The Broadus Hawk Wrestling season got underway last weekend at the Sidney Eagle Invitational, which featured 27 teams from as far flung locales as California and Colorado, and many large Montana and North Dakota schools.

Wrestling Head Coach Fran-kie Schoonover returns to the mats this year to coach the team which this season features 11 wrestlers. Several weight classes remain unfilled but Schoonover was looking at possibilities of moving wrestlers around to fill some of those weight classes; if wrestlers are successful at competing in those other weights it gives Broadus a much better chance at competing as a team. Even with a few holes in the weight classes, Broadus garnered 10 team points in Sidney, tying with Baker for 23rd place; as a matter of comparison Rapid City, SD brought 28 wrestlers and only scored 38.5 points.

New this year in the wrestling world is the inclusion of 8th graders in high school wrestling. The change was welcomed by Schoonover – since wrestlers only compete within their weight class, the advantages of age and experience may come into play when wrestling older opponents, but the physical attributes often associated with older, bigger, stronger opponents (such as in a sport like football, which does not allow 8th grade participation) won't be a factor.

Schoonover told us he was excited to see how the team would compete, as they have been working together well in practice, gelling as a team and pushing each other to perform. That cohesiveness was put on display in Sidney, as Schoonover was the only coach able to attend; Frankie noted that the wrestlers did a great job coaching each other while he was coaching other matches.

The following Broadus wrestlers competed in Sidney:

Kail Irish, a sophomore, was 2-2 at the tournament in the varsity 132 lb. weight class and scored 6.0 team points. In the first round, Kail won by fall over Ben Carlsen of Sidney. In the second round, Trevor Wilson of Lake Stevens won by decision over Irish, 15-8. Kail then received a bye. In Cons. Round 3, Kail won by decision over Luther Morrison of Rapid City by a score of 5-1. Cons. Round 4 - Cooper Lane of Huntley Project won by major decision over Kail 9-0.

Frankie told us Kail had a legitimately good tournament, as he was bumped up to the varsity level. "He surprised me with how in tune he was in his first tournament. His head was in the right place, and he performed phenomenally."

Riggin Schaffer, a junior, was 2-2 at the tournament in the varsity 152 lb. weight class and scored 4.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Tyson Rice of Williston won by 17-3 major decision over Riggin. Cons. Round 1 - Riggin won by fall over Kaden Kraft of Minot in 1:43. Cons. Round 2 - Riggin won in sudden victory over Jack Cornwell of Glasgow, 7-5. Cons. Round 3 - Ethan Dennis of Watford City won by major decision 12-3 over Riggin.

Schoonover commented that Riggin has learned to set the pace and be aggressive, and it showed on the mat against his opponents as he pulled out some wins.

AJ Schoenbeck was 0-2 in the JV tournament in the 103 lb. weight class. AJ was pinned by Will Merkel and Haydan Frieboes of Custer County.

AJ is an 8th grader, and had experience in AAU several years ago and is back on the mats this season. Frankie said AJ came out ready to wrestle, initiating a take-down right away in his first match.

Archer Edwards was 2-2 and placed 7th in the JV 138 lb. weight class. Champ. Round 1 - Cash Crimmins of Dickinson won by fall over Archer in 3:14. Archer then won by fall over Tristan Black of Williston in 2:47. Cons. Round 3 - Jett Rieb of Rapid City won by fall over Edwards in 2:22. 7th Place Match - Archer won by a 10-6 decision over Cash Crimmins of Dickinson.

Archer is in his second year wrestling for Schoonover, and had never won a match prior to this tournament. At Sidney Edwards not only won his first but also his second match, as he progresses forward in his wrestling career.

Kolton Turnbough, a junior, was 2-3 and placed 6th in the JV 152 lb. weight class. Champ. Round 1 - Kolton won by fall over Aaron Kyle of Colstrip in 4:36. Quarterfinal - Branden Van Keuren of Custer/Hysham won by fall over Kolton in 2:35. Cons. Round 2 - Kolton won by 8-5 decision over Hoyt Anderson of Rapid City. Cons. Semi - Jimmy Barnick of Dawson County won by fall over Kolton in 4:00. 5th Place Match - Branden Van Keuren of Custer/ Hysham won by fall over Kolton in 2:44.

Schoonover told us that Kolton wrestled last year but was injured for much of the season, so this year offers a new start for Turnbough, which he took advantage of with two wins in his first tournament of the season.

Alex Edwards was 2-3 and placed 6th in the JV 160 lb. weight class. Alex won by fall over Aydan Shorter of Lockwood in 0:20, and then pinned Tim Whaley of Sidney in 2:50. Semifinal - Ty Schepens of Sidney won by fall over Alex in 1:50. Cons. Semi - Zach Green of Rapid City won by fall over Alex in 1:25. 5th Place Match - Kaydence Littlewolf of Colstrip won by fall over Alex in 3:56.

Alex Edwards, a senior, returns to the mats after his bid at State last season. Schoonover said Alex has been leading the team this season as their elder statesman, and has improved leaps and bounds since even the beginning of last season as he placed 6th in the JV at Sidney.

Colton Playle wrestled in the JV 160 lb. weight class and was 0-2 in the tournament. Colton lost by pin to Ty Schepens of Sidney and Kaydence Littlewolf of Colstrip.

Colton Playle is a first year senior wrestler. Frankie noted that despite his lack of experience, Colton is showing himself to be an aggressive and assertive wrestler as he had a takedown at Sidney.

Jon Wood was 1-3 and placed 6th in the JV 205 lb. weight class. Quarterfinal - Riley Overvold of Glasgow won by fall over Jon in 0:37. Cons. Round 3 - Jon won by forfeit over Shawn Branham of Williston. Cons. Semi - Tucker Turbiville of Baker won by fall over Jon in 2:06. 5th Place Match - Rylee Wiggins of Forsyth won by fall over Jon in 1:33.

Schoonover commented on sophomore Jon Wood: "He needs to increase his intensity level. Sometimes big kids get told they need to be nice, but I need to see him turn on his aggression on the mat. If he does that, I can see him progressing far."

"As a whole the team exceeded my goals at Sidney. It was a good tournament to set the tone for the season," he said.

The next test for the team comes this weekend at the 27th annual Scottie Invitational in Glasgow.