NRHEG senior 3rd at state tourney
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
Three NRHEG High School wrestlers left with high hopes last week for the state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Todd Erickson fulfilled them.
Erickson, a senior, finished third at 220 pounds in Class A for the bronze medal. Senior Dillon Kubiatowicz was one win away from a medal, while junior Cordell Peterson can set his sights on next year.
“I was extremely happy with the performances of our three guys this weekend,” said Panthers coach Shawn Larson.
Especially Erickson.
“Todd was impressive, and showed excellent composure in matches that were very close,” said Larson. “In the quarterfinals Todd won 3-2, in the semifinals he lost in four overtimes, and in the third-place match he won with a takedown right at the end. In each of these situations Todd showed his experience by remaining calm, looking to score points when the opportunity came and not trying to force points.”
Erickson, the Section 2A champion at 220 pounds, won handily in the opening round Friday, 10-2 over Kenyon-Wanamingo junior Luke Rechtzigel. His Friday quarterfinal match was against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton junior Tyler Oberg, where Erickson was victorious with a 3-2 decision. In the semifinals on Saturday he faced Manuel Garcia, a junior from BOLD, and went four overtimes before dropping a tough 3-2 decision. That put him in the wrestlebacks against Jared Welch, a sophomore from Wabasso/Red Rock Central, and Erickson won by fall in 2:35.In the third-place bout Erickson faced Tanner Templin of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena, Larson’s high school team coached by his first cousin, Jay Reiplinger. Erickson claimed a 3-2 decision.
“Having a match against them to decide third or fourth place was a lot of fun, especially because Todd won!” said Larson.
Erickson finished the season with a record of 38-5.
Kubiatowicz, the Section 2A champ at 120, opened the state tournament with a tough 2-1 decision over Brady Tweeton, a freshman from Barnesville who brought a 32-4 record to state. In the quarterfinals, he faced Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial senior Brandon Labord and dropped a 12-3 decision. In the wrestlebacks, Kubiatowicz defeated Deer River freshman Jamaal Baard 7-3 before falling 11-4 to Chatfield senior Jared Goldsmith. One more win would have assured Kubiatowicz of a medal.
“Dillon fought hard in his quarterfinal match and lost a match in which he had a couple of good opportunities to score points, but just didn't capitalize,” said Larson. “Coming back in the wrestleback rounds he wrestled well, but unfortunately he lost the match that would have earned him a medal. As a show of how tough the consolation bracket was though, the match that he lost to get into the medal round was against Goldsmith, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked wrestler.”
Kubiatowicz finished 39-5.
Peterson, a junior and Section 2A runner-up at 126, started the state tournament with a wild 10-7 loss to Goodhue junior Joel Gadient. The outcome was not decided until the final seconds, and afterward a referee could be heard saying it was the best match of the day so far. Since Gadient lost his next match to a defending state champion, Peterson did not have an opportunity for the wrestlebacks. He ended the year with a record of 31-7.
“Cordell had a tough draw, which happens when you are a section runner-up,” said Larson. “Cordell wrestled very well and ended up losing a very close match to the wrestler who ended up placing sixth. He had his chances, and scored points against a tough kid, and he has nothing to hang his head about. Cordell was also in a good bracket as the two wrestlers that were in the finals had six state championships between them as they entered Saturday’s finals.”