GREAT FALLS — At the CMR Holiday tournament Dec. 21, Great Falls High's Kale Baumann picked up his 100th career wresting win in his championship match, joining an exclusive list in Bison history.
"It was a cool experience," Baumann said at Wednesday's practice. "I didn't know if I was going to get there because COVID kind of shut us down my freshman year, and we got a lot less matches than a lot of the Bison wrestlers before me. But it was a cool experience to join that group of guys that have hit 100."
Baumann is a three-time state runner-up in his weight class. He said while getting to 100 wins is something to take pride in, it's not his end goal.
"But it's a good stepping stone on the way," Baumann said. "I want to keep wrestling after high school and try to find similar success in college."
"But I feel like it's a good reflection of some of the fun and some of the success I've had in high school wrestling."
One of Baumann's good friends on the team he said is Gage Clothier — who currently has 97 total wins entering competition this Saturday.
Clothier said he didn't think this would be something he could ever possibly achieve.
"It's crazy. It's always been like, those are the guys I've looked up to like my entire life," Clothier said. "Growing up watching high school wrestling, like seeing these guys on the (Bison wall of fame) every day, like it's really cool to be able to be a part of like a brick in the wall of history of Montana wrestling."
The two of them have been wrestling together since they were little, and both said it's awesome to be able to share these accomplishments together.
"I've grown up wrestling with him since I was five," Baumann said. "He's been my best friend through this whole wrestling journey. So to kind of hit it together in the same year means a lot."
"I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone else," Clothier said. "It's special."
"The story when we met each other is we met at a wrestling camp."
But while they are close friends, Baumann said they are competitors with each other.
"Everything's a competition with us," Baumann said. "We're friends, but we both like winning, you know. We're in here. My freshman year we were practice partners almost every single day, and so we just, we pushed each other in the room every day to get better, and it shows now."
This has helped both improve overall, as Clothier said.
"(Baumann's) always been someone that I can look up to," Clothier said. "Even when we were freshman being partners together, he's been a leader since he was a freshman."
Great Falls High is back on the mats Saturday in Billings against Belgrade and Billings Skyview.
