BILLINGS — Colstrip wasn’t supposed to win its third Class B wrestling championship in five years. At least, it wasn’t the main goal of the Colts.
“We don’t stress as much on the team title, just for us to push ourselves every single match and to get as many bonus points as possible,” said 170-pound Nakoda Siegel.
That individual-first mindset pushed five Colstrip wrestlers into the state championship round, with four of the five — Siegel, Ty Bradley, Jackson Currier and Merlin Whitedirt — each winning gold medals for the Colts. Trey Yates finished runner-up in the 205-pound bracket.
Those finishes, paired with a good showing in the consolation bracket, were enough to boost Colstrip to the Class B title anyway, even if it wasn’t goal No. 1.
“It is. It’s the perfect weekend. Like you said, undefeated season, state championship and then the team championship,” said Siegel, who finished his junior season 45-0. “It feels like a relief. We came in here, I was supposed to win and I got the job done.”
Truth be told, Colstrip always figured to be in the running for a state trophy. But overcoming the star power of defending champion Eureka, plus the loaded roster of perennial power Glasgow, was a feat that made the successes even sweeter for the Colts.
“Wrestling tough,” Siegel said. “We have to wrestle tough. We have to be in there every single match. We can’t have slip-ups, and like I said before, bonus points.”
It may have been a different approach, but one certainly can’t argue with the results.
