Four place at state

 

February 16, 2023

Sara Hannum

Hawk senior Elijah Ratliff congratulates Max Hannum after his semifinal win during the state wrestling tournament.

At what point does something become tradition? The Blue Hawk wrestling program has to be close. In what has become a recent tradition, the Thompson Falls wrestling team rolled into the parking lot Sunday afternoon with a state champion on board.

This is the fourth year in a row the Hawks have had a state champion in wrestling. Junior Max Hannum pinned Miles Hoerauf in the second period of Saturday evening's championship match in the 170-pound weight class to earn his first state title.

"Max was perfect all weekend," Coach Mike Thilmony said Sunday when the team returned to Thompson Falls. "We had a game plan and Max executed it, keeping the pace high in the match." Hannum and Hoerauf had wrestled three times previously this year, so the Thompson Falls team and wrestler knew what had to be done to get a championship. Hannum said he could feel Hoerauf get tired as the first period was winding down. "I knew I could beat him," the junior wrestler said.

Hannum had lost to Hoerauf in the Western B/C Divisional title match a week earlier, so he was ready for a rematch. Hannum pinned his way to his first state title, dominating each competitor. His quest started with a pin over Wyatt Beddes of Shepherd in 3 minutes, 8 seconds, followed by a pin in 2:58 in the quarterfinals over Trevin Bradley of Colstrip. In the semifinal round, Hannum pinned Glasgow's Mason Donaldson in 3:05, setting up the final match with Hoerauf.

"It feels good. It hasn't really set in yet," Hannum said as a crowd of supporters greeted him and the rest of the state team at the high school Sunday afternoon. "A big thanks to my coaches and to Eli." Hannum's season came to the optimal ending after recovering from knee surgery last year. Even though it hasn't sunk in that he is a state champion, Hannum smiled Sunday and said now his goal is to win two state titles.

Senior Elijah Ratliff ended his Blue Hawk wrestling career with a second straight silver medal at state. "That's nothing to hang your head about," Thilmony said. Ratliff ends his high school career with 143 wins, three divisional titles and two second-place finishes at state. "He's one of the most decorated wrestlers in Thompson Falls history. That's one heck of a career and I'm super proud of Eli," Thilmony added.

Ratliff's state tournament started with a quick pin over Jesse Eide of Three Forks in less than a minute. He then won a 13-2 major decision over Colstrip's Ian Willoughby, setting up a semifinal match with Jaron Taylor of Circle. It was a close match with Taylor. The two were tied at one point each when Ratliff scored a reversal with just less than 10 seconds left in the match to win 3-1. Coach Thilmony called Ratliff's championship match against Huntley Project's Wylee Lindeen a dog fight. "It could have gone either way. We knew it was going to be low scoring and they were both taking good shots." Lindeen won by just one point, 3-2. "It was a hard loss," Coach Thilmony said, " but Eli needs to look back on this and be proud of his career as a Blue Hawk wrestler."

Ratliff, a senior, said it was a bit overwhelming that his high school wrestling career was over, but he was proud of his teammate's state title "It's been great to see Max's progress. We really worked hard all season," Ratliff said. "We treated each day in the wrestling room like it was state week and it was competitive," he added of his practice all season with Hannum. "Eli was a great practice partner," Hannum added.

Sara Hannum

Hawk Brock Ryan competes at state.

Coach Thilmony said he was proud of his young team this season. "It felt like we were getting beat up at the beginning of the year and I'm super proud of how they have progressed," he stated. For Hawks Diego Long, Noa Stevens and Brock Ryan, this was their first time qualifying for the state tournament. Stevens and Long each got a win at the state tournament, with Long defeating Tucker Miller of Baker and Stevens pinning Sheldon Serrano of Roundup in 4:29. Ryan was unable to get a win at state, but Thilmony is excited for his future in the program.

Sisters Jaden and Desani Bewick qualified for the state tournament, both wrestling at 100 pounds. The duo didn't get a win on the mats but Thilmony said he was proud of their commitment this year. "They keep stepping it up on the mat and the way they both compete is something special."

Trae Thilmony won state titles for the Hawks in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Hannum now joins an elite group to have their name on the wall of the halls of Thompson Falls High School.

 

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