Reigning Class AA state wrestling champion Great Falls High edged Billings Senior and Kalispell Flathead for the No. 1 ranking in the Class AA poll, which was released Wednesday.
The Bison had two wrestlers top their individual weight classes: Elijah Davis at 205 pounds and Ethan DeRoche at 285. Both won state titles at those weights last year. Brendan Lockart (170 pounds) and Liam Swanson (182) added second-place rankings for the Bison, who also had Aaron Liscum (126), Mason Huber (138) and Cache Hilliard (152) ranked third. Irish Furthmyre (fourth at 145) and Donovan Mahoney (fifth at 160) are also ranked for GFH, which had 95 points in the team rankings.
Billings Senior was ranked second with 94 team points. Daylon Forshee (103), Thomas Klepps (170) and Peyton Morton (180) are top-ranked individual wrestlers for the Broncs.
Kalispell Flathead is third in the team standings with 90 points. The Braves don't have a top-ranked individual at any weight, but they do have 13 wrestlers in the rankings. Fin Nadeau, No. 2 at 152 pounds, is the highest-ranked Brave.
Billings West, led by top-ranked wrestlers Jesse Aarness at 126 pounds and Drake Rhodes at 152, is fourth in the team rankings, followed by Butte and Helena Capital.
Montana Class AA wrestling rankings
Week One – Jan. 6, 2021
Team rankings (based on awarding points for each ranked wrestler): Great Falls High 95, Billings Senior 94, Kalispell Flathead 90, Billings West 82, Butte 60, Helena Capital 47.
Individual rankings
103 pounds: Daylon Forshee – Billings Senior; Trey Whitlock (1-0) – Butte; Reid Whitlock – Butte; Davin Naldrett (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Kaleb O’Shea (1-0) – Helena High; Wyatt McCorkle (1-0) – Missoula Big Sky.
113: Hunter Ketchem – Billings Skyview; Jase Van Pelt – Billings West; Holden Howe - Billings Senior; Josh Melton (1-0) – Kalispell Glacier; Colton Gutenberger – Belgrade; Dylan Kratofil (0-1) - Kalispell Flathead.
120: Teegan Vasquez (1-0) – Kalispell Glacier; Jaylen Vladic – Billings Senior; Kyler Raiha (1-0) – Butte; Hunter Rahn – Helena Capital; Cade Gardner (0-1) – Kalispell Flathead; Logan Stansberry (1-0) - Kalispell Flathead.
126: Jesse Aarness – Billings West; Keagan Gransberry (1-0) – Butte; Aaron Liscum – Great Falls High; Bryson Danzinger (1-0) – Missoula Sentinel; Issac Ayers (0-1) – Missoula Big Sky; Nathan Elmose (1-0) – Helena High.
132: Carter Schmidt – Belgrade; Idren Peak – Billings Senior; Asher Kemppainen (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Israel Moreno (1-0) – Missoula Big Sky; Novik Thomas (0-1) – Missoula Sentinel; Kip Pumnea (1-0) - Butte.
138: Carson DesRosier (1-0) – Helena Capital; RJ Lowdog – Billings West; Mason Huber – Great Falls High; Jackson Bakken (1-0) – Missoula Sentinel; Connor Konda (1-0) – Butte; James Roan – Billings Senior.
145: Avery Allen – Bozeman High; Colton Martello – Great Falls CMR; Cade Troupe (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Irish Furthmyre – Great Falls High; Gavin Stodtmeister – Billings West; Jesse Horner (1-0) – Missoula Sentinel.
152: Drake Rhodes – Billings West; Fin Nadeau (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Cache Hilliard – Great Falls High; Cameron Savaria – Billings Skyview; Felix Peterson – Gallatin; Blake Jolma (1-0) – Missoula Sentinel.
160: Hunter Meinzen (1-0) – Missoula Big Sky; Paolo Salminen – Billings Skyview; Noah Poe-Hatten (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; AJ Lafurge – Great Falls CMR; Donovan Mahoney – Great Falls High; Isaiah Murch – Billings Senior.
170: Thomas Klepps – Billings Senior; Brendan Lockart – Great Falls High; Dylan Graham (1-0) – Helena Capital; Chase Youso (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Dominik Scown (1-0) – Butte; Nathan Kojetten – Billings Skyview.
182: Peyton Morton – Billings Senior; Liam Swanson – Great Falls High; Ryan Nelson (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Kael Willis – Kalispell Glacier; Dilen Barrington – Billings Skyview; Ian Isaacson (1-0) - Helena Capital.
205: Elijah Davis – Great Falls High; Noah Kovick (1-0) – Helena Capital; Zaybin Stewart – Kalispell Flathead; Charlie Desmarais – Billings Senior; Gaige Winter (1-0) – Kalispell Flathead; Xaden Cunningham – Belgrade.
285: Ethan DeRoche – Great Falls High; Jaydon Hoff – Billings West; Zac Malcolm – Billings West; Camren Spencer – Bozeman High; Zack Tierney (1-0) – Butte; Timber Richberg (1-0) - Kalispell Flathead.
