Two-Time State Champ

Greenchain wrestler Garret Chapel returned from the state wrestling tournament in Billings as the two-time, 170-pound Class A champion. Chapel plowed through his bracket on the way to a 48-second pin against Sidney’s Cody Johnson in the championship match.

“Between divisionals and state, Chapel beat the No. 2, 4, 5, and 6 state placers and was never in trouble in any of those matches. That’s how dominant he was,” said Greenchain coach Kelly Morford.

With Chapel’s first match ending after a 36-second pin, he was shooting for the quick-pin award the rest of the way. He fell short of getting the award because he didn’t pin his semi-final opponent, but it was extra motivation during the tournament.

Morford was shocked with how quickly Chapel dispensed of Johnson in his finals match. “We had watched a bunch of film and talked to a lot of other coaches on how to best wrestle that kid,” Morford said.

As it turned out they didn’t need it. “Garret has this move where he does this funky throw when someone has a deep single leg in on him. The funny thing is, I hate that move,” Morford said.

The coach may change his tune after Chapel used it for a second straight year to win the championship match against an opponent from Sidney. “Every finals match I’ve wound up hitting that move and it’s always worked in my favor. When coach Morford sees it coming he yells, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it,’ and after I use it he’s hollers, ‘Pin him,’” said Chapel.

“The fact is, you can’t teach that type of stuff within the timeframe of a high school season. That comes from all of the extra time Garret put in wrestling in the off-season and hitting the freestyle circuit,” Morford said.

Chapel entered the Greenchain wrestling program as a skinny freshmen and turned into specimen other coaches told Morford they didn’t want any part of during the state tournament. “Garret is the blueprint for our younger wrestlers to follow as how to reach the pinnacle by pure hard work and dedication,” Morford said.

Finishing his high school career as champion hasn’t hit Chapel yet. “It feels really good. You don’t realize the accomplishment until a few days later, that’s when it really sets in,” Chapel said. Now, Chapel’s on to sharing his wrestling skills with Little Guy wrestling in Troy for a couple hours every night.

Rebounding from a devastating loss in the semi-finals, Crace held on for a 5-4 win against Havre’s Kody Pribyl to earn his third consecutive third-place finish. “Zach was again painfully close to being a state champion. In his semifinal match, he gave up a takedown right at the end of the second period that could have gone either way,” Morford recounted. “I fully believe that he could have rode that kid out and won 1-0 if he hadn’t given up that takedown in the second.”

It was Morford’s most difficult loss to accept in his young coaching career. “It is one thing for a kid to really want a state title, but with Zach it is way deeper than that. He deserved to stand on top of that podium as he has put in so much hard work and time into the sport,” he said. “I wasn’t even recovered yet from that loss when he wrestled his next match.”

Bouncing back after having his mind locked on first place took an incredible amount of mental toughness, said Morford of Crace’s effort. “He is the all-time wins leader in our program, a four-time all-state wrestler, and has left an amazing mark on our program. As time passes, he will be able to appreciate what he accomplished in his career,” Morford commented.

With the only Greenchain wins in the first round of the tournament coming by way of Chapel and Crace, the second round brought victories for all seven wrestlers who earned a trip to state. “That second round was a lot of fun,” said Morford. However, no other wrestlers earned a place in the tournament.

Mason Sams won his second match and was seconds away from beating the top seed from Anaconda in his next match. “He gave up a lot of size this year as a freshmen, but he used his toughness to compete. That grit on the mat is hard to teach and he has it,” Morford said.

Dylan Parrish lost to a Frenchtown wrestler on a takedown in the last seconds who went to take fourth place. Morford said, “That’s how close he was to being on the podium. Dylan is a kid who is on the rise. He has taken huge steps forward since his freshmen year.”

“Laine Young gained a ton of experience throughout the year,” Morford said. “For him to make day two of the state tournament as a freshmen was a great accomplishment. If he gets better technically in a few small areas, he will find himself high up on the podium next year.” Morford complimented Young’s mental toughness in his overtime victory over a Glendive wrestler.

After taking several years away from wrestling, Michael Miller ended up one match away from the placing rounds. “He took the challenge head on and should be proud of the way he competed this year. For him to step in and be so close to placing is a testament to his hard work and character. He was a great addition to our team this year and I was glad to have him,” Morford said.

Senior Alex Yeadon hadn’t experienced state before this year, to make that happen he jumped up two weight divisions. Morford said, “Even with the size disadvantage, he went out and won a match at state. That was great to watch and be a part of with him. After an up and down career, he can feel good about how he finished.”

Crace and Chapel finished their career with the first and third most victories in Greenchain history. “As a coach, you try not to take wrestlers like that for granted as they don’t come along very often. They have both given so much to our sport and our program,” Morford said.

“I just want to say thank you to them and their families for their dedication. It isn’t just Zach and Garret, but a whole family affair. The parents, siblings and grandparents of all of these kids give so much to give our wrestlers a chance to do what they do,” Morford said.

Losing Chapel and Crace will leave some big shoes to fill on the Greenchain roster. Morford said, “We didn’t have any juniors on our team this year, so these younger kids will need to step up and fill that gap. I know we have some high-character kids that can do that.”

Team scores – 1- Havre 297; 2- Sidney 268; 3- Columbia Falls 154; 4- Belgrade 96; 5- Corvallis-Darby 93.5; 6- Polson 82; 7- Hardin 76; 8- Lewistown 72.5; 9- Dillon 71, 10- Laurel 70; 11- Glendive 69;12- Libby-Troy 66; 13- Frenchtown-Alberton 64.5; 14- Hamilton-Victor 51; Butte Central 39.5; 16- Whitefish 38; 18- Browning 22; 19- Anaconda 21; 20- Livingston 13; 21- Miles City 5; 22- Stevensville 3.

First Round

103- Ben Stortz, DCG, p. Mason Sams, LITR, 3:55; 126- Brandon Bisch, ANAC, d. Laine Young, LITR, 11-7; 145-  Bridger Coffman, SIBA, p. Dylan Parrish, LITR, 1:39; 152-  Zach Crace, LITR, p. Kyle Cannon, LAUR, 3:24; 160-  Tyler Clapp, DCG, p. Michael Miller, LITR, 3:28; 170-  Tyler Schaub, HAVR, p. Alex Yeadon, LITR, 3:21; Garret Chapel, LITR, p. Ty Shepardson, PALI, 0:36

Quarterfinals

152- Crace, LITR, p. Griffin, BCDT, 3:07; 170- Chapel, LITR, p. Preller, LAUR, 1:56

Semifinals

152- Ryan Chatterton, SIBA, Dec. Zach Crace, LITR, 5-1; 170- Garret Chapel, LITR, maj. dec.Tyler Schaub, HAVR, 13-3

Championship

170- Garret Chapel, LITR, p. Cody Johnson, SIBA, :48

Third Place

152- Zach Crace, LITR, dec. Kody Pribyl, HAVR, 5-4