Nine Panthers wrestlers went to State last weekend — a good showing in any case, and especially so for a young squad. They came away with one champion, as Brady Armstrong dominated at 205 pounds; another all-stater in Dylan Mikesell; and a solid foundation for next year.
The State wrestling tournament, held Feb. 9 and 10 at the MetraPark in Billings, is an all-class event. Thirty-seven schools were entered in the combined B/C competition, with Jefferson High represented by Emma Jurkovac at 107 pounds, Maysa LaFromboise at 114, Dylan Mikesell at 120, Dayton Brown at 132, Cooper Mikesell at 145, Mike Richard at 160, Armstrong and Dylan Stevens at 205, and Kolbe Michaud at 285.
In the first round, Dylan Mikesell, Brown, Armstrong and Michaud secured wins, putting them into the quarterfinals. Another win would assure them a spot on the podium and advancing to day two. But only Armstrong registered a victory, advancing to the semifinals and locking up a spot on the awards podium and All-State recognition.
Jurkovac, LaFromboise, Cooper Mikesell and Mike Richard all were eliminated in the first consolation round, ending their runs in the tournament. Stevens won by pin to keep his hopes alive, and in the second consolation round, he, Dylan Mikesell, and Michaud all won to qualify for the second day of competition.
That was the final round of the first day. Four Panther wrestlers would come back for Saturday’s action, and Jefferson was in 12th place in the team standings.
In the semifinals on Saturday morning, Armstrong won by pin to make the finals. In the consolation bracket, meanwhile, Dylan Mikesell was the lone Panther to win, earning his fourth All-State recognition. Mikesell lost in the consolation semifinals, but he won his placement match by major decision to finish fifth.
Finally came the finals. Armstrong had dominated his opponents at 205 pounds all season. He had beaten his finals opponent, Wes Banks of Lincoln County, three times this season, including in the divisional finals. This time would be no different, and Armstrong proved why he was the top-ranked wrestler all season, closing his junior year with a first-period pin.
Armstrong matched the achievement of his brother John, who won the 152-pound state championship a year ago. And by pinning all four of his opponents in the championship, Brady received the coveted Jug Beck Quick Pin Award for Class B/C, given to the finalist with the most pins in the least amount of time — perhaps the first Panther wrestler to accomplish that feat.
Jefferson finished the tournament in 13th place, below where they had hoped to end the season and not the finish they have become accustomed to: The Panthers placed fourth last year, and third in 2022. But with seven of nine state qualifiers coming back, the Panthers have a solid core to build on.
Coach Humphrey’s comments: Most of our competition didn’t expect much after our team graduated so many last year. We certainly proved them wrong, as we came to battle and competed hard at every competition. Our wrestlers did fall a little shy of their goals from time to time — but the future looks bright for Jefferson wrestling.
