No area wrestlers reach semifinals
Published 12:02 pm Friday, March 4, 2011
Hayfield 171-pounder Tyler Nelson reacts Friday after pinning Martin County West's Levi Ringnell in the first round of the Class A state individual wrestling tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. -Andrew Dyrdal/Austin Daily Herald.
None of the area state qualifying wrestlers got past the quarterfinals at the Class ‘A’ state meet in the Xcel Energy Center Friday.
Hayfield 130-pounder Mason Moreno wrestles against Crosby-Ironton's Hayden Zillmer Friday in the quarterfinals of the Class A individual tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. - Jon Theuer/Albert Lea Tribune
Southland senior Grant Hegge, a 145-pounder, lost to Medford’s Curt Maas 8-5 in the quarterfinals. Maas is 35-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class ‘A’ and Hegge is now 41-2 and ranked No. 2 in Class ‘A.’
Hegge was taken down twice in the first period to trail 4-1 and he trailed 8-2 after Maas converted a reverse early in the third.
Hegge won his opening match over Austin Maanum of Border West by a score of 10-3.
Hayfield freshman Mason Moreno lost to Hayden Zillmer of Crosby/Ironton on a 19-3 tech. fall in the 130-pound quarterfinals.
Zillmer is 41-1 on the year.
Moreno won his first match with a second period pin of Taylor McClaip.
Hayfield senior Myles Moreno was pinned by Darick Vancura of Jackson County Central in the second period of his quarterfinal match.
Moreno handed Kimball Area eighth grader Jordan Joseph his third loss of the year when he won 14-9 in the first round.
Hayfield 130-pounder Myles Moreno looks for an escape Friday in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA state individual tournament at the Xcel Center in St. Paul. - Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea Tribune
Hayfield senior Tyler Nelson fell to Josh Willaert of LeSeur/Henderson in the 171-pound quarterfinals on a 21-6 tech. fall.
Willaert is 38-2 on the year.
Nelson pinned Levi Ringnell of Martin County West just 59 seconds in his first round match
“I saw he was shooting from far away and I scrambled and caught him on his back and kept him there,” Nelson said of the pin. “It felt good because I’ve been on a pretty good run since sections. It’s my senior year I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Hayfield senior Blake Ardnt was beaten by Billy Connelly on a 12-9 decision in the 215-pound quarterfinals.
Connelly pick up a three-point near fall in the final seconds of the match.
Ardnt pinned Gabe Tramm of Mille Lacs one minute into the match in the first.
Blooming Prairie senior Seth Johnson lost a tough 4-3 decision to Klinton VanHeuveln of Kerkoven/Murdock/Sunburg at 130 pounds.
Southland senior Michael Churchill lost his first match at state. The 125-pounder was pinned by Jake Wirtjes of Blue Earth in the second period.
