Wrestling is a sport that has mostly operated out of the spotlight at Jefferson High. Its athletes practice each afternoon in a windowless second-floor room above the north gym—just above, but somehow still in the shadow of, the Panther basketball squads. Over the last three years, the Panther wrestlers have enjoyed increasing success, but not much fanfare.
Until now.
“I think we’re looking at a special season,” says Troy Humphrey, who, entering his 24th year as coach, has some perspective on such things. “We’re better than where we left off.”
Here’s where they left off: Last year, Jefferson took the inaugural Western B/C Division tournament, narrowly besting Whitehall High, and sent eight athletes to State. Three of those—Leo Anderson, Dylan Mikesell and John Armstrong—medaled, meaning they placed fifth or better. The team finished 10th overall.
Six of the eight return this year, including all three medalists. Joining them is Cameron Mikesell (no relation to Dylan) who placed sixth at State in the 126-pound class wrestling for Malta High. “I’ve never had so many returning athletes with all those accolades,” Humphrey says.
And this year, for the first time in Humphrey’s tenure, many of the Panthers enter the winter having competed together as a club team, also based at Jefferson High, through the spring and summer. They participated in Amateur Athletic Union and U.S.A. Wrestling tournaments in Kalispell, Billings and Sydney. Anderson, Brady Armstrong, and Braeden Jones competed for Team Montana at the National Duals in Iowa, and Armstrong traveled to Fargo, North Dakota, for the high school nationals. “I’ve tried for years to get [a local club] going,” Humphrey says. “I’ve never had the right group of athletes and parents. Now, I do.”
His wrestlers sense they’re on the cusp of something big. “I’m feeling really good about this year,” says Jones, one of three seniors, who expects to compete in the 170-pound class. “This team has put in a lot of work, in the weight room and in open mats.”
“This year has been more intense,” says his senior teammate Wyatt Rausch, who will compete at 160 pounds. “I don’t get to do it after this, so I’m pushing myself harder.” Last winter, Rausch finished fourth at the divisional tournament, just missing the cut-off for State. This year, he’s aiming for the State finals.
With a team of 20, Humphrey expects to be able to field wrestlers in 12 of 13 weight classes—a big advantage in small-school competition where every win in a class yields team points. The Panthers showed off that breadth, and its talent, in last weekend’s season-opening Cascade tournament, taking first place by a big margin.
Humphrey is circumspect enough to understand that this is more than about winning. He knows that not everyone enters his purple-and-gold practice room with any notion of taking the podium at State.
“Over time,” he says, “I’ve adjusted my sights. Really, what I’m trying to do here is to make these kids the best versions of themselves they can be. And by the time they leave as seniors, it’s so great to see the metamorphosis—and to know that I was part of that growth. It’s quite humbling.”
Still, Humphrey knows he’s staring success in the face this year—and, with a young and athletic group, for several years after this. “It’s neat,” he says, “when you have this much talent in the room.”
