Flathead High School just wrapped up its fourth straight Class AA wrestling championship over the weekend. It’s a special moment in the state’s wrestling history. A little historical context, however, helps us put the achievement in perspective – simply put, there has never been a wrestling program in Montana like the one Butte had in the 1980s. For those who witnessed Butte’s magical run, I’m willing to bet you’ll never see anything like it again. For the rest of us, perhaps you can tell us stories.
Butte won 13 straight Class AA wrestling titles between 1980 and 1992. Their streak broke the old all-class record of 10, set by Missoula Sentinel – known simply as Missoula High School for part of the run – between 1960 and 1969. While Sentinel’s streak was remarkable, it should be noted that by the time Butte made its run, Class AA had expanded considerably. Also, Butte won 112 consecutive dual meets in that period, an unheard-of number that is difficult to put in any kind of perspective.
Wrestling in Montana has a history of dynasties. Currently the top dog in Class AA is Flathead, but Billings Skyview isn’t too far behind. Flathead and Skyview have combined to win eight out of the last nine Class AA titles. If you throw Butte into the mix, those three teams – Skyview, Flathead and Butte – have won every state championship since 1980, except for Billings West’s title in 1994 and Great Falls’ in 1999. That’s 28 out of the last 30 state championships.
In Class A, Havre has won three straight championships after dominating this past weekend’s state tourney. Before Havre, Sidney won four in a row. Havre and Sidney have won 11 out of the past 13 Class A championships.
In the Class B-C division, Glasgow won its third straight title over the weekend. Now Glasgow and Conrad have combined to win 13 out of the past 15 Class B-C titles. Conrad won four straight from 2003-2006.
Other notable runs include Ronan’s string of five straight Class A titles between 1978 and 1982, Miles City’s streak of four in a row between 1958 and 1961, and Huntley Project’s streak of four straight from 1986 to 1989 in Class B-C.
Flathead is now the eighth team ever to have won four straight state wrestling championships at any level. Congratulations to the Braves for making history. I’m sure those Butte wrestlers from the 1980s would be proud.