The six competitors for the 2020 Montana State Championship have been named! They are:

1) Dorje McPherron, Missoula (2019 State Champion)

2) Daniel Mattson, Billings (Montana Open Champion, and Montana Grand Prix 1st Place)

3) Wilton Strickland, Missoula (Montana Grand Prix 2nd Place)

4) Kevin Kuehnel, Bozeman (Montana Open 2nd Place)

5) Darren Stacey, Helena (Montana Open 3rd Place)

6) Thomas Walthall, Stevensville (Montana Grand Prix 3rd Place)

Special congratulations are in order for Thomas Walthall, a rising sophomore in high school who is by far the youngest competitor in this group. To make it into the closed championship tournament is an achievement for anyone, but for a teenager it’s something else.