Last Friday and Saturday, the PEM wrestlers traveled to the final guaranteed competition of the season, the Section 1AA Individual Tournament, held at the Mayo Civic Center. The tournament serves as a qualifier for the MN State Tournament with the top two finishers at each weight class advancing. SE MN and Section 1 has long been known as a hotbed of wrestling talent with top teams and individuals. This year would be no different, with not one but two nationally ranked teams (Kasson Mantorville and Simley) competing in the Section Tournament and trips to state coming at a premium. Despite the high level competition, the Bulldogs turned in one of their best performances of the season. When the two day event wrapped up, 11 of the 13 Bulldogs competing placed in the top 5, including 9 in the top four, 6 in the top three, and 4 in the top two.
Individual highlights for the Bulldogs were as follows:
At 106, #5 seed Garrett Olson dropped a close 6-5 decision in the quarterfinals vs. #4 seed Mason West of Lake City. But, facing elimination on Friday night, battled back to defeat St. Thomas Academy’s 26 match winner, Colton Zweifel by fall in the first period. In the consolation semifinals, Olson lost to ultra talented Cannon Falls senior Erwin Strelow. But Olson responded in the 5th place match and ground out a very hard fought 5-0 decision over a 24 win opponent Joey Schreier of LaCrescent. Olson concludes his freshman campaign with a season record of 24-18.
At 113, senior Nick Miller gave every ounce of effort he had, battling both injuries and illness throughout the final few weeks and days of the season. Unfortunately, in a deep weight class it was not enough as Miller would lose both of his matches on Friday by decision. The eventual runner up at 113 was a wrestler from Cannon Falls whom Miller had beaten 11-0 only 3 weeks prior. Nick end his senior season with 26 wins on the season and 87 wins in his PEM career.
At 120, Kael Lamb got the opportunity to compete in his first Section Tournament up two weight classes from his certified weight of 106. Going into the tournament unseeded, Lamb was matched up again #1 seed Mitchell Peterson of Byron, currently ranked #2 in MN. Lamb dropped a technical fall to Peterson, and then faced eventual 6th place finisher Ruben Saldivar of Simley to end his Section Tournament. Lamb finishes his freshman season with 6 varsity wins and an undefeated Junior Varsity record.
Cael Marx, narrowly missed an opportunity to go to state at 126. Seeded 5th coming into the tournament, Marx squeaked out a 2-1 quarter-final victory in the 2nd tiebreaker period against Stewartville’s #4 seed Blake Carr, who had pinned Marx 3 weeks earlier. In the semifinal round, Marx did not allow a takedown against Simley’s returning state placewinner Cael Berg, but gave up a two point nearfall in the 2nd period dropping him into the wrestle-back round. In the consolation semifinals Marx battled back to defeat Pine Island’s Dan Krier 10-5. In the 3rd place match, Marx again squared off against Carr for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, but this time it was not close as Marx would score two takedowns and 2 sets of nearfall points to win the match 11-0. In the finals match at 126, Berg would give up a last second takedown to lose, denying Marx a chance to wrestle for true-second. Marx ends his freshman season 37-11.
At 132 Cooper Hofschulte came into the tournament as the #6 seed, but a last second scratch due to injury, led to a bracket shake-up. After the bracket was redrawn, Hofschulte was now the #5 seed. In the round of 16 on Friday afternoon Hofschulte was dominant with a first period pin. Then in the quarterfinals, Hofschulte battled #4 seed Jacob Draxler of St. Thomas Academy to a 10-6 decision victory earning a spot in the Saturday morning semifinals. In the Saturday morning semis, Hofschulte would face 2x state champion Jake Gliva of Simley for the 2nd time in a week. Hofschulte would avoid getting pinned but drop the match and move into the consolation bracket. In the consolation semifinals, Hofschulte used a solid mix of offense and defense to defeat Lake City’s Luke Skifton by a final score of 7-0. Then in the 3rd place match, Hofschulte would drop a 10-0 decision to 2017 state placewinner Dawson Fallon of Pine Island. Hofschulte wraps up his freshman season with a 23-24 varsity record.
Lafe Aarsvold turned in one of the most improbable performances of the entire tournament in the 138 lb. weight class. After battling injuries and wrestling at 145 for much of the season, Aarsvold went into the tournament unseeded and needing to win a match in the round of 16 just to make it to the quarterfinals. Aarsvold got that win with a first period pin to move into the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Aarsvold dropped a pin to eventual Section Runner Up, Antonio Everett of Simley. With the threat of tournament elimination looming, Aarsvold would need to win 2 more matches Friday evening just to stay in the tournament until Saturday. Not only would Aarsvold get both of the Friday night wins he needed, he got them both by fall in the second period. Saturday morning, Aarsvold would face semi-final loser Keegan Zelinske of Stewartville. In yet another thriller, Aarsvold would again get the pin in the second period earning a spot in the 3rd place match. The 3rd place match would feature a rematch between Aarsvold and Pine Island’s #3 seeded senior Evan Goplen. In the regular season match-up, Goplen had pinned Aarsvold in just :38 seconds. Knowing how dangerous Goplen was, especially from the mat, Aarsvold’s game-plan this time around was to keep Goplen on his feet and beat him by scoring takedowns. In the first period, the game-plan worked to perfection as Aarsvold would get a late period takedown and avoid the reversal to take a 2-0 lead into the 2nd period. Goplen chose down to start the 2nd period but Aarsvold would opt to concede the point and put him back on his feet. Again, Aarsvold would get a takedown, this time with 2 nearfall points on the edge of the mat before going out of bounds, to take a 6-1 lead in the match. Restarting in the center, Aarsvold would again concede the escape point to Goplen to keep the match in the neutral position. Yet again, Aarsvold would get a late takedown to finish the period with an 8-2 lead. Choosing neutral in the 3rd period, Aarsvold would score 2 more takedowns and concede 2 more escapes, avenging the loss from 3 weeks ago with a 12-5 victory. Aarsvold would end his junior year Section Tournament with a 5-1 tournament record and a 3rd place medal. Aarsvold was 1 of only 2 unseeded wrestlers in the entire tournament to place in the top 3.
At 145, sophomore Joe Stucky entered the Section Tournament as the #2 seed and would advance to the second day with a 16-5 major decision over Stewartville’s Hudson Dyke. In the semifinals, Stucky had a “must win” match against K-M’s #3 seed Nick VanOort. Using great side to side motion in the neutral position, Stucky scored 3 takedowns on two leg shots and a super smooth duck under to win the match 6-2. In the finals, Stucky fell to Simley’s #4 ranked Nick Wanzek, setting up a winner take all “true-second” match between Stucky and Cannon Falls’ Peter Fitterer, with a trip to the State Tournament on the line. This was the third such “true-second” match of Stucky’s varsity career. In both 2015 and 2016 Stucky lost and was denied his trip to state and had to settle for 3rd, but on Saturday, Stucky was not to be denied. Using most of the first period to relentlessly attack, Stucky was able to get the first takedown of the match and ride out Fitterer to take a 2-0 lead into the 2nd period. Fitterer chose neutral to begin the 2nd period, and Stucky immediately began attacking yet again. With Fitterer in reverse, the referee warned him for stalling, right before Stucky capitalized on his 2nd takedown of the match to take a 4-0 lead. Stucky kept bringing pressure in the top position and Fitterer was again warned for stalling giving Stucky a 5-0 lead. Not content to coast, Stucky was able to lock up a cradle and get the fall, cementing 2nd place and his first ever trip to the MN State Tournament.
Carter Marx entered the tournament as the #1 seed at 152 and would need only 1:41 to defeat K-M’s unseeded Jacob Keller to move into Saturday’s semifinal. With Simley’s highly ranked Quayin Short in the other side of the bracket, there was no room for error in the semifinal round if a trip to state was going to become a reality., Marx wrestled a conservative match against Lake City’s stingy Thomas Frank and was able to secure a 3-0 victory and a spot in the finals. In the finals, Marx would face Short for the 3rd time this season, and after surrendering a cradle in the 2nd period, would drop the match 4-0. This would set up a “true second” match vs. Stewartville’s Christian Sackett to determine the final state qualifier in the 152 lb weight class. Like Stucky, Marx was also involved in a true-second match in 2016. In that match, Marx lost on a last second takedown, just missing a chance to go to state. On Saturday, Marx would leave nothing to chance as he would win a 20-4 technical fall in 4:27 to punch his 1st ever ticket to the Xcel Center.
At 160, freshman Alex Rahman would make his way to the 5th place match, where he would defeat St. Thomas Academy’s Steven Holmquist to earn the 5th place Section medal.
Senior Austin Rother, wrestling in his last ever tournament for the Bulldogs, would turn in a top 4 performance. In the Friday afternoon quarterfinal round, Rother would defeat LaCrescent’s Clayton Jorgenson by a dominating score of 16-3 to advance into the semifinal round. In the semis, Rother would face K-M’s #4 ranked Ethan Shea and would drop a 5-0 decision moving him into the consolation bracket. In the consolation semifinals Rother would use a plethora of takedowns and tilts to defeat Lake City’s Max Balow by a score of 17-0. In the 3rd place match, Rother would suffer a 5-4 defeat to Simley’s Bennett Tabor to finish the tournament in 4th place. Rother finishes his Bulldog career with 31 season victories, and 80 career victories.
At 182, junior Dustin Dittrich was poised to make his 2nd trip to State after qualifying in the 160 lb weight class last season. Going into the tournament as the #2 seed, Dittrich would defeat Pine Island’s Brayden Burkhalter with a 3rd period fall to advance into the semifinals. In the Saturday morning semifinals the pressure was on as Dittrich was pitted against St. Thomas Academy’s 2x State Qualifier Phil Skeps. With K-M’s #1 state and nationally ranked Patrick Kennedy on the other side of the bracket the odds were upped considerably, knowing the semifinal loser would most likely be left on the outside looking in. Dittrich struck first blood getting a first period takedown and a 2-0 lead, but was not able to hold it for long as Skeps would get a quick escape and a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. The period wasn’t finished yet though, as Dittrich would score a reversal to take the lead back at 4-3 to close the period. Dittrich chose down to begin the 2nd period and again scored a quick reversal, nearly getting back points and extending the lead to 6-3. Sensing Skeps was beginning to fatigue, Dittrich released Skeps to his feet making the score 6-4, and began to attack his legs at an extremely fast pace. Skeps was unable to match the pace and Dittrich scored another takedown to take an 8-4 lead. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Dittrich released Skeps yet again to draw the lead down to 8-5, but went right back on the attack getting another takedown before the end of the period to take a 10-5 lead into the 3rd period. In the 3rd Skeps chose down and Dittrich again released him and kept attacking scoring 2 more takedowns in the 3rd period to win the match 14-8. In the finals, Dittrich faced the previously mentioned Kennedy and lost a major decision. But Skeps wrestled back for 3rd place, guaranteeing Dittrich’s 2nd place finish and 2nd trip to the State Tournament in the past 2 seasons.
After missing the last month to recover from an injury, sophomore Riley Wingert was finally back in action at 195 lbs. Getting the #2 seed coming into the tournament, Wingert’s first match in nearly a month was against unseeded Esiquio Diaz of Simley. After a scoreless 1st period, Wingert reversed Diaz to his back and got the pin to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Wingert would face St. Thomas Academy’s 30-5 senior, Thomas Litecky for a chance to wrestle in the finals. In the first period, Litecky hit a knee pick to take Wingert down to his back, but Wingert was able to roll off his back before any nearfall points were awarded. Wingert would then recover to get a reversal taking a 2-2 tie into the 2nd period. In the 2nd period, Wingert would reverse Litecky all the way to his back getting 2+3 to take a 7-2 lead in the match. Litecky would then respond with a reversal to close the lead to 7-4 heading into the final period. Wanting to take his chances back on the feet, Litecky chose neutral to begin the 3rd period. It didn’t take him long to get in on Wingert’s legs. Looking like he was about to give up the takedown, perhaps to his back, Wingert switched his hips at the last possible moment throwing Litecky to his back nearly getting the pin and more importantly taking a commanding 12-4 lead in the match. Litecky was eventually able to get off his back and get a reversal before releasing Wingert to his feet in a final attempt to throw him. But it was in vain, as Wingert would hang on to win the match 13-7 and advance to the Section finals. In the finals, Wingert would face K-M’s #5 ranked Jim Paulson. Wingert would hit a headlock for the first takedown of the match, but was not awarded any nearfall points. Paulson would recover with a reversal to finish the first period 2-2. In the second period, Paulson would reverse Wingert to his back for the pin, denying PEM their last chance for a Section Champion. But minutes later, Litecky would win the 3rd place match locking in 2nd place and a trip to the State Tournament for Wingert.
In the 285 lb bracket, #5 seeded sophomore Logan Wingert won his Friday afternoon quarterfinal match with a pin over #4 seed Zach Bolyard of LaCrescent. Taking a 1-0 lead into the 3rd period, Wingert applied great pressure with a crossface and ankle pick, eventually turning it into a pinning combination to get the 3rd period pin. In the semifinals Wingert nearly scored a huge upset against eventual Section Champion Simley’s Luke Zaiser. Trailing only 1-0 in the 3rd, Wingert got in deep on Zaiser’s leg and got it high in the air, but was unable to finish the takedown and lost to the #4 ranked Zaiser 1-0 and fell to the consolation bracket. In the consolation semifinals, Wingert pinned the Cannon Falls heavyweight in the 2nd period advancing to the 3rd place match. In the 3rd place match Wingert found himself down 6-3 to St. Thomas Academy’s 28-4 Jimmy Lennon, but Wingert rallied in the 3rd with 2 takedowns of his own to tie the match at 8-8. Lennon then got the first takedown in OT to finish the match and deny Logan a chance at a true second match. Wingert finishes his sophomore season with a 26-17 record.
Pictures of Day 1 can be located here!
Pictures of Day 1 can be located here!
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