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2018-2019
WINTER SPORTS
December 2018
Dec. 14th-15th December 15th December 18th December 20th January 4th-5th January 5th January 8th January 11th-12th January 12th January 18th January 18th-19th January 19th January 26th February 2nd February 8th-9th
Tri-State Tournament ~ Idaho Great Falls (JV) ~ Great Falls Lewistown ~ Lewistown 5:00 p.m. Sidney ~ Havre 5:00 p.m. Cut Bank Invite ~ Cut Bank Cut Bank Invite (JV) ~ Cut Bank Glasgow ~ Glasgow 6:00 p.m. Missoula Invite ~ Missoula John Fisher (JV) ~ Missoula Chinook (JV) ~ Chinook 3:30 p.m. Class "A" Duals ~ Belgrade 1:00 p.m. Harlem (JV) ~ Harlem Malta ~ Malta Divisionals ~ Miles City State ~ Billings
www.havredailynews.com
Brand new season, a new-look Havre High wrestling team The Havre High wrestling program has a new head coach for the first time in 23 years with Beau LaSalle. But the Blue Ponies are still aiming to be on top of the Class A ranks
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com Over the last two decades, the Havre High wrestling program hasn’t changed much. The Blue Ponies have cycled through a lot of wrestlers, but the results have pretty much been the same. Now, the Ponies are trying to maintain their level of success — only instead of trying to do it with new wrestlers — Havre will try to do it with a new head coach, as Beau LaSalle embarks on his first season at the helm for Scott Filius, who stepped down after last season. “I think our focus is going to be the same as it has always been,” LaSalle said. “We want to be competing to be one of the best teams at the end of the season. I think that has always been the goal and that will continue to be the goal for us. We don’t want that to ever change. That is always going to be the expectation for us.” While the Ponies will open the season without Filius as their head coach for the first time in two decades, Havre will also open the 2018-19 season without the title of defending state champion for the first time since 2013, which is when Havre won the first of five straight state championships. That run ended last season, however, as Sidney reclaimed the title from HHS, which finished second just ahead of Lewistown. The Ponies will be battling Sidney for the Eastern A title and possibly the state title in February, but the two teams will also meet in Havre for a dual Dec. 20. Havre will also travel to Lewistown that same week to dual the Eagles (Dec. 18) setting up a week in which the Ponies will dual the two other top-three finishers at state last season. Beyond that, Havre will take on its usual schedule, which will include defending its title at the Mining City Duals. Havre will also take part in the Tri-State Wrestling Tournament in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. LaSalle may be taking on his first headcoaching job but as a longtime assistant, he said he feels ready for the challenge. One thing that will help is a veteran lineup that features three-time state champion Martin Wilkie, who will look to become just the third
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Havre High senior Austin Ratlif, right, takes down a CMR opponent during the Havre Invitational earlier this month. The Blue Ponies' 2018-19 season under first-year head coach Beau LaSalle is already underway. wrestler in Havre High history to become a four-time state champion. Wilkie will wrestle at 145 pounds. The rest of the lineup also features a number of wrestlers with previous success at the state tournament. Lane Paulson, who will wrestle at 138 pounds and Cameron Pleninger, who will start at 120, have both made finals night at the state tournament before, while Marc Ramirez (132), Mick Chagnon (103), Connor Harris (152) and Mason Dionne are others who have placed previously. LaSalle said some of the spots in the line-
up still need to be finalized, but others who should be in the lineup consistently are Austin Ratliff at 205 pounds, and Taylor Gopher, who will wrestle at 170 pounds. Another returner in the higher weights is Brayden Stadell, who is back at 182 pounds. In addition to the returners, the Ponies have some freshmen to be excited about starting with Riley Pleninger (103) and Kendall Pleninger (126). Hunter Velk will wrestle at 113 pounds for HHS, followed by Dominic Perkins at 120. Joining Ramirez at 132 pounds are Randy Tommerup, Devin Nelson and Isaiah
Tracy. At 138 pounds alongside Paulson is Wyatt Hansen and Shaun Head. Orion Thivierge is another name to watch at 152 pounds, and in the heavyweight division, it will be Isaiah Stiffarm and Derek Olson. “I think we have a good group of kids back,” LaSalle said. “I think we have some good numbers. We have a big freshman class and we have some big kids, which will be nice because we needed some more big bodies.” Havre will head to the Eastern A Divisional meet Feb. 2 in Miles City, followed by the AllClass state tournament Feb. 8-9 in Billings.