Dawgs Top Podium in Great Falls
Author: Eliza McLaughlin - Staff Reporter
Dawgs Top Podium in Great Falls Eliza McLaughlin - Staff Reporter Bulldog Wrestling traveled to Great Falls on Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17 to compete in the CMR Holiday Wrestling Classics. While the team didn’t qualify for day two of the tournament, they made waves at another competition on Saturday: the Walt and Trudy Currie JV Tournament, hosted by Great Falls High School.
Eric Humphreys wrestled at 160 pounds in the Froshmore bracket at the JV tournament and won his first match against Cascade by decision 5-3. In a close second match against Colstrip, Humphreys entered the third period down 3-4. Starting on bottom, he got a reversal and pinned his opponent for the win.
Now in the championship match, Humphreys faced a Columbia Falls wrestler. He earned a takedown in the first period and entered the second at 2-0. After another takedown, Humphreys got the pin and claimed first place.
In the 182-pound weight class at the classic, Walker Spurlock won a consolation match against Missoula Sentinel by fall. A fifth match loss to Billings Skyview ended his time at the classic and sent him to the JV tournament.
There, Spurlock won his second match against a Missoula Sentinel wrestler by fall, after a first match bye.
In the semifinals, Spurlock faced Dillon and won with a pin in the first period. In the championship match with a Butte wrestler, Spurlock got a takedown late in the second period and finished the match with a pin.
Julian Stewart, wrestling at 205 pounds, took on Havre first at the JV tournament and won with a pin. Another pin over Choteau earned him a spot in the championship match against Jefferson High.
In the first period, Stewart got a takedown and followed it up with three points for a near fall. He eventually claimed the win — and the first place title — with a pin over the Jefferson wrestler.
Parker Hunt wrestled at 138 pounds. Hunt’s second match at the classic was against a Helena Capitol wrestler. Hunt earned two take downs in the first period, but eventually lost by major decision 6-14.
On the consolation side of things, Hunt won his third match against Anaconda by decisions 4-1, but lost the fourth to a Great Falls MSDB wrestler by fall.
At the JV tournament, Hunt won his first match against Fairfield by fall in the Froshmore Bracket. In his second match, Hunt got another win-by-pin over a Gallatin High wrestler, earning himself a spot in these semifinals. Hunt fell to a CMR wrestler, but was still in it on the consolation side of the bracket.
Facing a Helena Capitol wrestler in the consolation semifinals, Hunt got another pin and moved on to play for third and fourth place. Both Hunt and the Loyola wrestler he faced earned two points in the first period, but Hunt was able to finish the job with a pin.
Blake Wellenstein entered the JV tournament — in the 145-pound weight class — eager to move on. With a first match pin to win against Great Falls MSDB, he faced a Beaverhead County wrestler, but pulled out another win-by-pin. A loss in the championship semi-finals sent him to the consolation semifinals, where he won by fall.
Wellenstein fell in the consolation championship match, but finished on the podium in fourth place.
Mike Schnittgen, assistant coach for the Dawgs, told "MT 43 News" that the classic was the team’s first chance to experience a large tournament this season, a difficult tournament nonetheless.
“We had some pretty tough draws there and it would have been real easy for our kids to put their heads down after that first day, but they responded tremendously at the Walt and Trudy Invitational the next day. And we saw some real growth and grit out of our athletes,” Schnittgen said, adding that they now have a better idea of what to work on over the winter break. “I really appreciate that our fans supported the kids through that long tournament and am proud of our athletes for competing hard through the long weekend."
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PhotoCredit: Eliza McLaughlin - Staff Reporter
Image 1 Caption: Parker Hunt, Julian Stewart, Walker Spurlock, Eric Humphreys and Blake Wellenstein sit together sporting their medals earned at the Walt and Trudy Currie JV Tournament in Great Falls. Photo courtesy of Becky Hunt.
