Though last weekend's divisional wrestling meet in Forsyth was the first major tournament for 7 of the 10 Broadus Hawk wrestlers, the group performed well, according to Head Wrestling Coach Frankie Schoonover. Two wrestlers – Donovan Sturtz wrestling at 152 lbs, and Troy Amsden, wrestling at 145, will be going on to State.

For the rest of the team, Schoonover commented: "Our lack of experience showed at this level of competition, but the guys are hungry for more. A number of them plan on wrestling at AAU tournaments in the off season to gain experience, and I feel our program is headed in the right direction."

Last year, Broadus sent one Hawk wrestler to State – Troy Amsden's big brother Dalton, who graduated in 2018. This year the younger Amsden, along with Sturtz, will proudly carry the PRCDHS sign in the parade of athletes on Friday.

Sturtz went 2-2 at Divisionals to bring home 4th place, while Amsden went 3-1 to take third place.

"Donovan struggled all year," Schoonover commented. "He finally decided he didn't want to lose anymore, and decided to do whatever it takes to win. He tried some unorthodox moves in Forsyth, and came out on top."

He continued on, speaking of Amsden's performance: "Troy is a tough kid. I went up before the tournament and got him seated 4th, which is a big deal there due to matchups. On the mat, Troy was able to use his experience to focus on what he needed to get done, and he did it."

Unfortunately Larry Hunt, who had battled hard all season, re-injured a previous shoulder injury at Divisionals, and was not able to continue. "Larry overcame a lot of adversity with injury and sickness this season, and he was really put to the test," Schoonover said.

State Wrestling begins this Friday at the Metra in Billings. Sturtz will initially face Isaac DuMontier of St. Ignatius, the number 1 wrestler from that Division. Troy Amsden will face Darwin Adams of Saint Ignatius, who is the number 2 wrestler from that division.

For those looking to watch the wrestlers live from the comfort of home, a live feed video is available on Trackwrestling. com. The website is fairly daunting to navigate, but by going to "browse", then selecting "tournaments" then selecting "Montana High School Association" from the drop down "governing body" menu, a list of tournaments will come up. Click on MHSA State Championships and an option for live video comes up. You're there!

In regards to the rest of his team, Schoonover is very impressed with their performance and skill level increase throughout the season.

"There's a night and day difference between the beginning of the season and the team's performance at Forsyth. I'm really proud of the team," Frankie said. "I'd really like to say thanks to the fans, parents, and high school basketball players who traveled up to Forsyth to cheer us on. I really appreciate your support."

The two remaining wrestlers, along with coaching staff will travel to Billings on Thursday to begin their tournament, on Friday. In the meantime, practice will consist of getting the wrestlers to constantly move and to find ways to get in a better position versus their opponent.

In a pep rally before leaving for the divisional tourney, Schoonover provided motivation by using the concept of failure as a method for growth. If one doesn't try and fail in any aspect of life, they will never get ahead. Such was the path of much of his team this year. Many of his wrestlers lost matches throughout the year, but continued to improve, and came out on the other end of the season battle hardened and ready for more, next year.

Larry Hunt dominates an opponent at Divisional Wrestling, in the picture above courtesy of Tom Herzog.

We wish Donovan and Troy the best at State!