The Jefferson High School wrestling team hosted Townsend, Anaconda, Whitehall and Deer Lodge for a mixer on Thursday, January 12. In the mixer format wrestlers are matched up according to weight and ability and no team scores are kept. Two mats were used as the evening had 63 matches lined up which provided plenty of wrestling action for the spectators.
The Panther squad has been hit hard by the injury and sickness bug and so Jefferson was only able to suit up twelve wrestlers including Cody St. Clair, Michael Mitchell and Jayzic Beaupre at 113 pounds, Eli Hauptman and Tyler Dryer at 120 pounds, Jacob Travis at 138 pounds, Derek Nygaard at 145 pounds, Brett Hale and Jeremias Auch at 170 pounds, Asher Oliver at 182 pounds, Nick Workman at 205 pounds and Nathan Rasch at 285 pounds.
In the first round Beaupre, Nygaard, Hale, Oliver and Rasch registered pins while Mitchell earned a 4-0 decision. The second round found Mitchell, Travis, Nygaard, Hale, Oliver, Workman and Rasch in the winner’s circle when all seven of the Panthers won by pin. The Panther wrestling team got on the bus the next morning and traveled to Choteau to compete in a two day tournament on January 13 and 14.
This tournament had 30 Class B and C teams participating out of a total of 45 in the state. Jefferson only fielded a squad of eight wrestlers even though they boost a roster of seventeen members. Four Panthers qualified for the first round of competition including Michael Mitchell, Jacob Travis, Asher Oliver and Nick Workman. Oliver and Workman won their first round matches by pin.
In the first round of consolation Mitchell was able to win by a 12-1 major decision while Travis won by pin to advance them into the next round. The next round comprised both the quarterfinals and the second round of consolation. Asher Oliver lost his quarterfinal match while Nick Workman won by pin to put him into the semifinals and assure him of at least sixth place. The consolations found Michael Mitchell being eliminated while Jacob Travis won by pin.
During the final round of the day Travis and Oliver won by pin to qualify them for the second day of competition. Jefferson’s other four wrestlers – Jayzic Beaupre, Eli Hauptman, Derek Nygaard and Brett Hale – were entered into a JV Mixer on Friday. Beaupre, Nygaard and Hale were able to secure a pin during their competition.
In Saturday’s varsity tournament Jacob Travis and Asher Oliver were already top 8 finishers and needed only one more win to guarantee themselves a spot on the awards podium. Unfortunately, neither wrestler was able to get their hand raised and advance into the medal rounds. In the semifinals Nick Workman was defeated by the eventual champion and found himself in the consolation bracket. Workman lost his next match in the consolation semifinals and would be wrestling for fifth and sixth place. He took control of his opponent early in the match and recorded a pin in the second period to finish the tournament with a fifth- place finish.
The other Panther wrestlers were entered into a JV mix and match competition on Saturday. Derek Nygaard and Brett Hale pinned both their opponents to go undefeated on the day.
Coach Humphrey’s comments: “We wrestled really well at our home mixer and during Friday’s competition in Choteau. Saturday was a bit rocky in spots, but a number of the wrestlers haven’t been feeling the best. It was discouraging to compete with less than half our team, but hopefully we can get the guys healthy and be at full strength with division and state being less than a month away.”
Brett Hale had the JHS Panther Quick Pin of the Week by dispatching his opponent from Great Falls High JV in 26 seconds during Saturday’s competition. Nick Workman has been selected by his coaches as the JHS Panther Wrestler of the Week. Workman had two pins during the home mixer and recorded two more during the tournament. Workman was also able to earn a spot on the awards stand at the prestigious Choteau Tournament.
Derek Nygaard has been selected by his coaches as the JHS Panther JV Wrestler of the Week for earning three pins during the Choteau JV mixer. Nygaard also was able to pin a wrestler who had defeated him the previous week at Cut Bank.
The Panthers have another busy week ahead as they travel to Deer Lodge to compete in a mixer Thursday, January 19. The Panthers will then travel to Conrad to compete in a mixer and tournament on Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21.
