And then there were seven
And then there were seven. That’s the number of Greenchain wrestlers who traveled more than 500 miles to compete at one of the biggest shows in Montana.
With 14 Class AA, 22 Class A, and 42 Class B/C teams invading the Billings Metra Park for the state wrestling tournament this weekend, the stadium is going to be rocking.
It’s a great payoff for the kids who have dedicated a huge amount of time and energy throughout the season, said Greenchain coach Kelly Morford. “It’s an awesome experience every year, whether you’ve been there 20 times or it’s your first time,” he said.
After a shortened practice on Wednesday, team Greenchain rendezvoused with Eureka and the teams shared a bus to Butte. On Thurday, the team got a feel for the Metra with a team practice.
As a high school wrestler from Miles City, Morford traveled to Billings to compete in the tournament. “You can already feel the excitement and anticipation on Thursday night as all the teams get a workout in. I remember that practice was my favorite one of the year,” he said.
The most nerve-wracking moment for the coaches comes at 8 a.m. on Friday morning as the wrestlers step on the scales for weigh-ins. Wrestlers have two pounds of leeway, but one-tenth of a pound more and their season is over.
Here’s a run-down of the Greenchain wrestlers competing in Billings and a few of their thoughts:
Making his first trip to state because of too few 103-pound wrestlers from the central division is freshman Mason Sams. “I got my name drawn out of a hat of two other wrestlers, I feel lucky for that,” Sams said. “My expectation is to try my best and see how far I can go.” Sams has been working on his leg-riding and shooting skills to prepare for the tournament. Sams’ record heading in to state is 14-25.
Freshman Laine Young will be wrestling at 126 pounds. “I’m going to be wrestling a lot of kids that are older than me, so I’m just going to do my best and look at it like any other match. It’s going to be fun,” he said. Young will enter the tournament with a 21-21 record. For guidance he will be looking to teammate Dylan Roby. “He’s going to guide me through,” said Young. With the expectation that every match will be tough, Young looks to be more aggressive and get some quick takedowns. If the opportunity presents itself, Young would like to avenge his loss at divisionals to Columbia Falls senior Haze Bell, who pinned him with a few seconds left on the clock.
Wrestling at 145 pounds, sophomore Dylan Parrish is making his second trip to state. “I’m excited to make it this year. Last year I went two and out, so I hope to place this year,” Parrish said. “I’m really happy, I knew I was going to make it, but I’m glad my work has paid off.” Entering state with a 14-14 record, Parrish is excited to compete in front of a large crowd and to share the stage so many other good wrestlers.
Senior Zach Crace has his eye on the top spot at Billings. Wrestling at 152 pounds, Crace is 35-5 this season and will make his fourth appearance at state, taking third the last two years. Now that he has the most victories in Greenchain history, a state title would round out his distinguished career nicely. “The goal is to get over the hump of the semifinals and get into the finals,” Crace said.
Going against the best of the best makes Crace a little nervous, but that’s a good thing. “If you’re not nervous you’re over-confident, if you’re over-confident bad things can happen,” he said.
Crace’s biggest competition comes from three wrestlers: Butte Central’s Zach Hart (39-9), Havre’s Kody Pribyl (37-8) and Sidney’s Ryan Chatterton (45-4). Crace has beaten all of them at some point, with his lone loss to Pribyl after he said his tank was empty in the final period. For the tournament Crace is sticking with what he’s been doing all year, but there is one thing he has been working on, “conditioning, so I don’t run out of gas in the third.”
Coach Morford likes Crace’s chances at the tournament. “Zach is wrestling so solid; he’s just dialed-in right now. He’s wrestled in the semi-finals three times before, so he has experience on his side. I think this year he’s going to break through,” Morford said.
Michael Miller will be competing at state for the first time. The 160-pound senior can’t wait to wrestle in the high-energy state tournament. “I’ve been really working on my top game, that’s where I needed the most work. I’m trying to get a good arsenal from the top,” he said. Miller will take his 24-21 record to state where he would like to get off to a good start. “I’d be happy just placing. Hopefully I win my first match, and then I’d have a tough match against the defending state champ,” he said. While at the tournament Miller hopes to suck down some JELL-O juice and watch Crace and Garret Chapel earn state championships.
Another senior making his first trip to state is Alex Yeadon. Yeadon wants to unleash his true potential at the state tournament. “I’m hoping to wrestle my hardest honestly. I have more ability than I’ve been showing, but I’m hoping to show my best wrestling this weekend,” he said. Yeadon jumped up two weight classes to give himself a better chance to get to state and possibly place. He said the first match is the only one he knows for sure who he’ll be facing. “You have to focus on how you’re going to wrestle them. You’ve got to think about their technique and strengths,” Yeadon said.
Defending 170-pound state champion Garret Chapel said he feeds off being in the spotlight. “I like the attention of having people watch me,” he said. “The finals are when it’s really cool. Looking up in the stands with all the cameras flashing and there’s not an empty seat in the building, and it’s a big building.”
It doesn’t mean Chapel isn’t affected by the pressure. Before his final match last year he started to feel a little woozy. “I thought I was going to pass out,” he said. So Chapel took a little nap to ease his nerves. “I woke up about 20 minutes before my match and I was still super nervous. But as soon as I stepped on the mat and shook his hand it was gone,” he said.
Chapel is 33-5 on the season and hesitates to look any further than his first match. “I’ve got to take every match like it’s going to be the toughest one,” he said. Assuming he wins his first match, he will likely face John Preller (33-14) from Laurel. Cody Johnson (46-5) of Sidney will be another serious contender in the 170-pound weight class. Johnson is last year’s 160-pound state champ and is “tough as nails” said Chapel’s father and volunteer Greenchain coach, Josh Chapel.
Morford said if Chapel takes care of business there’s no reason he won’t be right back in the state championship match. “If Garret wrestles like he can he’ll earn his back-to-back state titles,” he said. “He’ll probably face the Sidney kid from the other side of the bracket. It will be a battle of two returning state title-holders if they both get there.”
With a steady approach this week Morford said he’s pleased with his teams’ mentality heading into the tournament. “We try to not over think things at this point in the season and try to treat it as much like every other tournament as possible. The work has been put in throughout the season already, now it is time to enjoy the experience of such a great event and wrestle our tails off out on the mat,” he said.
The state tournament draws 20,000-plus spectators to watch the best wrestlers from across the state. “It’s an electrifying atmosphere. It’s one of those things you can really feel the energy in the air,” Morford said. “We’ve been privileged to have great wrestlers who have been able to wrestle in the finals. As coaches it’s fun to experience and be a part of it. At the state tournament we’re just kind of along for the ride and enjoy the show like everybody else,” he said.
After the finals on Saturday buffet-style restaurants in Billings better be prepared. “We let the boys pig-out somewhere like the Golden Corral. You haven’t experienced mayhem until you witness a Golden Corral jam-packed with wrestlers after the state tournament,” Morford said.