The Minnewaska Area wrestling team is saving its best for the end of the season.  The Lakers improved to 8-8 for the year with four wins last week.  

The Lakers beat Alexandria (34-30) and Sauk Centre-Melrose (36-33) last Tuesday at the Melrose triangular and also earned two wins over Barnesville (51-21) and Ottertail Central (53-21), Thursday at the Barnesville triangular.

Up next is the Section 8AA Team Tourney.  The Lakers were seeded third in their half of the section and were set to face SC-Melrose at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15 in the opening round with the winner moving on to meet second-seeded Pequot Lakes Area at 7:30 p.m. the same night.

The Section 8AA “Final Four” is set for Friday, Feb. 16 at Minnewaska Area High School.  The semifinals are set for 6 p.m. with the championship to follow.  DGF and Thief River Falls are the top two seeds in the other half, while Perham is the top seed in the Lakers’ half.

The Section 8AA Individual Tourney is set for the following weekend, Feb. 23-24 at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School.

at WCC-Camden Meet

The Lakers placed fourth of 11 teams at the combined WCC-Camden Conference Individual Tourney, Saturday, Feb. 3 at Dawson-Boyd.

United won the meet with 237 points, followed by West Central Area (164), Minneota (160) and Minnewaska Area (119).

The Lakers had one individual champion in Miles Wildman, who went 3-0 to place first at 114 pounds.  He earned a bye in the first round and then pinned his next opponent in 1:15 before winning 4-2 in the finals.

Placing second with 2-1 records were Chase Smith at 133 pounds and Myles Reichmann at 172.  Smith earned two quick pins in his opening matches in 16 and 40 seconds before losing to a wrestler from United in the championship, 9-6.

Reichmann also won his first two matches at 172 pounds with pins in 1:18 and 5:00 before losing by a fall in the finals in 2:31.

Earning thirds for the Lakers were Cole Kittelson at 160 pounds and Riley Dell at 189, while placing fourth with a 2-2 record was Austin Schuler at 121 pounds, finishing sixth were Landon Schiffler at 107 and Isaiah Rosario at 139 and also wrestling was Eric Bowen, who went 0-2 at 215 pounds.

at Melrose triangular

The Lakers picked up two wins at the Melrose triangular last Tuesday, beating the host SC-Melrose team, 36-33, and also winning against Alexandria Area, 34-30.  

Against Alexandria, the Lakers won seven of the 13 matches, including four-straight late in the match to rally for the win.

Alex Adams (13-3 major) and Landon Schiffler (pin in 3:18) opened up the contest with wins for an early 10-0 Laker lead.

Alexandria won the next three matches to go up 15-10, but Chase Smith put the Lakers back on top at 16-15 with a pin in 3:40 at 139 pounds.

After two more wins by Alexandria at 145 and 152 pounds put the Cardinals up 24-16, Minnewaska clinched the victory with four-straight wins by Jayce Kovarik (6-3 decision), Cole Kittelson (pin in 5:44), Myles Reichmann (pin in 1:53) and Riley Dell (4-1 decision).

That put the Lakers ahead 34-24 and even a pin at 285 pounds by Alexandria couldn’t keep the Lakers from earning the non-conference victory.

•  In the other match, which was even tighter, the Lakers won four-straight matches again late in the contest to turn a 27-15 deficit into a 36-33 victory.

Landon Schiffler (pin in 1:28) and Miles Wildman (fall in 5:25) gave the Lakers a quick 12-0 lead, but Sauk Centre-Melrose came back to take a  21-12 lead with four-straight wins, including three by fall.

In possibly the key match of the tilt, Isaiah Rosario halted the string of victories by SC-Melrose with a 10-9 decision at 145 pounds.

SC-Melrose won at 152 pounds to up its lead to 27-15, but Jayce Kovarik came through with a 10-3 decision at 160 pounds and Cole Kittelson (1:50), Myles Reichmann (1:01) and Riley Dell (38 seconds) followed with three-straight pins for the Lakers to clinch the victory, giving Minnewaska Area two big wins during the triangular.

at Barnesville triangular

The Lakers beat Barnesville at the Barnesville triangular, 51-21, picking up four pins and three forfeit victories in the process.

Landon Schiffler won 10-5 at 107 pounds to get the match going and Austin Schuler (pin) and Miles Wildman (forfeit victory) also won to give Minnewaska and early 15-0 lead.

Chase Smith picked up six more points with a pin at 133 pounds and wins by Sawyer Erickson at 145 pounds (pin) and Jack Payne at 152 (forfeit win) pushed the Minnewaska Area lead to 33-11.

Barnesville won at 160 pounds, but the Lakers clinched the victory with a forfeit win by Jayce Kovarik at 172 pounds, a pin in 1:41 by Myles Reichmann at 189 and a forfeit victory by Riley Dell at 215.

•  Against OTC, the Lakers picked up victories by Alex Adams, Miles Wildman, Chase Smith, Isaiah Rosario, Jack Payne, Cole Kittelson, Jayce Kovarik, Myles Reichmann and Riley Dell to win easily, 53-21, giving the Lakers their fourth win of the week.

at WCC-Camden 

Wrestling Tourney

Team scores:  (1) United 237  (2) WCA 164  (3) Minneota 160  (4) Minnewaska 119  (5) Tracy Area 107.5  (6) SC-Melrose 80  (7) Canby 72  (8) BOLD 58  (9) MAHACA 48  (10) Quad County 38  (11) Ortonville 16

Minnewaska results:

107:  Landon Schiffler 1-3 (sixth place)

114:  Miles Wildman 3-0 (first)

121:  Austin Schuler 2-2 (fourth)

127:  No wrestler

133:  Chase Smith 2-1 (second)

139:  Isaiah Rosario 1-3 (sixth)

145:  No wrestler

152:  No wrestler

160:  Cole Kittelson 3-1 (third)

172:  Myles Reichmann 2-1 (second)

189:  Riley Dell 3-1 (third)

215:  Eric Bowen 0-2

285:  No wrestler

——————————————————–

at SC-Melrose triangular

Waska 34, Alexandria 30

107:  Alex Adams, M maj Timm 13-3

114:  Landon Schiffler, M pin Gulbran. 3:18

121:  Fettig, Alex def Miles Wildman 4-3

127:  Lar., Alex pin Jey. Quirindongo 1:21

133:  McGrane, Alex pin Jude Bailey 1:26

139:  Chase Smith, M pin Evjen 3:40

145:  Richards, Alex def Isaiah Rosario 7-2

152:  Day, Alex pin Jack Payne :41

160:  Jayce Kovarik, M def Engel. 6-3

172:  Cole Kittelson, M pin Button 5:44

189:  Myles Reichmann, M pin Timm 1:53

215:  Riley Dell, M def Garcia 4-1

285:  Maanum,, Alex pin Eric Bowen :37

Waska 36, SC-Melrose 33

107:  Landon Schiffler, M pin Martinez 1:28

114:  Miles Wildman, M pin Kerzman 5:25

121:  Walter, S-M pin Austin Schuler 3:52

127:  Weich., S-C pin Jey. Quirindongo 1:22

133:  Christen, S-C def Chase Smith 5-2

139:  DeLosSantos, S-C pin Jude Bailey 5:28

145:  Isaiah Rosario, M def Grimstad 10-9

152:  Pallow, S-C pin Jack Payne 1:22

160:  Jayce Kovarik, M def Friedrichs 10-3

172:  Cole Kittelson, M pin Stangler 1:50

189:  Myles Reichmann, M pin Gomez 1:01

215:  Riley Dell, M pin Ambriz :38

285:  Frericks, S-C pin Eric Bowen :56

——————————————————–

at Barnesville triangular

Waska 51, Barnesville 21

107:  Landon Schiffler, M def Hauck 10-5

114:  Austin Schuler, M pin Cox

121:  Miles Wildman, M win by forfeit

127:  O’Brien, Bar win by forfeit

133:  Chase Smith, M pin Brown

139:  Hauck, Bar tfall Isaiah Rosario 17-1

145:  Sawyer Erickson, M pin Pauna

152:  Jack Payne, M win by forfeit

160:  Halvorson, Bar tfall Cole Kittelson 22-6

172:  Jayce Kovarik, M win by forfeit

189:  Myles Reichmann, M pin Blilie 1:41

215:  Riley Dell, M win by forfeit

285:  Krueger, Bar pin Eric Bowen

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