BILLINGS -- Every ounce of sweat from every wrestler in action was left on the mat Tuesday night as Billings Senior edged Billings West 35-31 in a crosstown dual.
West jumped out to a 9-0 lead after a Keyan Hernandez pin followed by a Jace Van Pelt decision. But, trailing 15-6, Senior put together a string of momentum when Jalen Vladic picked up a pin at 132 pounds. Idren Peak then scored a 5-3 decision, drawing the Broncs into a 15-15 tie. Alex Charette gave Senior its first lead of the night with a decision at 145.
But in a dual that felt more like a street fight, West's Drake Rhodes won a major decision to shift the lead back to 19-18. Shawn Miller and Thomas Klepps answered with wins by pin and tech fall, respectively, giving Senior a 29-19 edge.
On a night where one thrilling match was repeatedly followed by another, West's Chris Garcia pulled off maybe the evening's biggest stunner. Trailing midway through, Garcia turned the tables on Class AA's top-ranked wrestler at 182 pounds, pinning Peyton Morton. That drew West back to within 29-25 and sent the Golden Dome faithful into a frenzy.
But Senior's Charlie Desmarais squelched that minutes later with a pin at 205 pounds to ice it for the Broncs. West's Jadyn Hoff closed Senior Night with a pin for West at 285.
Billings Senior 35, Billings West 31
103: Keyan Hernandez, West, p. Junior Madrid, 2:53
113: Jase Van Pelt, West, d. Holden Howe, 5-2
120: Demetri Salarias, Senior, p. Carson Blaschak, 5:31
126: Jesse Aarness, West, p. Logan Cole, 2:26
132: Jalen Vladic, Senior, p. Nathaniel Hoff, 3:04
138: Idren Peak, Senior, d. RJ Lowdog, 5-3
145: Alex Charette, S, d. Gavin Stodtmeister, 13-10
152: Drake Rhodes, West, m.d. Cruz Riojas, 11-0
160: Shawn Miller, Senior, p. Michael Ruzick, 5:04
170: Thomas Klepps, Senior, t.f. Cooper Freitag, 20-5
182: Chris Garcia, West, p. Peyton Morton, 2:45
205: Charlie Desmarais, Senior, p. Eli Madland, 5:00
285: Jadyn Hoff, West, p. Noah Campbell, :40.
