BILLINGS — The wrestling boys at Lockwood High School are chasing a third straight top‑three state finish — or possibly higher, led by a strong 1-2 punch.
Brody Ketterling supplies one of those punches — a proud hometown kid through and through
"Born and raised," Ketterling told MTN Sports of growing up in Lockwood.
The senior has always been all in, never with a thought of leaving his district to compete elsewhere.
See how William Elves and Brody Ketterling are leading the Lions:
"I was just born here. Figured I might as well go all the way through with it instead of transferring," he continued.
And Ketterling has certainly delivered for his Lions. The senior is a two-time Class A state champion, and now wrestling at 138 pounds he’s aiming to become a Lockwood three-timer.
"He's had a great high school career. He's another kid who's a great example of a leader in our room … works really hard on and off the mat," said Lions coach Beau Malia.
William Elves is wrestling like a senior, but he's only a sophomore who earned his varsity start early.
"He placed as an eighth grader, which was awesome at 103 pounds," Malia recalled.
"Ever since I was 3 or 4, my dad started me up, took me to club (wrestling). At first, it didn't start out great. I mean, it started rough," Elves said with a smile.
But the 103-pounder has flipped that script. Last February he wrestled in the state championship match before finishing as a runner-up.
"Very confident," Malia said of Elves. "He's been wrestling since he was a little kid and he understands what the game is all about."
When Elves walks onto the mat he takes care of work, evidence to this point of his unbeaten season.
"Everything has been smooth, but we've got to stay locked in for the state tournament. That's when it really matters … the pressure's on," Elves said with another smile.
Back-to-back third-place team finishes are the highest ever for Lockwood's program. Right now, they're a top-five Class A team.
“Not a lot of older guys (on this team), but if we just get the right mentality and wrestle like we know we can, we can really do a good thing,” Elves said.
Chasing another high podium finish, Malia says stability continues to ignite his youthful program.
"We've been fortunate here at Lockwood where kids have transitioned through the years of watching the older kids and doing a good job of filling those shoes," he said.
And Lockwood's 1-2 punch of Ketterling and Elves gives the Lions another fighting chance.
