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MHSA Board Denies Flathead Wrestler’s Appeal

Executive board holds up ruling that top-ranked Flathead wrestler is ineligible due to inadequate weigh-ins

By Dillon Tabish

A top-ranked wrestler from Flathead High School will not be allowed to compete at this week’s state tournament after inadequate documentation made him ineligible.

Payton Hume, a sophomore and the top-ranked 138-pound wrestler in Class AA, cannot compete due to a coaching mistake that led to a violation of the Montana High School Association’s so-called 50 percent rule, which sets weight-control standards for health and safety reasons.

Flathead head coach Rich Vasquez admitted his coaching staff had made a “clerical error” and failed to document one of Hume’s official weigh-ins, which tipped the scale when it came time for him to qualify at 138 pounds.

“It was a clerical error. There’s no excuse for it. We missed it,” Vasquez told the Beacon. “It’s just unfortunate all the way around.”

The MHSA Executive Board on Wednesday afternoon denied an appeal to overturn the decision, stifling a last-ditch effort to re-admit Hume.

The action came a day after Flathead County District Judge David Ortley declined to grant an injunction overruling the MHSA and allowing Hume to wrestle this weekend. Hume’s father, Walter, was seeking the injunction, claiming his son should not be punished for the school’s mistake.

The MHSA initially delivered the ruling before last weekend’s seeding tournament, but the Humes were granted a temporary restraining order by the court that allowed Payton to wrestle at 138 at the Feb. 6 tournament in Missoula, where he placed second and qualified for the state meet. Flathead officials believed Hume would become eligible for the state tournament but were proven incorrect.

Following both the court’s ruling and the MHSA board’s decision, Hume is now ineligible to compete at any weight class because he qualified at 138 pounds.

“It’s very disappointing for the young man and it’s difficult, that’s for sure. The other piece is with all of our rules, coaches are responsible to know the rules and make sure the rules are being followed,” Mark Beckman, MHSA executive director, said. “If everyone could claim misunderstanding or negligence, that would open the door to no rules being followed.”

Flathead is taking 21 wrestlers to the state tournament and is considered a heavy favorite to vie for a state championship team trophy.

Hume has developed into one of the top young wrestlers in Montana, but his season will end with him cheering from the stands.

The issue centers on the number of official weigh-ins that Hume recorded at 138 pounds. In regards to the 50 percent rule, the MHSA handbook states, “For health and safety reasons, Montana’s weight control program shall require each wrestler to have at least one-half of weigh-ins during the season at the minimum weight the wrestler will compete in during the divisional and state tournament series. A wrestler must have weighed in and wrestled at least one time during the regular season in order to be eligible for the post season.”

MHSA officials testified in court Tuesday that they received an anonymous call from Flathead and an administrator at Sentinel High School informing them of Hume’s potential ineligibility.

Brian Michelotti, MHSA’s assistant director, reviewed the team’s weigh-in history and found that Hume had officially weighed in at 145 pounds a total of nine times this season, which was more than half of his events.

Vasquez said the discrepancy was due to a staff member failing to write down weigh-in results, including’s Hume’s at 138, for the entire team at a tournament in December. Hume also weighed-in at 138 at a dual in Arlee that was added in January, but that weigh-in was thrown out because the event was added after the regular season had started, Vasquez said.

In the end, only eight of Hume’s events were considered eligible at 138 pounds, less than half of his season total.

Vasquez admitted the mistakes but said some of the MHSA rules seemed open for interpretation and confusing.

“Can MHSA clarify some rules? Yes. Can we fix our clerical errors going forward? Of course,” Vasquez said. “It was no fault of Payton’s. He did everything right and it’s disappointing that he won’t be out there competing.”

Beckman defended the MHSA rules.

“The 50 percent rule is an important rule,” he said.

“I’ve never had a challenge or concerns or questions raised in regard to the rule itself. We usually have coaches call ahead of time and ask to make sure everyone is in compliance and to make sure kids are eligible.”

Beckman said this is the first time in his 12-year tenure as executive director that a wrestler was deemed ineligible for the state tournament due to the 50 percent rule.