BILLINGS — With their sights set on three straight titles, the Flathead boys and girls wrestling teams have a right to be disappointed with just a place (the Brave Brawlers) and a show (the Bravettes).

They can also be proud, since it took a herculean effort on the part of Billings West to win the boys title, and a breakthrough weekend for the Billings Senior girls to win after two straight runner-up finishes.

The drama came in the State AA boys race, where West and Flathead entered the championship round tied with 207 points each.

West had four finalists, all at lower weights; Flathead had Anders Thompson at 170 pounds, Noah Poe-Hatten at 182 and Sawyer Troupe at 205.

Makael Aguayo (103) and Zach Morse (113) won major decisions to start things off for the Bears, and then Keyan Hernandez joined Morse as a repeat champion with a technical fall at 120 to put even more pressure on.

When Thompson lost a battle of unbeatens to Billings Skyview’s Paolo Salminen — Salminen scored an 11-5 decision to win his second straight title — the team crown belonged to West. The Bears ended with 220.5 points to 211 for Flathead. Great Falls High was third at 178.

“Today just wasn’t our day,” Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said. “I don’t think you can judge a team on one tournament. We had such a great year, such a great season. Just today wasn’t our day, and I feel the pain for all these wrestlers that put in so much hard work and dedication to their craft. It just didn’t work out.”

The tournament saw the 39th and 40th four-time winners crowned, both in AA: Teegan Vasquez of Glacier and Avery Allen of Bozeman.

Among the repeat winners were Brendan Lockart of Great Falls High, who capped his unbeaten season with a pin of Flathead’s Troupe; and Butte’s Mason Christian, who moved up to 285 and knocked off defending champion Talon Marsh of Helena Capital.

Another defending champion, Jesse Aarness of West, fell to Belgrade standout Carter Schmidt in the 138 final. That left the door slightly open for Flathead, but it wasn’t to be.

Poe-Hatten followed Salminen and Anders Thompson onto the mat and won a hard-fought, 9-7 decision over Great Falls CMR’s AJ Lafurge for his first title.

“I tech’d him (scored a technical fall) the first time,” said Poe-Hatten, who finished his senior year 44-0 on the mat. “He really picked it up during the season, I could tell. He was wrestling harder as the season went on, and was beating some tough guys. I knew it was going to be a brawl out there.”

The match was tied at 2-2, 4-4 and 6-6 before Poe-Hatten got an escape and takedown. It would feel better if a team championship came attached to his title, but he was pleased.

“When those team goals fall it sucks, but you still have to worry about yourself,” he said. “It is an individual sport. After I saw we couldn’t catch Billings West, I just had to focus on my match.”

“He’s been knocking on the door,” Jeff Thompson said. “I’m so excited to see him reach a goal. He’s a man of few words but you could just see that emotion, that happiness. I’m super excited I had the opportunity to coach him in high school.”

West started the day with a series of pins in the semifinals while Flathead lost eight of its 11 matches in the round. The wrestlebacks weren’t real kind, either. In the end Dane Lake (138), Gunnar Thompson (170) and Lakoda Wieczorek (152) placed fourth; Diesel Thompson (113), William Barnes (120), Aiden Downing (126), Gannon Wisher (132), Cade Troupe (152) and Gabe Lake (160) took fifth and Logan Stansberry (145) placed sixth.

Glacier’s Kaleb Shine beat first Troupe and then Wieczorek to claim third at 152 pounds.

“I know they’re all bummed about it,” Poe-Hatten said of the Brawlers’ non-title. “That’s life, man. Almost all of those guys will be back next year and I know they’ll pick it up, and make sure those nerves are out before the state tournament. They’ll pull through next year.”

Bravettes third, Pack fifth

Flathead’s girls lost a bunch of momentum Friday night, qualifying no semifinalists. Just three Bravettes placed: Brinly Youso was sixth at 107, Skye Shelmerdine took fifth at 114 and Bella Downing ended up fifth at 120.

Still, Flathead piled up 127 points. Billings Senior was far ahead with 202 and Butte had 156.

Flathead coach Amber Downing was pleased with the effort, if not the result. She singled out Autumn Thompson and Youso, along with Shelmerdine.

“She was down in her match and looking at me with the look of, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ and she pulled it out in the third,” Downing said of Shelmerdine. “We’re super happy with how she finished.

“We would have loved to see a few more wins, a few more on Day 2, but sometimes that’s just not where the tide goes.”

Ronan, getting a state title from heavyweight Tirza TwoTeeth, was fourth with 119 points. Next was Glacier at 114.5.

The Wolfpack’s Brooke Yeadon lost in the 107 finals to Lewistown’s Rebecca Birdwell, 4-1, and saw Ariana Conklin take fourth at 114 and Jasmine Cartwright finish sixth at 145.

Meanwhile Kaura Coles, a Canadian transfer who became eligible just before divisionals, scored three pins ahead of a technical fall in the 114-pound final.

“Just incredible how dominant she was this weekend,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said. “For a freshman to step in halfway through the season and do what she has, it’s very impressive.”

AA boys

Team scores — Billings West 220.5, Flathead 211, Great Falls/MSDB 178, Billings Senior 165, Helena Capital 145.5, Butte 141.

Individual results

113: Semifinal - Nolan Brown (Belgrade) dec. Diesel Thompson (Flathead), 2-0. Cons. Semi - Ryder McEwen (Butte) dec. Thompson, 7-3. 5th Place - Thompson maj. dec. Cole Schaub (Billings Skyview), 13-2.

120: Semifinal - Keyan Hernandez (Billings West) p. William Barnes (Flathead), 1:04. Cons. Semi - Dalton Ecklund (CMR) won in sudden victory over Barnes, 4-2. 5th Place - Ross Tolliver (Great Falls/MSDB) maj. dec. Barnes, 10-0.

126: Semifinal - Mason Gutenberger (Belgrade) p. Aiden Downing (Flathead), 0:22. Cons. Semi - Devin Grossman (Billings Skyview) p. Downing, 4:04. 5th Place - Downing p. Hunter Rahn (Helena Capital), 2:30.

132: Semifinal - Teegan Vasquez (Glacier) p. Gage Clothier (Great Falls/MSDB), 1:19. Cons. Semi - Jace Komac (Great Falls/MSDB) p. Gannon Wisher (Flathead), 3:21. 5th Place - Wisher maj. dec. Colby Reichenbach (Billings West), 9-0. Championship - Vasquez (Glacier) p. Kip Pumnea (Butte), 1:28.

138: Semifinal - Jesse Aarness (Billings West) p. Dane Lake (Flathead), 1:34. Cons. Semi - Lake (Flathead) p. Jack Montoya (Bozeman), 0:44. 3rd Place - Demetri Saliaris (Billings Senior) p. Lake, 1:35.

145: Semifinal - Avery Allen (Bozeman) p. Logan Stansberry (Flathead), 1:42. Cons. Semi - Ian Mehrens (Helena) dec. Stansberry, 3-0. 5th Place - Will Stepan (Butte) p. Logan Stansberry, 3:55.

152: Semifinal - Irish Furthmyre (Great Falls/MSDB) maj. dec. Cade Troupe (Flathead), 9-1. Cons. Semi - Lakoda Wieczorek (Flathead) won in TB over Logan Linn (Belgrade), 2-1; Kaleb Shine (Glacier) won in SV over Troupe, 3-1. 5th Place - Troupe dec. Linn, 7-2. 3rd Place - Shine dec. Wieczorek, 5-2.

160: Semifinal - Logan Cole (Billings Senior) p. Gabe Lake (Flathead), 4:35. Cons. Semi - Dylan Block (Great Falls/MSDB) p. Lake, 4:29; Cole Graham (Helena Capital) p. Tynan Krause (Flathead), 2:38. 5th Place - Lake p. Krause, 0:35.

170: Semifinal - Anders Thompson (Flathead) won by forfeit over Gunnar Thompson (Flathead), For. Cons. Semi - Gunnar Thompson dec. Trevor Tucker (Missoula Sentinel), 6-4. 3rd Place - Conner Kovick (Helena Capital) dec. Gunnar Thompson, 3-1. Championship - Paolo Salminen (Billings Skyview) dec. Anders Thompson, 11-5.

182: Semifinal - Noah Poe-Hatten (Flathead) p. Chris Garcia (Billings West), 4:28. Championship - Poe-Hatten dec. AJ Lafurge (CMR), 9-7.

205: Semifinal - Sawyer Troupe (Flathead) dec. Solomon Stortz (Billings West), 7-2. Championship - Brendan Lockart (Great Falls/MSDB) p. Troupe, 1:48.

All-Class Girls

Team scores — Billings West 202, Butte 156, Flathead 127, Ronan 119, Glacier 114.5, Billings Skyview 100, Miles City 98.

Individual results

100: Cons. Semi - Hayley Petersen (Simms) dec. Samantha Day (Eureka, 5-0. Jaelynn Nace (Columbia Falls) dec. Saellah Nomee (Ronan) 7-5. 3rd Place - Petersen p. Nace, 2:55.5th Place - Saellah Nomee (Ronan) p. Day, 4:20.

107: Semifinal - Brooke Yeadon (Glacier) p. Kaylee LaPier (Butte), 0:51. Championship - Rebecca Birdwell (Lewistown) dec. Yeadon, 4-1.

114: Semifinal - Kaura Coles (Glacier) p. Ariana Conklin (Glacier), 1:08. Cons. Semi - Conklin p. Bailee Shepardson (Livingston), 2:06; Robin Leidholt (Miles City) dec. Skye Shelmerdine (Flathead), 7-0. 5th Place - Shelmerdine p. Shepardson, 1:42. 3rd Place - Leidholt dec. Conklin, 4-1. Championship - Coles won by tech fall over Kaylin Taylor (GF/MSBD), 4:32.

120: Cons. Semi - Meadow Mahlmeister (Lockwood) dec. Bella Downing (Flathead), 5-0. 5th Place - Downing p. Isabella Dillon (Billings Senior), 0:32.

126: Semifinal - Brynn Brower (Billings Skyview) p. Katie Dolence (Ronan), 1:31. Cons. Semi - Dolence p. Faye Holland (Dillon/STB), 3:54. 3rd Place - Dolence dec. Lucia Schlapfer (MBS/Loyola), 6-4.

132: Semifinal - Lili Schubarth (Simms) dec. Brynn Courville (Ronan), 7-3. Cons. Semi - Courville dec. Teya Edwards (Butte), 9-2. 3rd Place - Courville inj. def. Evija Cagle (Billings Skyview), 3:22.

138: Semifinal - Makenzee Neal (Billings West) p. Lillian MacDonald (Plains/ Hot Springs), 3:31. Cons. Semi - MacDonald dec. Yasmine Tatsey-McKay (Browning), 9-8. 5th Place - Tatsey-McKay won tie breaker over Joli Beston (Wolf Point), 4-2. 3rd Place Match - Dakota Petersen (E. Helena) p. MacDonald, 1:37.

145: Semifinal - Paige Gershmel (Billings Senior) dec. Jasmine Cartwright (Glacier), 4-1. Cons. Semi - Mattie Stepan (Butte) p. Cartwright, 2:11. 5th Place - Aubree Erickson (Havre) p. Cartwright, 2:00.

185: Cons. Semi - Hannah Monroe (Valier) p. Opal Brannon (Eureka), 2:17. 5th Place - Lillian Hamner (Billings Senior) p. Brannon, 0:17.

235: Quarterfinal - Tirza TwoTeeth (Ronan) p. Boston Howell (Flathead), 2:48. Semifinal - TwoTeeth p. Marika Bonner (Billings West), 3:06. Championship - TwoTeeth p. Evy Mackey (Billings West), 0:39.