United North Central gave the defending champions a battle during a Section 8A semifinal wrestling match at Fertile on Friday, Feb. 14.
The No. 3-seeded Warriors held a 29-16 lead before BGMR won the final three matches, capped off with two pins, to rally for a 31-29 victory.
Reid Pinoniemi’s 11-6 minor decision at 113 pounds, Ethan Hendrickson’s pin in 36 seconds at 120, Hunter Skaro’s 7-6 minor decision at 126 and Dylan Rasmussen’s pin in 1:36 at 132 gave UNC an 18-3 advantage. Collin Olson’s 12-8 minor decision at 145, Dakota Meech’s 11-4 minor decision at 160 and Vince Dailey’s 15-0 technical fall win at 182 provided the 13-point lead before the No. 2-seeded Gators rallied.
Jacob Bergsnev’s 10-5 minor decision at 195 and pins by Dominik Vacura at 220 and Colten Gust at 285 sparked the comeback and sent BGMR to the championship match. UNC ended the season with a 15-8 record in dual meets.
No. 1 Frazee edged No. 5 Fosston/Bagley 37-33 in the other semifinal match while BGMR defeated Frazee 41-30 in the championship match. BGMR will carry a 16-10 record to the state Class A tournament while Frazee ended the season with a 14-11 mark. BGMR (No. 15), Frazee (No. 16) and UNC (No. 22) were rated in the latest state Class A poll.
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BGMR 31, UNC 29
106: Jaxon Janousek, BGMR, minor decision over Aaron Lake 9-2. 113: Reid Pinoniemi, UNC, minor decision over Danyn Janousek 11-6. 120: Ethan Hendrickson, UNC, pinned Christian Berg :36. 126: Hunter Skaro, UNC, minor decision over Tony Olson 7-6. 132: Dylan Rasmussen, UNC, pinned Brogan Beito 1:36. 138: Garrett Undeberg, BGMR, minor decision over Hank Tellers 3-2. 145: Collin Olson, UNC, minor decision over Tristan Locken 12-8. 152: Andy Dostal, BGMR, major decision over Eion Ness 9-1. 160: Dakota Meech, UNC, minor decision over Ethan Waage 11-4. 170: Caleb Vacura, BGMR, pinned Cooper Hasbargen :31. 182: Vince Dailey, UNC, technical fall over Nathan Waage 15-0. 195: Jacob Bergsnev, BGMR, minor decision over Torrey Carlson 10-5. 220: Dominik Vacura, BGMR, pinned Justin Gonska :18. 285: Colten Gust, BGMR, pinned Marcus Peterson :51.
Wolves ousted
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis held an early lead before Mille Lacs took control in a 52-27 win in a Section 7A match at Royalton on Saturday, Feb. 15.
WHAN, the No. 10 seed, used a 7-2 minor decision by Dawson McGee at 106 and pins by Dylan Johnson (at 113) and Callen Whitney (at 126) to claim a 15-6 lead. A pin by Alex Hein at 138 kept the Wolves in front 21-10.
Mille Lacs, the No. 7 seed, rallied by winning seven of the next eight matches, including five via pins and two by forfeit. Ficher Smith’s pin at 182 was the only win for the Wolves during that stretch.
WHAN ended the season with a 4-11 record in dual meets while Mille Lacs improved to 17-12.
In the other first-round match at Royalton, No. 8 Crosby-Ironton eliminated No. 9 Ogilvie 42-33. In the quarterfinals, No. 1 Royalton defeated C-I 53-22, No. 5 Holdingford edged No. 4 Deer River 39-33, No. 3 Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena defeated No. 6 Rush City 51-24 and No. 2 Aitkin ousted Mille Lacs 52-27. Royalton edged Holdingford 38-29 and Aitkin topped BCLB 36-34 in the semifinals while Royalton defeated Aitkin 39-27 in the title match.
Royalton will carry a 14-12 record to the state Class A tournament.
Mille Lacs 52, WHAN 27
106: Dawson McGee, WHAN, minor decision over Zach Remer 7-2. 113: Dylan Johnson, WHAN, pinned Landon Remer 1:41. 120: Cam Wilkes, ML, pinned Eli Johnson 3:10. 126: Callen Whitney, WHAN, pinned Bailey Geist 3:26. 132: Tucker Strecker, ML, major decision over Devin Johnson 13-3. 138: Alex Hein, WHAN, pinned Lorn Anderson :35. 145: Daniel Miller, ML, pinned Drew Fields :29. 152: Bradley Bernu, ML, won by forfeit. 160: Ethan Benson, ML, pinned Wesley Johnson :12. 170: Eric Thompson, ML, pinned Aiden Phillips :42. 182: Ficher Smith, WHAN, pinned Warren Minenko :51. 195: Jakob Wins, ML, pinned Colton Glinnon 1:11. 220: Alexander Ramthun, ML, pinned Dane Patten 1:43. 285: Joshua Golombowski, ML, won by forfeit.
