Holbrook wins 6th at State

 

March 11, 2021

Dakota Holbrook stands alone with his 6th place medal at the State Wrestling Tournament. (Photo courtesy MGM Images/Miranda Minow)

Two Broadus Wrestlers qualified for State this year – Dakota Holbrook and Kyle Minow, both wrestling at 170 lbs. On "normal" years, the State Tournament is held at the Metra in Billings as an All-Class Tournament. The event is quite the spectacle with the number of wrestlers and attendees in the large venue. This year the scene was a little different as Billings chose not to host the All-Class event. Instead, the State BC Tournament was held in Shelby, population 3078, located around northwest of Great Falls, around 470 miles from Broadus.

The wrestlers and coaching staff took off last Thursday for the tournament, spending the night in Cut Bank before weighing in and getting to work at the tournament on Friday.

Kyle Minow went into the tournament in the 7th seed from the Eastern Division, and faced Kyle Denny, the second seeded wrestler from the Western Division. Denny, a member of the Whitehall team, had a 23-9 record on the season compared to Minow's 17-7 record, and it looked to be a tough match for Minow. Broadus Head Wrestling Coach Frankie Schoonover told us that Minow went out and simply outwrestled Denny, pinning him in 2:32 for a huge upset win, and set the stage for a big weekend for the Hawks.

Dakota Holbrook, went into the tourney in the 4th seed from the Eastern Division. In his first match, Dakota faced off against the Western 5th seed Cael Giles from Fairfield/ Augusta. In a performance similar to Minow's, Dakota would win by pin in 2:36.

In their second matches, both Minow and Holbrook would face tough yet familiar opponents – Minow squaring off against Cylar Taylor of White Sulphur Springs, and Holbrook facing the Eastern 1st seed, Kyler Hallock of Glasgow. The Broadus boys had faced these opponents in the past and come out on the losing end, as was the case at State. Minow lost by pin in 4:30, while Holbrook lost by pin in 1:02.

Kyle then faced Aidan Tollefson on Florence/Carlton, in a match which Schoonover said was dominated by Minow from the beginning. Kyle won easily by pin, in 1:30.

Dakota Holbrook faced Austin Hughes of Glasgow, winning by pin in 1:51.

The wins placed the Hawks in a tough situation, as they next faced each other, with the winner going on to place at State. Schoonover expounded on the precarious situation: "This was a difficult situation, as Kyle and Dakota are friends, teammates, and workout partners. Wrestlers go out to be the toughest guy at the tournament, and when they have to face their teammate it adds a whole new dynamic to the situation. Assistant Coach Wyatt Williams and I didn't coach either wrestler in the match, we let them use their skills and experience to dictate the match, and it turned out to be one of the most intense and tough fought matches I've seen this year."

Dakota Holbrook would eventually come out ahead, pinning Minow in 3:19.

Holbrook then faced Tyler Schoen of Chinook, with Schoen winning by pin in 2:19. From there, Dakota was into the 5th/6th place match against Connor Sawyer of Cascade, with Sawyer winning by pin in 2:11.

Holbrook went on to receive the 6th place medal at 170 lbs in the state of Montana, as the first wrestler to place at State from Broadus since Harley Yoder, in 2017.

Broadus collected 20 team points in the tournament for Class C, missing a third place trophy be only three points.

Schoonover expounded on his wrestlers: "I was proud of how Dakota and Kyle performed at State. Dakota was happy with placing 6th, but he's not content. He's looking to improve next season."

He then spoke about his graduating senior, Kyle Minow: "We're really going to miss Kyle next season after he graduates. Kyle was a calm, collected leader in the practice room, and was always the first one out ready to practice. He's a tough kid and he left some big shoes to fill."

Schoonover wanted to thank Amy Minow for her work with the team, mentioning that she was a model for sports parents, always there to help but also not in the way, and always there to cheer on the team.

Holbrook, as well as the rest of the Hawks team, will be returning for another season, early next winter. Dakota's placing at State means Schoonover will be able to seed him in future tournaments, making for more favorable matchups where his experience and confidence should develop some good outcomes. For now, the Hawks will continue to work out, and look to attend some camps this summer to help improve their skills.

Schoonover finished: "I'm proud of the kids and what they accomplished this year; Powder River County should be proud of them, too."

 

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