Flathead High is the host with the most times two this weekend, as the Western AA Divisional takes over the gym Friday and Saturday.

The Brave Brawlers and Bravettes are favorites for the team titles, which might be decided before the individual championships start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. 

“We've had a great week of practice and our Brave Brawlers are ready to battle,” Flathead boys coach Jeff Thompson said. “They are so excited for divisionals to be on our home turf. We have always been so tough at home.  All we can do now is let it fly.  The hay is in the barn.” 

The tournament starts at 2 p.m. Friday. Daily passes are $12 for adults and $8 for students; tournament passes are $20 and $12. Saturday’s competition begins at 9 a.m. 

Flathead goes in as the No. 2-ranked team among AA boys and in a tie for No. 2 in the girls all-class rankings. 

The Bravettes are led by, among others, Bridget Smith at 155 pounds, Julia Kay at 125 and defending state champion Bella Downing at 115. 

The Brawlers boast Kellen Downing (No. 1) at 118, Diesel Thompson at 126, Hunter Arriaga at 132, Daniel Evert at 138 and Lane Chivers at 165. Late-season injuries opened the door for the “Killer Bs,” which is what Thompson calls his No. 2 wrestlers at each weight, to shine. 

“We have 27 out of 28 spots available for our boys wrestling team,” he said. “The only opening is at 103 where we lost Aiden Lake for the season due to elbow injury.  Our Killer B's this season are going to make some noise and we are going to punch a lot of them to state." 

Glacier’s boys boast a defending state champion in Nikola Coles at 165 as well as Aiden Sweat at 110 and Jerin Coles at 150. The three have combined to lose just four matches. 

On the girls side there is Brooke Yeadon, Katelyn Sphuler and of course two-time state champion Kaura Coles. 

“We are looking forward to a great divisional tournament,” Glacier coach Ross Dankers said. “We made it through another round of team sickness this last week and the crew is healed up and ready to roll. Looking forward to showcasing all the hard work these student athletes have put in this year and hopefully set up as many as we can in advantageous seeds at state.” 

It’s not the only tournament in the area: Browning is hosting the Western A Divisional for boys and girls.  

It’s a bit confusing: The girls’ state tournament is all-class, so some pressure is applied to finish in the top two at divisionals to qualify for state. That would take care of 12 out of the 16 wrestlers in each weight class; the rest will be determined by a formula called Equal Distribution of Qualifiers (EDQ). 

“Then we have to turn around on Tuesday of next week and have a seeding meeting,” Ronan coach Cameron Nies said. His Maidens are ranked No. 2 in Class A after winning the A crown last February. He’s taking 19 of them to Browning, including defending champions River Cote and Tirza Two Teeth.