It’s a championship repeat: Jefferson High’s wrestling squad successfully defended its Western B/C Divisional crown Feb. 4 and 5, holding off Cut Bank for the team trophy and qualifying 11 individual wrestlers for this weekend’s state championship tournament.
The Western B/C tournament, held at the Butte Civic Center, was a “super division” format, with 23 teams and 223 individual wrestlers participating and the top eight in each weight class qualifying for State.
Jefferson entered 13 wrestlers: Leo Anderson and Dylan Mikesell at 113 pounds, Dayton Brown and Leighton LaFromboise at 120, Cameron Mikesell and Reed Zander at 126, John Armstrong at 145, Jace Oxarart at 152, Wyatt Rauch at 160, Brady Armstrong and Kolbe Michaud at 170, Braeden Jones at 182, and Jeyden Sullivan at 205.
Only Rausch and Michaud wrestled in the first round, and both advanced. In the next round Anderson, both Mikesells, Brown, both Armstrongs, Oxarart, Jones and Sullivan advanced.
Next was the quarterfinal round. Anderson, both Mikesells, Brown, both Armstrongs and Jones all won, putting them into the semifinals and guaranteeing them a trip to State.
In the consolation bracket’s first round, LaFromboise, Zander and Rauch won. In the next, Zander, Oxarart and Sullivan advanced, while LaFromboise, Rauch and Michaud were eliminated.
The final consolation round of the day would determine who would make it to the second day and punch their ticket to State. Zander, Oxarart and Sullivan won—and in a surprise twist, LaFromboise was pulled back into the tournament because the east division only had seven wrestlers at 120 pounds.
Jefferson was in a see-saw battle with Cut Bank for team points. At the end of the first day, Cut Bank was in first place with 114 points with the Panthers just 2 points behind. Day two was shaping up to be a thriller.
On the second day, the Panthers really got on a roll. Anderson, Brown and Brady Armstrong all won to advance to the finals. Oxarart and LaFromboise won in the consolation bracket. In the consolation semifinals, Dylan Mikesell, Oxarart, John Armstrong and Jones won to advance.
Next up was the consolation placing round. Zander finished eighth and Sullivan seventh. Cameron Mikesell placed fifth, while John Armstrong and Jones finished fourth. Dylan Mikesell and Oxarart both earned third place. In the finals, Anderson was defeated to finish second, while teammates Brown and Brady Armstrong won to emerge as divisional champions.
In the team race, Jefferson held a slim 7-point lead over Cut Bank heading into the finals. The Wolves managed to eat away at that margin, but 199 points did not hold up to Jefferson’s 204 points. The Panthers took their second consecutive “super division” tournament.
Eleven of the 13 Panther wrestlers qualified for the State All-Class tournament, this Friday and Saturday at the Billings MetraPark Arena: Anderson, Brown, both Armstrongs, both Mikesells, Jones, Zander, Sullivan, Oxarart and LaFromboise. By doing so, those athletes earned All-Conference recognition.
Coach Humphrey’s comments: To see the team wrestle with so much heart and determination was truly inspiring. I felt we had a chance to win the tournament but getting past Cut Bank would be a tall order. Once again, the Panther wrestlers exceeded my expectations and showed the potential that our team has.
We hosted the tournament, and I would like to thank everyone that helped to make this such a huge success. Jefferson is fortunate to have such a loyal fan base with so many talented people who are willing to pitch in make this possible.
