By Bruce Sayler
Winter sickness continued to sideline Butte High wrestlers, complicating a tough slate of matches the Bulldogs had with the two Class AA Kalispell schools in conference dual meets Saturday at Butte High’s old gym.
The Bulldogs swept the Glacier teams 54-18 in the girls’ meet and 51-30 in the boys’ before falling to Flathead 48-36 in girls’ bouts on Senior Night and 55-22 in boys.’
“We’ve got a few more (wrestlers) down,” Butte High head coach Cory Johnston said. “(The Bulldogs) competed really hard and that’s all I ask of them to do. They beat Glacier and put up 22 against the No. 2 team in the state.
“We told them they were going to go out there and compete. Hopefully, we’re now going to be on the good side of the sickness. Everyone has a week and this was ours.”
Some filling on the varsity lineup for Butte High Saturday included Austen Belisario, Andrew Baca, Kasen O’Keefe, Ryder Henry, Hunter Rees and Daniel Fraser.
Reigning state champion Keegan Hunt added another win Saturday, scoring a 1-minute, 35-second pin over Dayton Naldrett at 110 pounds in the dual versus Flathead. Hunt sat out against Glacier.
Bradey Doyle and Ryder McEwen each won twice for the Bulldogs. Doyle scored a 14-6 major decision at 132 pounds against Dawson Hamland of Flathead, and pinned Glacier’s Cole Hansen in 52 seconds at 138. McEwen, the actual planned varsity entrant at 138, pinned Flathead’s Jasper Bender in 3:12 and Glacier’s Jaden Beston in 1:50 while wrestling at 150.
Bode Hazlett, the usual 150-pounder and a reigning state champ, was one of the Butte High stars out of action, though he was awarded a forfeit at 157 versus Glacier.
“Ryder McEwen, we’ve bumped him up twice (in weight classes) and he’s continued to wrestle well,” Johnston said. “We’ve asked guys to bump up to fill in for sick kids and they do it.”
He also singled out 126-pounder Reveles McEwen for wrestling “tough.” Caden Phillips was, too, in a grueling bout with Glacier’s Jimmy Winchester at 215 pounds. He had a 10-3 lead when Winchester took him to his back with a minute left in their bout. Phillips fought off the pin while on his back the rest of the way and emerged with a 10-7 victory.
Butte High will travel to Missoula to compete in the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic tournament at Sentinel High’s Spartan Gym next Friday and Saturday.
The Bulldog girls recognized outgoing seniors Allie Ballensky, Jessica Blow, Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan in pre-meet ceremonies before taking on Flathead. Ballensky benefitted from a forfeit win against Glacier and wasn’t in the lineup versus Glacier. Blow pinned Glacier’s Gabby Leighty in 46 seconds at and stapled Flathead’s Eloise Smith in 2:35 while vying in the 125-pound weight class. Stepan pinned Flathead 155-pounder Janet O’Day in 46 seconds. Liva got a 28-second pin against Flathead’s Alexus Thompson and lost a rugged match with Glacier’s Katelyn Sphuler in a pin time of 3:40.
Eighth-grader Loretta Matteson wrestled up two Butte High wins at 140 pounds, flattening Glacier sophomore Theresa Theuerkorn in 51 seconds and Flathead junior Haley Wilson in 1:36.
The Butte High girls will be in Missoula next weekend, wrestling in the Hellgate Invitational tournament at the Knights’ gym.
Boys
Butte High 51, Kalispell Glacier 30
103 pounds – Crew O’Connor, Butte, pinned Bassam Murad :39. 110 – Renzy LeProwse, Butte, won by forfeit. 118 – Aiden Sweat, Glacier, pinned Hunter Rees :54. 126 – Reveles McEwen, Butte, pinned Treigen Ereaux 1:08. 132 – Austen Belisario, Butte, won by fofeit. 138 – Brodey Doyle, Butte, pinned Cole Hansen :52. 144 – Dillon Sams, Glacier, pinned Daniel Fraser 3:13. 150 – Ryder McEwen, Butte, pinned Jaden Beston 1:50. 157 – Bode Hazlett, Butte, won by forfeit. 165 – Cameron Fleege, Butte, pinned Kyler Dedrick 2:56. 175 – Matthew Ahner, Flathead, pinned Kasen O’Keefe 1:21. 190 – Daniel Pederson, Glacier, pinned Bridger Brancamp 2:48. 215 – Caden Phillips, Butte, dec. Jimmy Winchester 10-7. 285 – Noah Horn, Glacier, pinned Waylond Hicks 3:00.
Kalispell Flathead 55, Butte High 22
110 pounds – Keegan Hunt, Butte, pinned Dayton Naldrett 1:35. 118 – Aidan Lake, Flathead, dec. Reveles McEwen 8-7. 126 – Caleb Poe-Hatten, Flathead, pinned Austen Belisario 2:31. 132 – Bradey Doyle, Butte, major dec. Dawson Hamland 14-6. 138 – Jacob LaNotte, Flathead, major dec. Andrew Baca 19-6. 144 – Hunter Arriaga, Flathead, pinned Daniel Fraser :37. 150 – Ryder McEwen, Butte, pinned Jasper Bench 3:12. 157 – Brett Chivers, Flathead, won by forfeit. 165 – Liam LeDuc, Flathead, pinned Cameron Fleege 3:53. 175 – Colten Conover, Flathead, pinned Kasen O’Keefe :42. 190 – Conor LeDuc, Flathead, won by forfeit. 215 – Kohen Rilley, Flathead, pinned Caden Phillips :46. 285 – Jakob Berry, Flathead, pinned Ryder Henry 1:51. 103 – Renzy LeProwse, Butte, pinned Liam Iverson 1:25.
Extra – 103 — Darion Findlay, Butte, pinned Ryker Zuffelato 1:06.
Girls
Kalispell Flathead 48, Butte High 36
105 pounds – Tatum Ogden, Flathead, pinned Brooklyn Hettick :41. 110 – Danica Hennell, Flathead, pinned Lilyi Malone 5:38. 115 – Sophia Torgrson, Flathead, won by forfeit. 120 – Bella Downing, Flathead, pinned Adalie Hazlett 5:58. 125 – Jessica Blow, Butte, pinned Eloise Smith 2:35. 130 – Julia Kay, Flathead, pinned Rebeka Henke :50. 135 – Kiera Lackey, Flathead, pinned Brooke Johnson :55. 140 – Loretta Matteson, Butte, pinned Haley Wilson 1:36. 145 – Alisha Cook Flathead, pinned Sage Queer 1:28. 155 – Mattie Stepan, Butte, pinned Janet O’Day :46. 170 – Rylee Radcliffe, Flathead, pinned Hannah Bailey 1:46. 190 – Lily Anderson, Flathead, won by forfeit. 235 – Adri Cox, Flathead, pinned Chyanne Robinson :38. 100 – Peyton Liva, Butte, pinned Alexus Thompson :28.
Extras – 120 – Kyra McMahon, Flathead, pinned Deearea Naugle :52. 135 – Chlynn Kesteleyn, Flathead, pinned Reaghann Denning 1:59. 155 – Tarakona Bell, Flathead, pinned Matti Neighbor. 115 – Lilyi Malone, Butte, pinned Sophia Torgison :49.
Butte High 54, Kalispell Glacier 18
100 – Katelyn Sphuler, Glacier, pinned Peyton Liva 3:50. 105 – Kiera Oftedahl, Glacier, pinned Brooklyn Hettick :36. 110 – Lilyi Malone, Butte, won by forfeit. 115 – double forfeit. 120 – Adalie Hazlett, Butte, won by forfeit. 125 – Jessica Blow, Butte, pinned Gabby Leighty :46. 130 – Kylie Shine, Glacier, pinned Rebeka Henke 2:35. 135 – Brooke Johnson, Butte, won by forfeit. 140 – Loretta Matteson, Butte, pinned Theresa Theuerkorn :51. 145 – Sage Queer, Butte, won by forfeit. 155 – Mattie Stepan, Butte, won by forfeit. 170 – Rylee Radcliffe, Butte, won by forfeit. 190 – double forfeit. 235 – Allie Ballensky, Butte, won by forfeit.
