Savage Horsemen wrestlers off to a good start

The Savage Horsemen wrestling team is progressing through the season and Coach Shane Angle is happy with where his team is headed.

The Plains-Hot Springs team held duals at home last Thursday, welcoming Eureka, Arlee and Bigfork to Plains High School. Coach Angle said the duals went well, with the Savage Horsemen beating Eureka and Arlee and losing by just two points to Bigfork. "Bigfork slammed us last year, so we are improving," he said. "It was a pretty good night and we had some really good exhibition matches as well."

The Savage Horsemen boys then headed to Superior for the Bob Kinney Classic on Saturday.

David Schulze added another first-place medal to his collection in Superior, winning the 138-pound bracket. Schulze pinned Elija Edwards of Libby in 1:41, then beat Jason Davis of Corvallis in the championship match 8-4. Davis was last year's runner-up in the class AA state tournament, and Angle said that was a key match and a good final for Schulze, who the coach said is doing really well, stepping up and leading the team. Schulze is 8-0 for the season.

Gavin Schrenk finished third in Superior for the Savage Horsemen, wrestling in the 103-pound bracket. Schrenk beat Riley Osborn of Libby by a 17-6 major decision, then fell to Corvallis' Kiera Davis. Schrenk was able to beat Libby's Riley Osborn 6-3 in the consolation final.

John Waterbury finished second for the Savage Horsemen at 126 pounds. Waterbury first pinned Thompson Falls' Levi Wenz in 53 seconds, then Arlee's Jeremy Martin in 57 seconds. In the championship round, Waterbury fell to Decker Milender of Columbia Falls in the third period. "Milender is a seasoned wrestler and that gives us a look at where we need to be at the end of the season," Angle said.

At 132 pounds, Drew Carey wrestled back from a tough loss to finish third, and Coach Angle was happy with Carey's effort. Carey started the tournament with pins against Shelby's Michael Migneault and Libby's Dawson Rose, both in the first period of the matches. He then met Logan Heyne of Whitefish, but was pinned in the first period. In the consolation bracket, Carey pinned Florence's Seth Wilson in 1:35 to move on to the final, where he pinned Mission-Charlo's Isaiah Fields in 1:50 to win third place.

Will James Courville also finished third in Superior, at 138 pounds. Courville pinned Libby's Connor Benson in 1:42, but then fell to Corvallis' Jacob Davis in the first period. In the consolation bracket, Courville pinned Jaie Rivers-Ross of Deer Lodge in 27 seconds. In the battle for third place, Courville defeated Elijah Edwards of Libby, pinning him.

Brady Schrenk wrestled for Plains at 145 pounds, falling to Libby's Cael Schwindt in his first match and then Corvallis' Nate Davis in his second match, just missing placing at the tournament.

The Savage Horsemen girls wrestled at the Flathead High Invitational in Kalispell last weekend.

Lily MacDonald led the Plains girls with a second-place finish in the 152-pound bracket. MacDonald pinned her first two opponents, Natalka Rolfson of Billings in 34 seconds and then Big Sky's Haven Ferguson in 22 seconds, before falling to Billings Senior Kendal Tucker in the championship match.

Coach Angle said the Flathead tournament initially started as a mixer, but with all the interest from teams from across the state, became a full tournament.

Senior Taylor Angle wrestled at 120 pounds, finishing in third place.. She pinned Billings Senior's Coral White in 57 seconds in the first match, then won by a 8-4 decision in her second match against Billings Senior's Cheyenne D'Agineau. In the consolation bracket, Angle pinned Avalon McCuen of Big Sky in 28 seconds, then was set to have a rematch with D'Agineau in the consolation final. However, Montana High School Association rules allow only five matches a day per wrestler, and D'Agineau had to forfeit because she had reached her limit of matches in the wrestle backs.

Brynn Courville finished third for the Savage Horsemen at Flathead. In her first match, she pinned Billings Serior's Isabelle Dillon in 3:33, but then lost to Flathead's Lily McMahan. Courville went on to pin Ronan's Katie Dolence to advance to the consolation final, where she beat Big Sky's Evija Cagle in a 4-3 decision.

"All the girls wrestled well and got a good look at the competition," Coach Angle said. "We're off to a good start and holding our own, both boys and girls."

The Savage Horsemen wrestling team travels to Eureka this weekend for the Buzz Lacy Invitational. "We know where we stand and we know where we want to end up." He noted that the state is taking note of Plains wrestlers with some of the key wins. "Those wins send a message to the state." He added that his roster includes kids at close weights, which gives them good competition in practice. "They are pushing each other in the wrestling room," Coach Angle said. "They don't realize it, but they are improving because they are trying to keep up with each other at practice."