BILLINGS — The last time Billings West won a Class AA state wrestling title, it was led by a three-time state champ with the last name of Hernandez.
29 years later, history repeated itself for the Golden Bears as another Hernandez — a pair of them actually — helped West snap a 29-year streak without a state title.
The wrestler this time around was Keyan Hernandez, who won his third Class AA state title on Saturday at the Metra in Billings and matched his dad, Jeremy Hernandez, the current West head coach and 3-timer back in 1994.
“I just hugged my dad and started crying,” Keyan Hernandez said when West clinched the team title. “It was the happiest thing in my life that’s ever happened to me. Yes, I won today, but to see my dad finally accomplish his lifelong goal as a head coach just makes me so happy.”
With the Class AA team scores tied between West and two-time defending state champion Flathead heading into the finals, there was plenty of drama. Yet, the Bears won three titles starting at 103 pounds as freshman Makael Aguayo earned his first state title after defeating Tristan Vladic of Senior via a major decision.
At 113 pounds, Zach Morse added to the West lead with an 11-1 major decision over Nolan Brown of Belgrade. Morse, a sophomore, is now a two-time champ and is halfway to becoming the Golden Bears first four-timer.
“Billings West has never had a four-timer,” Morse said. “I’m planning on being the first.”
Morse did a back flip after his victory and also talked about what it meant to finally bring home a state team title for the Golden Bears.
“Flathead has won it the past two years,” he said. “And it was really important for us to take it from them.”
The win by Keyan Hernandez meant that West, which advanced four wrestlers to the final round with Jesse Aarness finishing as the runner-up at 138 pounds, would win the title unless Flathead was able to win all three of its finals matches by pin.
The Braves did win one match as 182-pounder Noah Poe-Hatten won a 9-7 decision over AJ Lafurge of CMR. Yet, the championship was locked up prior to that when Billings Skyview’s Paolo Salminen won his state title rematch from last season with Flathead’s Anders Thompson.
Salminen notched a 9-5 victory to go back-to-back and in the background, West celebrated like it was 1994 all over again.
“All the credit goes to these kids,” Hernandez said. “They’re the ones in the room. They are busting their butts, sweating, and bleeding and going through injuries. If anyone deserves credit, it’s them. I’m just a guy in the corner yelling.”
But usually, with the way West operates, he’s not the only one yelling words of encouragement.
“We are a family and they’re like brothers,” Jeremy Hernandez said. “Every tournament we get in trouble because we have 14 or 15 people in our corner. They have been that way since the club days. They are a family and they love each other.”
Sharing a team championship with his son, only reinforced that feeling.
“It’s amazing to share it with my son,” Hernandez said. “I want to share it with kids like Jace Rhodes and Drake Rhodes — Jace Van Pelt. We wanted to win it for all those guys. But to share it with my son, it just adds to the excitement and how proud I am of these kids.”
When it was all said and done, West won the team race with 220 points and 11 wrestlers total on the podium compared to 211.5 for Flathead, which placed 14. Great Falls High, which crowned two state champs, also brought home some hardware by taking third with 178. Senior was fourth with 165, followed by Helena Capital in fifth with 145.