Reece Graves won his 2nd consecutive state title at the MHSA All Class State Wrestling Tournament at 132 lbs. Graves won by fall over Jesse Anson (Hamilton) in 5:24 in his championship match.
Sidney's Zander Dean won his 3rd consecutive state title at 145 lbs in Billings on Saturday. Dean won by decision over Tahj Wells (Browning) 8-3 in the finals match.
Champ. Round 1 - Brody Keysor (Sidney / Fairview) 37-17 won by fall over Max Ramesar (Polson) 10-10 (Fall 1:19). Keysor finished 4th.
Quarterfinal - Kadin Wise (Sidney / Fairview) 37-22 won by fall over Dillon Warner (Frenchtown) 17-17 (Fall 5:57) Wise finished 4th.
Semifinal - Amaiya Kirn (Sidney / Fairview Girls) 3-1 won by fall over Nevaeh Grunhuvd (Butte Girls) 3-2 (Fall 1:17) Kirn finished 2nd.
Semifinal - Gordon Knapp (Sidney / Fairview) 48-5 won by decision over Traic Fainter (Columbia Falls) 22-5 (Dec 6-0). Knapp finished 2nd.
3rd Place Match - Owen Lonski (Sidney / Fairview) 35-13 won by decision over Currey Brown (Custer Co. (Miles City)) 29-9 (Dec 6-2). Lonski finished 3rd.
The Sidney/Fairview wrestling team had two first place finishers last weekend at the MHSA All Class State Wrestling Tournament in Billings. The Eagles also took home two 2nd places, one 3rd place and two 4th places. The team placed 4th with a score of 144.5. Placing 1st was Columbia Falls with 201, 2nd was Custer Co. (Miles City) with 152 and 3rd was Laurel with 146.
Placing first was Reece Graves at 132 lbs and Zander Dean at 145 lbs. This is Graves' second consecutive state title and is in his sophomore year. Senior Zander Dean is a three time state champion and a one time runner up.
Placing second was Gordon Knapp (103#) and Amaiya Kirn (girls 132#). Third place finisher Owen Lonski (138#) battled back from a first round loss. Lonski is a senior with three previous state titles. Placing 4th were Brody Keysor (120#) and Kaden Wise (170#). Wise is a senior and has placed 6th and 4th in the state previously.
Although the team didn't win their sixth state championship in a row, there is a lot to look forward for the Eagles in the future. "By no means are we happy with it. But if you can go into the 170 lb weight class in the finals and still have a chance to take second, it's a pretty good gig," stated head coach Guy Melby. "We were in it the whole time. Wrestling hard the entire tournament."
The efforts of the state placers should definitely be noted. "We knew our horses were going to have to run and they did," said Melby. "It just wasn't quite enough. We needed one or two more wins."
The Eagles are in the process of rebuilding the ranks after winning five state titles in a row from 2018-2022. The new rule allowing eighth graders to wrestle varsity was a big help to the team this year. They had 5 eighth graders competing at the state tournament and all of them scored points. "We're young. All of our eighth graders made it and all scored for us. Which was awesome," said Melby.
MHSA State Championships Results for Sidney/Fairview, Billings,
Feb. 10-11
A-103: Gordon Knapp (48-5) placed 2nd
A-120: Brody Keysor (37-17) placed 4th
A-132: Reece Graves (43-6) placed 1st
A-138: Owen Lonski (35-13) placed 3rd
A-145: Zander Dean (49-2) placed 1st
A-170: Kaden Wise (37-22) placed 4th
MHSA State Championships Results for Sidney/Fairview Girls
G-132: Amaiya Kirn (3-1) placed 2nd
A Team Results
1st Place: Columbia Falls
2nd Place: Custer Co. (Miles City
3rd Place: Laurel
4th Place: Sidney/Fairview
5th Place: Frenchtown
6th Place: Havre
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