State wrestling: Kaylin Taylor 'all in' for second state championship
BILLINGS – Kaylin Taylor is never alone when she steps on the wrestling mat.
Accompanying her physically is a bison plush toy, given to her by one of the Great Falls High School wrestling moms this season.
“I have it sit matside,” said the junior.
With her spiritually is her brother Luke, whose birthday would have been this Sunday. The family lost Luke to suicide.
“We were real close. I think about him when I’m on the mat,” said Taylor who turns 17 this April. “He was the reason I got into wrestling. At first, I didn’t want to do it. Then I saw him wrestling and said, ‘I want to do this.’
“I want to win this for him.“
Both the stuffed Bison and her brother were with Taylor on Friday as she posted pins in 1:14 and :48 seconds to advance to Saturday’s 114-pound semifinals of the girls portion of the all-Class State Wrestling Tournament at First Interstate Bank Arena.
The state tournament will conclude Saturday with championship matches for Class AA, A, B-C and girls to begin at approximately 4 p.m. The state finals concluded after press time. See greatfallstribune.com or Monday's edition of the Tribune for updates.
Billings Seniors leads the girls team standings with 107 points.
Taylor, who improved to 34-1, will face Robin Leidholt of Miles City. Leidholt handed Taylor her only loss during the season.
Taylor will be trying to reach the title match for the second time in three years. She won the state championship as a freshman and was third last year.
“I wasn’t mentally ready. I was a little spacey,” Taylor said of the 2022 semifinals. “Before the semifinal match, I was thinking about winning four. The pressure was building in me.”
She took a week off after the state tournament before resuming wrestling with the North Montana Wrestling Club in Great Falls. She placed second at the Girls Folkstyle National Tournament in Colorado Springs.
“She is super-focused. It’s her tenacity. Kaylin is all-in,” said Luis Carranza, head coach of the Bison wrestling program. “Third is good but not her goal. Kaylin has just grown as a wrestler. She has become more of a vocal leader.”
Taylor has added some moves to her repertoire, “Trying to work out of my comfort zone,” she said and put in the work.
“The big thing is mental,” Taylor said. “Staying in the right head space. I have to keep tunnel vision.
“I’m ready this year.”
During her freshman title season, she was known for her lucky rainbow socks. But Taylor has run into a problem.
“I can’t find them,” she said with a smile.
Taylor wore Big Bird socks on Friday and had her footwear picked out for Saturday, and has her post-tourney snack picked out.
“I’m going to go with Pop Tarts,” she said.
CLASS AA
Taylor wasn’t the only Great Falls wrestler to advance to the semifinals.
The Bison had five boys reach the final four while Great Falls CMR has four.
Two-time defending state champion Kalispell Flathead put 11 in the semifinals to lead the team standings with 136.5 points after two sessions. Billings West is second with 118 and Helena Capital is third at 88.5.
Flathead and West matchup in the semifinals at 120, 138, 182 and 205.
The Bison are fifth (75.5) and the Rustlers seventh (63).
Only the top 13 finishers for each team will count in the final points standings.
Defending state champion Brendan Lockhart remained unbeaten for Great Falls with a pair of pins in 56 and 50 seconds at 205 pounds to extend his season record to 31-0.
Joining him in the semifinals are: Irish Furthmyre (152) and Kale Baumann (145) along with Gage Clothier and Jace Komac making up half the field at 132 pounds. Furthmyre is 22-1 this season.
“We had some ups and we had some downs,” said Carranza of the first day. “We have a lot of wrestling left to put themselves in pretty good position.”
Advancing to the semifinals for CMR are: A.J Lafurge (182), Landon De La Garza (126), Logan Younkin (113) and Paydon De La Garza (103). Lafurge, who had pins in 1:35 and 2:37, improved his record to 22-1.
CLASS A
It appears Sidney’s streak of five consecutive state championships is in danger of ending.
Columbia Falls leads with 99 points, followed by Miles City (76), the Eagles (74) and Havre (64).
Sidney’s Owen Lonski was trying to become one of three four-time state champions this weekend but lost to Chris Rathjen of Columbia Falls in the first round.
Teagan Vasquez of Kalispell Glacier and Bozeman’s Avery Allen still have chances to become the 39thand 40th four-time state champions in Montana high school history.
The Blue Ponies put four in the semifinals: Matt Lemer (113), Tristan Stygles (138), Reinhard Bold (152) and Kale Van Campen (182).
Lewistown (Wyatt Elam, 170 and Jett Boyce, 205) and Browning (Brendyn Whiteman, 285) and Tahj Wells, 145) each have two in the semifinals.
Class B-C
Defending state champion Huntley Project leads with 91 points and put seven in the semifinals.
Three Forks is second with 71.5 and Eureka third with 60.
Superior leads the Class C standings by five points over Fort Benton.
Cut Bank advanced five to the semifinals: Richard Schmidt (103), Bradin Murphy (120), Alex Wahl (138), Kanon Branch (145) and Ethan Sullivan (285).
Glasgow (Mason Donaldson 170, Khye Gamas 138), Fort Benton (Nathan Dunham 182, Trevor O’Hara 113) and Conrad (Chris Graham 160, Logan Van Dyke 126) each have two. Dunham had a 19-second pin in the first round.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: State wrestling: Kaylin Taylor 'all in' for second state championship
