HELENA — Devin Crawford, a senior from Helena High, is trying to stamp his name in Montana high school wrestling history with a state title this spring. Crawford’s head coach, Sam Bogard, said the senior has been a man on a mission following a disappointing finish at the 2018 Class AA state wrestling tournament.
“Last year, [Crawford] went in with high expectations and things didn’t pan out the way we wanted them to,”
said Bogard. “He’s just been on a mission, I’d love to see him get his state title.”
It’s a dream that Crawford had long before he took the mat as a Bengal.
“A state title is something that I’ve wanted for so many years even before high school wrestling started,” said Crawford.
While Crawford waits to take the mat, he’ll usually have his headphones in, but what he listens to prior to a match isn’t usually classified as pre-game music.
“I like to be calm before my matches, so I was listening to some Ariana Grande, not going to lie,” he said.
When asked what song he was listening to prior to his bout against his opponent from Kalispell Glacier?
“Thank U, Next,” an apt song title for someone hunting for a state wrestling championship.
While he prepares for a run at a state title, Crawford doesn’t take any time away from the mat. In his spare time, he helps Bogard teach kids how to wrestle.
“You can see the kids getting better when they wrestle, and some of the littler kids and I like to make them have fun with it,” said Crawford. “I have fun coaching and I had a lot of fun, but definitely rewarding and I like it because I like wrestling.”
Crawford’s run at a state title has two more stops. First, the Western AA seeding tournament, where he’ll vie for the best spot possible, and then the 2019 Class AA state wrestling tournament in Billings, where Crawford will try to fulfill his dream.
