2017-2018 MHSA State Wrestling Tournament

The end of the 2017-2018 wrestling season is on the horizon as the Montana High School Association State Tournament will kick off Friday morning in Billings at the MetraPark Arena. All three Missoula Class AA schools will head to the tournament today to prepare for their time on the mat.

With an eventful AA Seeding tournament Missoula has found themselves in good position to have a run at bringing home a state title. Of the three programs, the Hellgate Knights have the toughest road to the top. The only senior in the program is Luke Wilson who joined his junior year with the encouragement of his peers, and after contemplating quitting his first year coach Sessums talked him into coming back his final season. Wilson talks about what wrestling has taught him, “Work ethic, it’s a hard sport but it teaches you a lot about yourself.”

All four classes will come together for the two day event with first matches gettting under way at the Billings MetraPark Friday morning and will continue through the day, the final matches going down Saturday. Fans can get updates by going to TrackWrestling.com.

The Big Sky/Loyola coop will send 13 wrestlers total. Trevin Weizlen, Dayton Evans, and Kyle Gordon look to use the momentum they have built through the season to push for a state title for the Eagles. New faces to the varsity team at Big Sky Jacob Williams and Tristan Hauewas will try and make a name for themselves at the state tournament in the name of the Eagle/Ram coop.

Hellgate has one of the youngest groups going to state with eight wrestlers, only one of which is a senior. Bridger Hall  and Dakota Friesen have an opportunity to give the Knights a top placing in the tournament. The largest group of wrestlers for Hellgate is the sophomore class who has had a roller coaster ride of season, they will try and use this tournament to build on the future of the Knights wrestling program.

Sentinel will try to make a strong run at a state title with 20 wrestlers making the trip east to Billings. Among the wrestlers riding a strong season for the Spartans is the 138 weight class duo of Beau King and Cam Hegel who have a chance to battle each other for a state title. The Spartans have a strong core of seniors to lead them as two thirds of the program will graduate this spring.