Strong start for Glacier, Flathead at seeding tourney

by Daily Inter Lake
| February 5, 2022 1:17 AM

MISSOULA — Flathead put 17 wrestlers in the semifinals Friday at the Western AA seeding tournament, held at Missoula Big Sky High School, a final tuneup before state next week.

“Not a bad day on the mats for the Brave Brawlers,” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said. “Getting 17 in the semifinals is just a phenomenal accomplishment for this team. We need to keep pushing the pace and get a majority of them in the finals.”

Mason Doran had a big win over Riley Downey of Butte at 170 pounds, and Gunnar Thompson battled to an 8-7 decision over Helena Capital’s Cole Graham at 152, and Xander Winter pinned the No. 2 seeded Ruger Young of Helena at 205.

Glacier’s Teegan Vasquez (132) sailed into the semifinals by pinning his opponent in 1:01.

Kaleb Shine has a meeting with Flathead’s Asher Kemppainen in the 138 quarters today after winning a 9-0 decision over Butte’s Bryton Hardest.

“Good start so far for the tournament, pulled a couple upsets along the way which was exciting,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said. “We hope to keep things rolling (today).”

In the 170 bracket, Glacier’s Royce Conklin and Flathead’s Mason Doran will go head to head in a semifinal match. And at 205, Ethan Dimaio was another who advanced to semis for Glacier.

Rounds start today at 11 a.m.

103: Quarterfinal - Cashton Spolar (Helena Capital) p. Ethan MacDonald (Flathead), 1:44.

113: Champ. Round 1 - Bodie Rohrman (Glacier) won in sudden victory - 1 over Cohen Sassano (Helena Capital), 6-4. Quarterfinal - Garrett Bosch (Glacier) p. William Barnes (Flathead), 1:11, Aiden Downing (Flathead) p. Rohrman, 0:13.

120: Champ. Round 1 - Gannon Wisher (Flathead) p. Steven Yargo (Helena), 0:35); Payton Steward (Glacier) dec. Dustin Campbell (Helena Capital), 7-2). Quarterfinal - Diesel Thompson (Flathead) p. Steward, 0:57; Kyler Raiha (Butte) p. Wisher, 5:27; Connor Johnson (Glacier) maj. dec. Grady Caton (Missoula Hellgate), 14-4.

126: Champ. Round 1 - Gunnar Yelenich (Butte) p. Walter Hammett (Flathead), 1:13; Evan Hafliger (Missoula Sentinel) p. Logan Thomson (Glacier), 0:29; Joshua Melton (Glacier) p. Joel Vermillion (Missoula Sentinel), 2:58. Quarterfinal - Dane Lake (Flathead) p. Dawson Petersen (Helena Capital), 1:00; Karson Pumnea (Butte) p. Melton, 0:53.

132: Champ. Round 1 - Raenan Allumbaugh (Flathead) p. Ladence Running Crane (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 5:31; Luke Widman (Missoula Sentinel) p. Jaxson Wolff (Glacier), 4:52. Quarterfinal - Logan Stansberry (Flathead) p. Boston Lay (Helena Capital), 1:02; Kip Pumnea (Butte) p. Allumbaugh, 2:38; Teegan Vasquez (Glacier) p. Ayden Smelko (Helena Capital), 1:01.

138: Champ. Round 1 - Cade Gardner (Flathead) p. Bridger Rose (Missoula Sentinel), 1:04; Korbin Baldwin (Glacier) p. Joey Sandberg (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 4:47; Kaleb Shine (Glacier) p. Tanner Davis (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 1:47. Quarterfinal - Asher Kemppainen (Flathead) won by tech fall over JT Gehring (Helena), 3:49; Gardner p. Baldwin, 1:14; Shine maj. dec. Bryton Hardest (Butte), 9-0.

145: Champ. Round 1 - Colton Kuka (Flathead) p. Mark Ahner (Glacier), 3:28; Seth Doolan (Glacier) p. Kaiden Cooke (Missoula Hellgate), 5:57. Quarterfinal - Fin Nadeau (Flathead) 13-0 won by fall over Kuka, 4:00.

152: Champ. Round 1 - Gunnar Thompson (Flathead) p. Walker Janetski-Biggs (Glacier), 1:25. Quarterfinal - Cade Troupe (Flathead) p. Charlie Watson (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 1:37; Thompson dec. Cole Graham (Helena Capital), 8-7.

160: Champ. Round 1 - Dhestin McKinnis (Helena) p. Tynan Krause (Flathead), 2:31; Grayson Barcus (Glacier) p. Isaiah Hammell (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 1:18. Quarterfinal - Gabe Lake (Flathead) p. Conor Fitzpatrick (Missoula Hellgate), 1:05; Gavin Vetter (Butte) p. Barcus, 1:31.

170: Champ. Round 1 - Mason Doran (Flathead) p. Matthew Stienhauer (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 0:57; Logan Lysager (Helena Capital) p. Jeremy Scott (Glacier), 2:51. Quarterfinal - Doran dec. Riley Downey (Butte), 9-7; Anders Thompson (Flathead) won by tech fall over Logan Lysager (Helena Capital), 2:12; Royce Conklin (Glacier) p. Rickson Bull Calf (Missoula Sentinel), 1:11.

182: Champ. Round 1 - Sawyer Troupe (Flathead) p. Terron Brose (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart), 0:32; Aiden Krause (Glacier) p. Charles Fox (Helena), 1:06; TJ Gannon (Glacier) maj. dec. Tuff Adams (Helena Capital), 16-8. Quarterfinal - Mason Christian (Butte) maj. dec. Sawyer Troupe (Flathead) 11-3; Noah Poe-Hatten (Flathead) p. Xander Sarbacher (Missoula Sentinel), 1:43; Kaleb Kirklin (Helena) p. Krause, 0:57; Kristopher Musick (Missoula Sentinel) p. Gannon, 0:18.

205: Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Curtis (Missoula Big Sky/Loyola Sacred Heart) won by tech fall over Cody Vergeront (Glacier) 5:24; Xander Winter (Flathead) p. Sweatland (Missoula Hellgate), 1:31. Quarterfinal - Chase Youso (Flathead) won by tech fall over Josh Petersen (Helena Capital),1:56; Forest Howell (Flathead) p. Layne Cooney (Missoula Hellgate), 4:36; Winter p. Ruger Young (Helena), 2:31.

285: Champ. Round 1 - Austin Shabel (Flathead) p. Jayden Friesen (Missoula Hellgate),1:26; Ethan Dimaio (Glacier) p. Aaron Barragon (Helena), 0:44; Colton Vergeront (Glacier) p. David Luby (Helena), 4:25. Quarterfinal - Talon Marsh (Helena Capital) p. Shabel, 1:08; Dimaio p. Kade Schleeman (Butte), 5:07; Paul Mousel (Helena Capital) p. Vergeront, 0:55.