By Bruce Sayler
Butte Central was able to send only three wrestlers into the competition in its mixer held Thursday evening in the Maroon Activities Center. Two of them were freshmen.
They performed well.
No team scores were kept in the all-Class A field, but the Maroons won four of their seven bouts. Head coach Robin Moodry was without senior 113-pounder Roy Russell, who is sitting out with injury. So, junior Clay Fisher and freshmen Joey Mulcahy and Cale Stillwagon were the BC representatives.
“They did OK,” Moodry said. “I was pretty happy with their improvement from last week, and with their attitudes.
“Clay coming back and wrestling a couple of decently tough matches was good. He showed his mental toughness in pulling out a win at the end. Joey got his very first wrestling win in only his second week of wrestling. Good to see him get what he worked hard for. Cale wrestled pretty decent. He’s a freshman working hard and he’s athletic.”
The showings are part of the process of building toward the Western A Divisional state Class A tournaments, Moodry said, as with so few numbers, Butte Central has no chance to be in contention for any team glory.
So, the work deals with building individual stars. Fisher is one as a state runner-up last year, and Russell is, too, as a returning place-winner. Mulcahy and Stillwagon are stepping out onto their paths.
Class A power Havre was in the mixer along with the Maroons, as were the Bitterroot Valley group of Corvallis, Hamilton and Stevensville. So, the competition was worthy for everybody.
Fisher went 2-0 and Stillwagon 2-1 in the meet, and Mulcahy was 1-2. Fisher beat Tristan Davis of Corvallis in overtime with a hip toss, and then beat another Blue Devil, Dante Venema, 8-4 at 132 pounds. The bouts were Fisher’s first of the season. He sat out opening weekend last week while healing some wounds leftover from football season.
Stillwagon lost to Jadon Tipps of Stevensville at the first-period buzzer and pinned Tristan Riel, also of Stevensville, in 2:50 at 145 pounds. Mulcahy, wrestling at 113, rolled Coe Rahmsdorf of Corvallis on a reversal and into a 1:52 pin. The young Maroon later lost a 16-0 technical fall to Havre freshman Hunter Velk and got caught for a 1:13 pin by Dylan Young, also of Havre.
“Clay showed good confidence,” Moodry said. “He has a lot of good tools and you have to use them in wrestling. He seems to have a pretty good idea of what he wants to do and how he wants to get there.:
Fisher’s bout with Davis was tied 2-all after regulation time, the BC wrestler scoring on a first-period takedown and the Corvallis star coming back with escapes in the first and second frames. After a scoreless third, Fisher saw his first match of the season go to sudden death. The clock showed 32 seconds when Fisher powered Davis off his feet and to the mat to finish the bout.
His win over Venema was faster-paced, but he outdistanced the opponent with series of takedowns and two-point near-falls.
“Joey has good athletic ability and he likes to compete,” Moodry said. “I’ve seen kids wrestle four years and not have as much ability as he does right now. Some things in wrestling are just about getting more mat time.”
Mulcahy escaped a potential pin combination and off the bottom against Rahnsdorf seconds before chalking up his first career win.
“Cale is really athletic and it is really important to him to get better,” Moodry said. “He asks a lot of questions at practice and it seems his ears are really wide-open.’
Stillwagon had his grip broken on a half=nelson by Tipps, who shouldered from the bottom into the the BC freshman to gain the advantage and record the pin at then of the second period. Stillwagon and Riel were 4-all through the first period as the Steve prospect rallied back against the takedown the Butte Central entry put up first. In the last frame, Stillwagon slid to the top of Riel’s head and spun out of a hold before attacking from above Riel’s head for a match-ending half-nelson.
Butte Central will wrestle in the Hamilton Invitational tournament on Saturday.
Mixer results follow:
Round 1, Mat 1
103 — Michael Chagnon, Havre, pinned Logan Bratch, Corvallis,, :49.
113 — Cameron Pleninger, Havre, pinned Kellen Robbins, Stevensville, 2:54.
120 — Hunter Velk, Havre, pinned Ethan Cramer, Hamilton, 1:53.
120 — Dustin Steele, Stevensville, pinned Jimmy Schmitt, Corvallis, 3:24.
132 — Treven Mertins, Stevensville, pinned Hunter Webber, Corvallis, 1:04.
132 — Clay Fisher, Butte Central, dec. Triston Davis, Corvallis, 4-2 (OT).
138 — Mark Belcourt, Havre, major dec. Allan Allsop, Corvallis, 15-1.
145 — Zach Morgan, Corvallis, pinned Tristan Riel, Stevensville, 3;18.
152 — Connor Harris, Corvallis, major dec. Kyle Pancake, Stevensville, 17-3.
160 — Taylor Gopher, Havre, pinned Isaak Maxfield, Stevensville, :56.
160 — Drew Schmitt, Corvallis, pinned Daylon Moore, Hamilton, 1:45.
182 — Kale Wanner, Hamilton, pinned Isaiah Stiffarm, Havre, :43.
205 — Aidan VanOstrand, Stevensville, pinned Dante Martell, Hamilton, 1:53.
285 — Coy Whyte, Hamilton, maj. Dec. Austin Ratliff, Havre, 10-2.
170 — Mason Dionne, Havre, pinned Hunter Riley, Stevensville, :41.
285 — Jacob Woods, Stevensville, pinned Reece Buchanan, Hamilton, 1:20.
285 — Tyler Woods, Stevensville, pinned Bailey Hayes, Hamilton, 1:20.
Round 1, Mat 2
113 — Joey Mulcahy, Butte Central, pinned Coe Rahmsdorf, Corvallis, 1:52.
120 — Quinn Reno, Havre, pinned Cole Anson, Hamilton, 1:57.
120 — James Wissenbach, Corvallis, pinned Elliott Vanosdell, Stevensville, 5:07.
126 — Dante Venema, Corvallis, dec. Mark Ramirez, Havre, 5-4.
132 — Ryan Stewart, Havre, dec. Michael Golden, Hamilton, 6-2.
138 — Lane Paulson, Havre, major dec. Bridger Williams, Hamilton, 9-0.
138 — Garrick Richardson, Corvallis, pinned Tristen Lewis, Hamilton, 1:02.
138 — Randon Weidow, Corvallis, pinned Nathan Dowdy, Hamilton, 1:18.
145 — Jadon Tipps, Stevensville, pinned Cale Stillwagon, Butte Central, 2:00.
152 — Aaron Christensen, Corvallis, pinned Dustin Copeland, Hamilton, 4:48.
160 — Derrick Gasvoda, Corvallis, pinned Carson Lunak, Havre, 1:14.
205 — Tyler Schaub, Havre, tech. Fall Kyle Anderson, Hamilton, 16–0, 1:29.
Round 2, Mat 1
113 — Michael Chagnon, Havre, pinned Coe Rahmsdorf, Corvallis, 1:40.
113 — Hunter Velk Havre, tech fall Joey Mulcahy, Butte Central, 16=0, 2:43.
120 — James Wissenbach, Corvallis, pinned Cole Anson, Hamilton, 5:00.
132 — Treven Mertins, Stevensville, pinned Drew Venema, Corvallis, 1:57.
132 — Clay Fisher, Butte Central, dec. Dante Venema, Corvallis, 8-3.
138 — Tristen Lewis, Hamilton, dec. Bemji Opat, Corvallis, 9-7 (OT)
138 — Bridger Williams, Hamilton, pinned Garrick Richardson, Corvallis, 1:47.
138 — Nathan Dowdy, Hamilton, dec. Allan Allsop, Corvallis, 11-7.
152 — Kyler Pancake, Havre, tech fall Daylon Moore, Hamilton, 20-4.
160 — Drew Schmitt, Corvallis, pinned Taylor Gopher, Havre, 1:40.
182 — Hunter Riley, Stevensville, pinned Isaiah Stiffarm, Havre, 1:08.
205 — Tyler Schaub, Havre, pinned Jacob Woods, Stevensville, 2:00.
285 — Dante Martell, Hamilton, pinned Sebastian Driver, Stevensville, 1:08.
113 — Dylan Young, Havre, pinned Joey Mulcahy, Butte Central, 1:13.
138 — Tristen Lewis, Hamilton, dec. Allan Allsop, Corvallis, 5-9.
138 — Mark Belcourt, Havre, pinned Drew Venema, Corvallis, :29.
Round 2, Mat 2
113 – Kellen Robbins, Stevensville, pinned Dylan Young, Havre, :58.
120 — Quinn Reno, Havre, pinned Elliott Vanosdell, Stevesville, 2:40.
120 — Cameron Pleninger, Havre, pinned Jimmy Schmitt, Corvallis, 1:06.
132 — Michael Golden, Hamilton, dec. Mark Ramirez, Havre, 6-2.
132 — Ryan Stewart, Havre, pinned Triston Davis, Corvallis, 5:44.
138 — Mark Belcourt, Havre, pinned Hunter Webber, Corvallis, :52.
138 — Lane Paulson, Havre, pinned Randon Weidow, Corvallis, 1:51.
145 — Cale Stillwagon, Butte Central, pinned Tristan Riel, Stevensville, 2:50.
145 — Zach Morgan, Corvallis, pinned Jadon Tipps, Stevensville, 5:48.
152 — Connor Harris, Havre, pinned Aaron Christensen, Corvallis, 1:31.
160 — Isaak Maxfield, Stevensville, pinned Carson Lunak, Havre, :53.
160 — Dustin Copeland, Hamilton, dec. Derrick Gasvoda, Corvallis, 9-8.
182 — Mason Dionne, Havre, pinned Kole Wanner, Hamilton, 1:04.
205 — Kyle Anderson, Hamilton, pinned Aidan VanOstrand, Stevensville, 1:19.
285 — Austin Ratliff, Havre, pinned Bailey Hayes, Hamilton, 1:17.
132 – Marc Ramirez, Havre, dec. Benji Opat, Corvallis, 13-6.
285 — Coy Whyte, Hamilton, pinned Sebastian Driver, Stevensville, 1:32.
