Wrestling loses in Class B-C for first time in four years

For the first time in four years, the Glasgow wrestling team lost a tournament to another Class B-C school.
The Scotties, wrestling without a 112- or 145- pounder, fell to Huntley Project at the Malta Invitational on Saturday. Glasgow finished with 156.5 points, second only to the Red Devils' 171.5 points.
“I think it's more of a wake up call than anything,” co-head coach Brady Flaten said. “We wrestled alright, but we have a lot of things we know we need to work on in the next two weeks.”
The Scotties placed seven wrestlers in the tournament, five of which were in the championship round.
Braden Hallock (119), Luke Zeiger (130), Parker Miller (215) and Tyrel Shumway (HWT) all finished in first at the tournament, but only Shumway was able to get a pin, leaving the Scotties short on points.
Tucker Holstein, the only other Scotty in the championship rounds, finished second at 160 pounds to Class B-C No. 1 Robert Stroh, from Chinook.
Ryan Bergtoll and Chaz Hopstad each finished third for the Scotties, winning decisions in the consolation matches.
“We lost some tough matches,” Flaten said. “This week we'll be full strength and its going to be a comparable tournament. Our goal is to win every tournament and sometimes that doesn't happen. The ultimate goal is to win State and we're going to do everything we can in the next two weeks to prepare for that.”
The Scotties should be wrestling with a full roster this weekend with the return of Jacob Bethea and Gavin Holstein to the lineup for Divisionals. Bethea, who dislocated his elbow earlier this season, has been cleared to practice and wrestle with a brace, while Holstein was benched last Saturday for disciplinary reasons. Both are some of the most talented wrestlers in the division and should help the team bounce back up on the top of the pedastal.
In preparing for Eastern B-C Divisionals this week, the coaches said they would be treating this week as they will for the State Championships.
“I think we're sitting pretty well headed into the divisional tournament as far as seeding purposes go,” Flaten said. “But we're going to have some big matches in the divisional tournament to make sure that we get set up well for the state tournament. That's going to determine where we are in the state bracket and stuff like that. It's a huge weekend for us.”
What would have been a lighter week of practice to heal up for the next two weeks has been cranked back up in intensity after last weeks loss, trying to keep the team from getting complacent.
“We have to make sure we have that mental edge,” Flaten said. “Getting healthy is important, staying healthy is important, so we're not trying to over work them but also let them know that we're not backing off and this isn't a country club.”
The Scotties have won the Divisional title each of the last three years. The last time they lost was in 2006, finishing third in the division behind Huntley Project and Colstrip.
With last weekend's loss to the Red Devils, the stakes for this week's divisional tournament have gone up, with the winning team most likely heading into States as the favorite for the Class B-C title.
“We need to press on because we're going to have to wrestle well to win the state title,” Flaten said.
The Eastern B-C Divisional Tournament runs all day Saturday at Baker High School.