HAVRE — Thursday night in Havre, the No. 4 Montana State-Northern wrestling team rolled to a 48-6 win over Dickinson State on Senior Night. But it was a moment before the dual even started that folks are still talking about.
During senior introductions, Lights senior Andrew Bartel stunned the crowd when he dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Peyton Filius, a former Skylights basketball player and the daughter of longtime Havre wrestling coach Scott Filius, in the center of the mat.
The fans at the Armory Gymnasium went wild, and much to Bartel’s relief, Filius said yes.
“It’s been in the works for a while. I didn’t know I was going to do it tonight since actually yesterday,” Bartel said after his proposal. “But I’ve been thinking about it for a while, so today felt right.”
Bartel said he was more nervous than he’s been for any match of his life.
“I was out there shaking and trying to hold it together so she doesn’t know,” he laughed. “It was surreal. I couldn’t really hear the crowd or nothing. It was just me and her, me and Peyton.”
What was running through his mind?
“Please say yes,” he laughed.
Bartel was able to put aside the emotions of the moment and went on to pin his opponent in the final match of the night, capping off the perfect evening for the senior from Iowa.
Reporting by Tom Wylie for MTN News
