The Broadus Hawk wrestling team traveled to their first tournament of the season, last weekend in Sidney. The tournament, according to Broadus Head Coach Frankie Schoonover, is one of if not the toughest tournament of the season for his team. Twenty four teams from four states attended the tournament, including teams from North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that for 4 of the 6 Broadus wrestlers who traveled to Sidney, this would be their first taste of a wrestling match.
On Friday, a dual tourney was held, which wouldn’t count for points, but it did allow the mostly inexperienced Broadus team to gain a lot of time on the mat.
Schoonover spoke of his team: “They surprised me. The dedication shown in practice really paid off, as it’s always a question how people are going to react mentally that first time they step on the mat and find themselves in a predicament. The guys reacted well.”
After Friday’s matches, the team got together and had a meeting to talk about what could be improved, and how to move on with the next day’s matches.
This meeting seemed to help, according to Schoonover, as the team arrived Saturday with renewed vigor, and performed well throughout the day.
Most of the Broadus wrestlers were in the JV tournament, due to their experience level. Luke Herzog, wrestling at 152 lbs, placed 6th in his weight class. Christian Middle Rider, wrestling in the heavyweight division, took 3rd out of 12 kids, while wrestling an impressive 10 matches on the weekend. Donovan Sturtz and Troy Amsden, the experienced Broadus wrestlers who worked at the varsity level, did not place, but still had a good showing – Sturtz wrestling until the match prior to placing, and Amsden placing 2nd in the “Second Chance” tourney, which consisted of wrestlers who had lost out on Friday. Overall Broadus would win 12 of 38 matches at the tournament, and gain a lot of experience, due to the number of matches, the level of competition, and the gut check that comes from that first taste of pain when an opponent overcomes a competitor during their first full speed match.
“We have a lot to work on this week, but I’m excited where the team is headed,” Schoonover noted. “At Sidney, we were in the best shape of anyone – we won some matches due to fitness alone.” With the fitness level up, Schoonover’s team will hone their skillsets and reactions during the next week, as they travel to Forsyth this weekend, for a tournament featuring teams from Colstrip, Billings JV teams, Huntley, Shepherd, Circle, Forsyth, and the Broadus Hawks.
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