Four Savage Horsemen medal

The Savage Horsemen took five wrestlers to the state all-class wrestling tournament last weekend, with four wrestlers earning a spot on the podium. Plains senior David Schulze also brought home a state title, in the 138-pound bracket.

It was an intense weekend of wrestling at First Interstate Bank arena in Billings. "David went in and got the job done," Coach Shane Angle said of the Plains senior. "He's a great wrestler and very humble." Angle noted that Schulze was on a mission for a state championship, and he completed that mission. Schulze's first match was against Sheldon Serrano of Roundup, and the Plains senior pinned him in the first period. Next up was Michael Leach of Simms. Schulze knew what he had to do and methodically beat Leach 6-1.

Schulze and his coaches were prepared for Dylan Kamps of Three Forks, who he met in the semifinal round. "Three Forks coaches analyze matches really well," Angle said, "but we were prepared for that too." Kamps had turned Schulze to his back at one point during the match, but Schulze came back and pinned the Three Forks wrestler with 45 seconds left in the match.

Schulze wrestled Tyler Niles of Shepherd in the championship match, winning by 5-4 decision. Angle said Schulze winning a state championship was definitely a highlight of the season for the Savage Horsemen. That, and the growth of the team. He compared the kids from where they were at the beginning of the season to where they are now, noting their growth and knowledge of wrestling and the way they carry themselves as wrestlers. "We take pride in that at the end of the year," Angle said, adding that he coached some of these wrestlers in the little guy program.

Two Savage Horsemen girls took second place at state, including freshman Brynn Courville at 132 pounds and junior Lily MacDonald at 152.

Courville's quest to the championship match started with a pin in the first period over Glacier's Brady Boll. Next up for the freshman from Hot Springs was Evija Cable of Billings, who Courville beat 4-3 to move on to the finals. Courville was matched with Jessica Gubler of Park High School, the top seed in the tournament. Courville came out with fervor and was leading the match when she got behind and Gubler put her on her back, pinning Courville with two seconds left in the first period. "Brynne is a solid wrestler and has a good head on her shoulders," Coach Angle said. "We'll see good things from her."

MacDonald pinned her way to the championship match, first dominating Olivia Keller-Pulse of Flathead in 30 seconds. MacDonald then met Billings Skyview's Haven Ferguson, who presented more of a challenge. MacDonald was able to overcome her through, pinning Ferguson in the second period and advancing to the semifinal round, where she pinned Choteau's Abby Zickefoose in the first period. In the championship match, Kendal Tucker of Billings took advantage of some openings and ended up pinning MacDonald in 3:17. Coach Angle told MacDonald that you learn more from a loss than you ever do from winning, and looks for more great things from MacDonald in her senior season with the Savage Horsemen next year.

Plains senior Taylor Angle pinned her way to the semifinal round at 126 pounds, first beating Caitie Sistok of Glacier in the first period, pinning Ronan's Juliette Cheff in 1:36 and then Glacier's Trinity Brackett in 3:28. Angle was in one of the biggest brackets of the tournament. In the semifinal match, she met Sidney's Amaiya Kim, getting caught in a pin in 59 seconds. After that match, her father, coach Shane Angle, said "it's all about how you pick yourself up after a loss like that." Taylor picked herself up and wrestled back to a fourth-place finish, pinning Simms' Lili Schubarth in 1:59 before battling Lily McMahon of Flathead in the consolation final. Angle fought a hard match against a tough competitor, but lost in a 4-2 decision to McMahon.

"I wish I had her a couple more years," Coach Angle said of his daughter. "This last year she took it seriously, getting stronger, lifting weights. She's not a state champion, but she wrestled in one of the stiffest brackets in the tournament, including two previous state champions. You have to take the highs with the lows and keep moving."

Shane Angle said Monday that it had finally set in that it was his daughter's final high school match. "Everything comes so soon. Divisional came quickly and before we knew it, wrestling was over."

Hot Springs freshman John Waterbury suffered a dislocated shoulder in his first match of the state tournament and Huntley Project's Derek Lachenmeier pinned him in 28 seconds. Waterbury didn't give up and came back to wrestle in the consolation bracket, beating Stran Lytton of Red Lodge in a 8-0 decision. In his next match, Waterbury battled Chase Kirkland of Three Forks, falling in the third period. Coach Angle said he's confident Waterbury would have also been on the podium for the Savage Horsemen if not for his shoulder injury in his first match. "He had been doing well against top wrestlers in the state all season," Angle noted.

The Savage Horsemen girls placed eighth overall as a team with just three wrestlers in the tournament. The girls' state tournament includes all classes, from AA, A and B/C. When you look at just the Class B/C teams, the Plains girls were second behind Poplar. "Our girls did a great job," Angle said.

Coach Angle is proud of how his team ended up this season. "They all put in a great effort and they all did really well in the end." He added that he and his team are already looking forward to next year. "That's a good sign. It was a good season for us."

Next up for the Savage Horsemen is the Montana Open in March. "We're just going to go and have fun," Angle said.