Hoerauf & Scafani Place at State

Whitehall High School Wrestlers finished their season with outstanding performances at the All-Class tournament in Billings. Isaac Skogen, Wesley Biggers, Michael Reiff, Miles Hoerauf, Kyle Denny, and Leo Scafani represented Whitehall well.

Whitehall Trojan junior Miles Hoerauf topped his season off with impressive matches. Hoerauf’s 160-pound weight class was full of competent wrestlers. His quest for the finals started with a match against Jessie Brawley of Baker. Miles started with an early takedown, the only points of the first period. He gained another takedown and 3 points near fall to go into the third period with a 7-1 lead. He gained an escape in the third period to win 8-1.

His second match was against Vaugh Pendley from Big Fork. Miles dominated this match and gained a 9-1 lead before earning the pin in the third period.

With each win, the competition intensifies. Miles’ semifinal match was against an equally talented Garrett Sholley from Huntley Project. Miles gained a takedown for the only score in the first period, then lost a stalling point in the second period. He gained a 2 point near fall in the third before losing another penalty point and an escape to end the match with a 4-3 victory. This advanced Miles to the championship match against the returning champion, Zach Valdez of Colstrip.

Being the underdog did not slow Miles down. He earned the first takedown but later lost a reversal to end the first period 2-2. During the second period, Miles lost a reversal and 2 points near fall before earning an escape and ending the second period 3-6. The battle continued into the third, where he quickly earned an escape bringing the score to 4-6. Valdez earned a takedown followed by another escape from Miles. Miles earned a penalty point bringing the score to 6-8. Needing to push the pace, with 14 sec left to score, Miles’ attempt was countered and Valdez was able to score another takedown and near fall to end the match with a final score of 6-13. It was a truly impressive match by both wrestlers.

Junior Leo Scafani impressed the crowd with his 6th place finish. Being lighter than most heavyweights, he used his strength, technique, and speed to even the field. Competing against some of the best in the state, he had some of the closest matches possible.

He started with a match against Higareda from Huntley Project. He dominated with a 5-0 victory.

Next, he competed against rival Morgan from Choteau. After a back and forth match with little scoring, Leo was on the bottom, behind 0-1. He had 15 seconds to escape and tie the match. Because of a malfunction of the clock, the match was stopped early and he lost 0-1. This placed him in the consolation bracket against Vulles of Superior.

After another close match, Leo came out on top 6-4. The next match was against Humes of Eureka. The match ended in a 1-1 tie. The overtime periods ended in a 2-2 tie. In the ultimate tiebreaker period, Leo was required to control Humes for 30 seconds to win. In a supreme show of determination, he held him down and won the match. This was followed by a 0-2 consolation semifinal loss to Berger of Poplar.

His 5th and 6th place matches were similarly close against Gallagher from Cut Bank. After a tied 3-3 match, Gallagher gained a takedown in overtime to win 5-3. Leo’s true grit earned him the 6th place finish in the state.

Isaac Skogen’s efforts lead him into the second day of competition, an accomplishment in itself. At 103, his matches included an initial loss to Young of Poplar, followed by a pin over Saboe from White Sulfur Springs, a 6-4 victory over Von Olnhaus from Huntley, and lastly a loss to the eventual 4th place finisher, Fainter of Big Fork.

Wesley Biggers (132) made his first state appearance this year with matches against the ultimate champion Taylor from Circle and Kovalsky from Superior.

Michael Reiff (145) battled a hip injury to first lose against the ultimate 6th place Schmidt from Huntley, then earn a pin against Heck from Colstrip before losing to the 4th place Larson from Cut Bank.

Kyle Denny (170) started his state tournament with two matches against Huntley. First was a loss to the eventual 2nd place finisher Lindeen, then a victory by pin over Stott. His last match was a loss to Hannum from Thompson Falls.

This year showed a lot of success and growth for the Whitehall Wrestling team. They finished the season with a 15-4 dual record, and many tournament wins and medals. We are thankful for the support of the parents, who raised excellent children and traveled many miles to support the team. We are thankful to the school administration who agree that athletics are an important part of education and the community for helping us put on our huge tournament.