On Jan. 18 Jefferson High’s wrestlers hosted Lincoln County High — but this wasn’t just any dual. It was Senior Night, and the Panthers paid tribute to Dayton Brown, Dylan Mikesell and Nik Richard. Also: Lincoln came in ranked number two in the state, and Jefferson was fourth, so this had the makings of a great battle.
In fact, it was a tight meet, with the lead changing hands several times. In the end, the hometown Panthers stole the win from the favored Lions, 40-33. Dylan Mikesell, Leighton LaFromboise, Cooper Mikesell, Drake Butala, Mike Richard, Brady Armstrong and Kolbe Michaud all scored points for Jefferson.
The next day, the Panther wrestlers traveled to Townsend to compete in the State Class B Dual Team Tournament. In the first round, Jefferson defeated Elkhorn rival Broadwater, 48-27, with Spencer Abbott, Russell Douglas, Richard, Dylan Mikesell, LaFromboise, Mike Richard, Armstrong and Michaud scoring points.
In the second dual, the Panthers claimed a 48-21 victory of Shepard. Winners were Abbott, Douglas, Nik Richard, Dylan Mikesell, Mike Richard, Cole Christoferson, Armstrong and Michaud.
Jefferson closed out the day with a 48-30 win over Manhattan, with points from Abbott, Douglas, Dylan Mikesell, Nik Richard, Cooper Mikesell, Mike Richard, Armstrong and Michaud.
Jefferson’s 3-0 record on the first day qualified the Panthers for the championship bracket in Saturday’s action. They started against Conrad, the third-ranked team in the state, and came away with a 39-30 victory, putting them into the semifinals and guaranteeing a top six finish. Douglass, Dylan Mikesell, LaFromboise, Cooper Mikesell, Drake Butala, Mike Richard and Armstrong scored points.
Then, Jefferson squared off against Lincoln County in a rematch of Thursday night. This semifinal went back and forth, with the Panthers finally losing, 42-30. LaFromboise, Butala, Cooper Mikesell, Mike Richard and Armstrong scored.
The loss put Jefferson into the consolation semifinals against Florence. The Panthers were a bit sluggish, and Florence was firing on all cylinders, resulting in a lopsided 54-24 victory for the Falcons. Abbott, Nik Richard, Dylan Mikesell and Armstrong scored points.
In its final dual, Jefferson was matched up against Conrad. Since the Panthers had defeated Conrad earlier in the day, this dual was not wrestled, and the Panthers were awarded fifth place.
Coach Humphrey’s comments: We completed the week with an impressive 5-2 dual team record and a fifth-place finish against some top ranked teams. To win at home on Senior Night against Lincoln was an incredible accomplishment. Once again, we proved that Jefferson is a competitive team and one to watch out for. We have a difficult January schedule that is designed to make us battle-tested for the post-season.
Dylan Mikesell was selected by his coaches as Panther wrestler of the week. Mikesell pinned the number one-ranked defending champion from Eureka and beat the fourth-ranked wrestler from Conrad.
Brady Armstrong had the JHS Panther Quick Pin of the week, dispatching his opponent in 18 seconds in both the Broadwater and Shepherd duals.
The Panther wrestling team was set for a dual in Anaconda on Tuesday, Jan. 23. They’ll compete in a mixer in Townsend on Jan. 25. And their final action of the regular season will be on Friday, Jan. 26, when they travel to Fairfield.
