Havre wrestling will be back on the mat in the coming days to start the 2024-25 season. New Media Broadcasters spoke with head coach Beau LaSalle and he said who his returners are, first starting with the boys.
“(I’ve got) a couple of seniors: Pierce Caplette and Matt Lemer that have been part of the program for a long time,” LaSalle said. “Both have previously been state placers. We’ll lean on those guys.”
“Tommy Lewis is back after being in the state finals last year,” LaSalle continued. “Reed Mantle was a placer for us last year and he’s also back.”
He then addressed the need to retool the girls’ side after graduating a solid class.
“The girls’s side, we graduated a good group of girls last year, but bring back a few more,” LaSalle said. “McKenna Caplette and Poloma Padilla have all wrestled before.”
“We’ve got some new faces on the girls’s side,” LaSalle said. “It’s exciting.”
The Ponies will start the year the same way it has been for the last few decades. The Havre Mixer and Invitational brings together seven teams from mixed classifications from around the Treasure State. LaSalle shared what makes this unique setting a place to flock to in order to get their seasons going.
“It’s nice to start the year off at home,” LaSalle said. “It’s a little bit smaller of a tournament.”
“Just a good opportunity for us to get on the mat and wrestle against somebody besides ourselves,” LaSalle continued. “(It’ll) give us a chance to figure out what our varsity lineup is going to look like (and) get some live competition.”
“We have the opportunity in front of a home crowd and do some wrestle-offs live with the ref in front of everybody,” LaSalle said. “It just feels good to get back at it.”
The Havre Mixer takes place on Friday, while the Havre Invitational gets going on Saturday.
