Hawks host mat mixer

Sixty-five wrestlers hit the mats last week at the Thompson Falls mixer where the Blue Hawks had 12 wins and 12 losses for the night, compiling 10 pins for the night.

The Plains-Hot Springs Savage Horsemen, the Darby Tigers, the Superior Bobcats, and the Bigfork Vikings joined the Blue Hawks with Libby referees J.R. Rebo and Kurt Spencer for two hours of competition last Tuesday evening.

The match began with the crowd being introduced to this year's 34 Thompson Falls Little Guy Wrestling team. Blue Hawk wrestler Eli Ratliff had won his 100th career high school victory at last year's state wrestling tourney, which puts him in the Blue Hawk Wrestling Century Club. It was announced by Jase Miller, the emcee for the night, that Eli was only the "second wrestler in recent program history to achieve this milestone during his junior year." Miller said that prior to Tuesday's match, the senior had a record of 112 wins with only 23 losses.

Wrestling in the 160-pound weight class, Ratliff won all three of his matches - all pins, said Thompson Falls head coach Michael Thilmony. Ratliff defeated Savage Horsemen senior Brady Schrenk and junior Spurr Ryan and Bigfork sophomore Wyatt Elwell.

Sophomore Noa Stevens, competing in the 152-pound weight class, also went 3-0 Tuesday and they, too, were pins. He took down Cole Carlsen of Bigfork, a junior, along with junior Christian Maertens of Superior. In his face off with junior Turner Milender of Superior, the Bobcat was ahead 12-2 until Stevens pulled off a pin in the second period.

"Overall, I like the intensity and how hard our team is wrestling," said Thilmony. "I still see a lot of mistakes that we need to clean up, but it is still early and we have time to get these things fixed," he added. Thilmony said that senior Westin Brown, wrestling at 132 pounds, won both his matches, first taking down Zack Flink of Bigfork, and then defeating Darby's Coltin Reagan. Hawk junior Max Hannum, wrestling in the 170-pound weight class, claimed two victories. He pinned David Chapman, a Hot Springs wrestler with the Savage Horsemen, and then defeated Brendon Vanderwall of Plains-Hot Springs in the final match of the night. Plains-Hot Springs head coach Jesse Jermyn said that it was Chapman's first match of the season and though he lost, he said he wrestled well.

Blue Hawk Diego Long of the 126-pound class claimed a 12-3 victory against Jason Merringer of Bigfork and Zack Flink of Bigfork, but lost to Decker Milender of Superior. Freshman Austin Carlson of Thompson Falls, wrestling in the 113-pound class, was losing 11-2 when he suddenly turned things around and pinned Diego Rodriguez of Bigfork for the victory.

"We are looking forward to the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls this weekend," said Thilmony. "This is one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments each season. Our team will get tested and really show us where we are at with competing at a high level," he said.

The Savage Horsemen had 10 wins at Thompson Falls, including four pins, though neither Thompson Falls officials or Plains recorded stats. Jermyn said John Waterbury, one of two Hot Springs wrestlers, chalked up the most wins and went undefeated. Jermyn said Lillian MacDonald, the only girl on the team, had two matches. She pinned freshman Logan Hughes of Darby, a girl. She put up a good fight against a freshman boy from Bigfork, Dane Carlsen, who pinned her in the final period.

Savage Horseman senior Levi Blood, wrestling in the 160-pound class, pinned Superior Bobcat William Buchanan, also a senior, but who was in the 182-pound weight class. Freshman Beau Crabb was beating Bigfork's Nate Close 7-3 when he pinned the Viking for the win.

Jermyn said that his team "wrestled tough," but were tired from the previous week's competition.