Three Chinook Sugarbeeter wrestlers won at Divisionals over the weekend and the team finished 5th for the boys at 108.5 points and 7th for the girls with 68.5 points. New Media Broadcasters spoke with head coach Ben Stroh and he was elated by the performances over the course of the weekend.
“Holy cow. It was a weekend that every coach dreams of having,” Stroh said. “A lot of (those) kids weren’t even seeded and they somehow got on the podium and earned their own spots at state.”
“It was all smiles coming home on the bus,” Stroh continued. “If anyone was taking predications, they wouldn’t have thought we were taking that many. They wrestled tough.”
“Some huge matches that on paper, we shouldn’t have even been in and they were pulling them off,” Stroh said. “It was a fun weekend to be a Beeter.”
It is time for state wrestling, which is the Super Bowl of the sport here in the Treasure State. Coach Stroh has one more message for his wrestlers before they hit the mat in front of the large crowd.
“Obviously, the job isn’t done yet, but the biggest thing is just don’t walk in and get starstruck,” Stroh said. “It is a big deal and means a lot to them right now.”
“But if you get too tied up in how big that Metra(Park) is, I’ve seen a lot of great kids fall just because of the pressure of it,” Stroh continued.
“(I’m) just calling the kids and (talking) to them and just let them know it’s another wrestling match,” Stroh said. “Go out there, take it one match at a time, and good things will happen.”
The MHSA All-Class wrestling tournament takes place in Billings from Thursday through Saturday at the MetraPark.
