Fetherston makes big plays in football; captures state wrestling title for Helena High

In their biggest regular-season game of the season, the Helena High football team wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

The Bengals extended their crosstown rivals, Capital High, to overtime. The Bruins were No. 1 at the time and would go on to claim a state championship. However, they would lose on this day as the Bengals turned to their offensive leader, quarterback Ryan Fetherston.

He scored four touchdowns including a score in the second overtime and another in the third as the Bengals won 27-20.

"We ran two different plays," said Helena High coach Tony Arntson. "We didn't try to fool them. We wanted the ball in his hands."

It's for that winning character and outstanding character in general that Fetherston has been named the IR's male athlete of 2006.

He was the driving force on offense for the Bengal football team under center. He also was a focal point of the Bengal defense at linebacker.

His athletic skills, however, went beyond the football field.

He was the dominant wrestler for the Bengals, claiming the state title at 189 pounds. That was the first individual state championship for Helena High since Jade Fetters won at 145 pounds in 2000.

He is a very good bet to repeat as state champion this year as he has an undefeated record at 215 pounds at the Christmas break.

Fetherston exudes self confidence whether it be on the mat or on the football field and it doesn't come through as a cockiness, but a calm demeanor that never wavers even when times get tough.

"He never feared being the guy that made a mistake," Arntson said. "He always believed that he would be the guy to make the play to win the game."

In the crosstown football game, after a crucial extra point was missed in overtime. He went over to the Bengals' kicker and told him the game wasn't over. Sure enough it wasn't.

That self confidence springs from spending plenty of time perfecting his skills, whether it be in the weight room, watching film or going on a run.

"He has put in the time and prepared himself," said Marty Kloker, Helena High's wrestling coach as well as the defensive line coach on the football team. "When you are talking about football, he has watched film and he knows what play the other team will run at us on defense. (In wrestling) He knows what he does well and what he thinks will help him win the match."

Kloker points to the state championship wrestling match last season as a perfect example of preparedness. Fetherston was pitted against Kalispell wrestler Scott Cassell.

Cassell beat Fetherston 5-4 in the final match of the regular season. Both wrestlers sailed through divisionals into the state finals.

"That (the loss) was somewhat of a slap in the face," Fetherston said. "I had to get my butt going and go the extra step."

In the state final, Cassell chose the down position to start the second period and was prepared for Fetherston to apply a leg ride, a move which he had perfected. However, Fetherston had more than one move in his arsenal and at the last second he changed strategy. He broke down Cassell into a cradle and won by pin.

Wrestling is something that Fetherston has done since he was a small boy. He won a national Greco-Roman title when he was 12. He has also placed third nationally in freestyle wrestling tournaments.

He has learned at the knee of people like Kloker, Jim Darfler, Dean Colvin and former Helena High standout Jay McDuffie.

His mother and father, Tim and Christie also take an active role in his athletic endeavors.

"When I wrestle, it's for the community of East Helena," Fetherston said.

Fetherston's work doesn't just come during the winter and fall either. Like most athletes, he heads off to numerous camps during the summer, even though they might not be the most pleasant experiences.

Last summer, he and his Helena High football teammates were headed off to Eugene, Ore., for the University of Oregon football camp. The trip there was as grueling as two-a-day practices as the team traveled in a bus that wasn't equipped with air conditioning.

One evening, the Bengals stayed in hardly five-star accommodations -- a school gym. The boys found one room that had air conditioning in the school and basked in relative comfort for the rest of the evening.

Despite the spartan conditions, the trip did create a bond among Fetherston and his teammates that exended into the football season.

Fetherston is close with many members on the Helena High football team whether it be eating pizza with the offensive line or traveling to Oregon.

"He understood what it takes to lead and what he needed to do to include everybody -- offensive linemen, the defensive lineman who played in front of him, whoever," said Artnson. "He included everybody and does whatever it takes to win."

Fetherston will now take his team-first attitude to Missoula as he verbally committed to the University of Montana earlier this month. He is slated to play linebacker for the Grizzlies.

"Ryan is a good fit for the program," Kloker said. "He is a hard-working kid who will enjoy being all around that activity. With all the positive stuff going on around the Grizzlies, he is going to blossom in that environment."