin Murphy, Helena, md. Ty Casey 14-5. 132 – Devin Crawford, Helena, d. Ty Vetter 8-2. 138 – Kyle Tabbert, Helena, md. Bryson Henningsen 14-3. 145 – Willie Anderson, Butte, d. Ridge Troupe 5-2. 152 – Quinn Sullivan, Butte, won by forfeit. 160 – Noah Manibusen, Helena, md. Kameron Moreno 13-1. 170 – Joel Clark, Helena, p. Carl Anderson 1:11. 182 – Hayden Schrall, Helena, won by forfeit. 205 – Jacob Manibusen, Helena, p. Kyel Harding 1:08. 285 – Jeff Queer, Butte, won by forfeit.
