BILLINGS — Two Bravettes punched their tickets to Saturday’s All-Class State Wrestling Tournament finals at First Interstate Arena Friday, and a third is still in the running for the podium.

Bella Downing and Julia Kay earned their way into the championship round. Downing took a 6-0 decision over Billings Senior’s Ava Dewitt in Friday’s semifinals, while Kay pinned Big Sandy’s Harley Labuda to claim her spot. 

“These two are both returning finalists. It’s nice that they’re experienced. They are very disciplined. They know how to listen to their bodies,” Bravettes coach Amber Downing said. “Just make sure that they are wrestling their style, their game. We don’t change our style to anyone else’s.” 

Bella Downing faces a familiar foe in the title match in Helena Capital’s Taylor Lay. The two battled a week ago at the Western AA divisional with Downing taking the victory in a 4-3 decision. 

Lay and Downing met two years ago for the 120-pound title with Downing claiming the victory 5-3. Lay is a two-time state champion; her second title came last year when she took an injury forfeit win over Kay at 130. 

Kay matches up with Valley opponent Taylor Dorvall from Whitefish for the 130 crown. 

“She (Julia) wrestles well when she’s not feeling like she is figured out and that gap gets tighter and tighter the more often you wrestle the same opponents,” Downing said. ‘It’s going to be a battle with Taylor Lay and Bella.” 

In the team standings Flathead sits third overall and second among AA schools with 91 points. Billings Senior leads the way with 177 and Miles City is second overall at 124.5. Laurel is fourth with 80, and Ronan sits fifth at 78. 

Glacier is 25th with 37.5 points, The Wolfpack have two wrestlers alive for podium finishes in Katelyn Sphuler and Kylie Shine. Both sit in the consolation brackets. 

Sphuler fell in a semifinal match at 100 with Wolf Point’s Cali Gorder in a 15-0 technical fall. Shine fell to Kay in the quarterfinals at 130. 

“I think we have got some things to learn as a team, as a young girls team. We had a lot of freshmen who made it,” Glacier coach Chris Leck said. “We have two girls still going tomorrow. They are going to come back and get what they can get wrestle hard to try and get third place.” 

The Maidens also have two wrestlers in the consolation brackets as Leona Dodson-Howe and River Cote both fell in the semifinals. 

Dorvall is the lone Whitefish wrestler alive on the girls side. 

In the Class A boys competition Columbia Falls moved up to 10th in the team standings, thanks in part to a record setting day for Blaise Cronk. 

Cronk set the MatCats school record with his 40th pin during his quarterfinal win at 165 over Laurel’s Sawyer Pallett. The previous record holder was Traic Fainter with 39. 

Cronk added to his record with a 26-second pin of Sidney's Jason Sorteberg to earn his spot in the finals. He will face Billings Central’s Trystan Knight. 

Four other MatCats are alive on the consolation side of the bracket. 

Ronan sits 14th with 42.5 points, just ahead of Libby-Troy at 40.5. 

Cooper Wayman nabbed a spot in the finals at 215 for the Chiefs; he will face Hardin’s Bruno Pallone. 

Leading the Class A standings is Sidney with 200 points. Hardin is second at 165 and Laurel sits third at 140.5. 

In Class B/C, Eureka sits eighth in the team standings with 53 points as Huntley Project is running away with the competition at 240 points. Glasgow is second at 146.5 and Malta-Whitewater is third at 93. 

Timothy Schmidt is the lone Lion in the championship round at 132. He will face Huntley Project’s Ethan Reynolds. Three other Lions are alive on the consolation side of the bracket. 

Full results can be found at trackwrestling.com.