Mattie Stepan places fourth

BILLINGS — Crew O’Connor made some Butte High wrestling history Saturday at the Montana High School Association All-Class Wrestling Tournament.

Given the storied past of the Bulldog grapplers, that is not easy to do.

O’Connor pinned teammate Renzy LeProwse in 4 minutes, 59 seconds to claim the championship of the 103-pound division in the Class AA. With that win, O’Connor became the first Butte High eighth grader to win a state title on the mat.

The match was a rematch of last week’s Western AA Divisional 103-pound title bout, where O’Connor also beat LeProwse, a freshman.

O’Connor was the lone Bulldog to capture a title at the meet in which Butte High placed fourth for the second straight year.

Billings West won its fifth straight title with 237 points. Gallatin took second at 208.5, and Kalispell Flathead finished third at 196. The Bulldogs scored 183 points.

Senior Keegan Hunt and junior Bode Hazlett won state titles a year ago and were competing in heavier weight classes this year. Hunt took second at 110 pounds, falling to Billings Senior’s Hunter Beeman in 4:52.

Hazlett placed third at 157 pounds. He beat Great Falls Russell’s Teagan Dixon in an 8-7 thriller in the third-place match.

Senior Ryder McEwen and his sophomore brother Reveles McEwen each placed third in their weight classes. Ryder pinned Madden Jensen of CMR in 4:13 to claim third at 150 pounds. Reveles stuck Aiden Lake of Flathead in 4:12 to finish third at 118 pounds.

Also placing for the Bulldogs was senior Bridger Garrison, who took fifth at 165 pounds, and junior Bradey Doyle, who finished sixth at 132.

On the girls’ side, Bulldog senior Mattie Stepan closed her Bulldog wrestling career with her second straight fourth-place finish at State. Stepan advanced the semifinals before battling back to wrestle Leona Dodson Howe of Ronan for third place at 155 pounds. Dodson Howe won a 10-2 decions.

Senior Jessica Blow placed eighth for the Bulldogs, who took 19th overall in the girls’ division.

Billings Senior won the girls’ title for the fourth straight year with 232 points. Miles City took second at 148.5, and Laurel wrestled to third at 108. Butte High scored 54 points.

Also competing at state for the Bulldogs were Darryn Rossiter, Bridger Brancamp, Waylond Hicks, Aiden Maeser, Kasen O’Keefe, Kuley Queer and Blaise Perez on the boys’ side. Butte High girls who also competed at state were Adalie Hazlett, Peyton Liva, Loretta Matteson, Allie Ballensky, Rylee Radlciff, Lilyi Malone, Chaynne Robinson and Sage Queer.

Butte Central’s four wrestlers did not place in their weight classes. Competing for the Maroons were Jampel Hanley, Jack Holmes, Braydon Armstrong and Amira Gonzalez.

Complete results can be found at trackwrestling.com.