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Magi earn dominant wins over Watford City and Williston

Justin Martinez/MDN Eighth-grader Gabe Mortensen grapples for position during Minot High's 69-9 win over Williston Tuesday at Magic City Campus.

If you lose focus for so much as a second, the Minot High wrestling team will make you pay.

Watford City and Williston learned that the hard way Tuesday when both teams repeatedly found themselves on their backs against the Magi. Minot High played the role of the aggressor from start to finish in both matches, forcing a total of eight pins en route to a 66-12 win over Watford City and a 69-9 win over Williston

“We were looking for our guys to be tough in certain situations and control the match,” MHS head coach Justin Racine said. “To be a good team, you have to get the pins and not give any up, so I was happy to see that.”

The Magi cashed in on seven open wins against Watford City. Even when the Wolves did have someone to challenge Minot High, the Magi promptly took care of business.

Senior Davian Rios (113), junior Trevon McClanahan (145) and junior Jacob Carmichael (182) each delivered pins against their opponents en route to the 66-12 victory.

“We knew both teams would have quite a few opens in their lineups, so the duals were pretty much locked up,” Racine said. “For the most part, I thought we were really the aggressor today.”

After the dominant win over the Wolves, Minot High kicked it into another gear against Williston.

The first pin against Williston came in the 162-pound match between sophomore Chase Burke and Williston’s Branden Norpel. After dominating the first period, Burke went went for the finisher in the second, placing Norpel on his back and getting the pin to give Minot High a commanding 9-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for Minot High to build to the lead, as senior Jorge Talamantes made quick work of Williston’s Conner Murphy in the 220-pound match, forcing a pin just 52 seconds into the opening period to give the Magi a 27-3 edge.

The following 120-pound match wasn’t so short-lived, though, as eight-grader Gabe Mortensen found himself in a three-period battle with Williston’s Micah Larson. With just 16 seconds left in the final period and the score tied, 2-2, Mortensen secured a pin to earn his first ever varsity win and extend Minot High’s lead to 39-3.

“I was trying to work hard and pin (Larson) at the end,” Mortensen said. “I wasn’t going to give up, and I didn’t want to let (Williston) get any points. It feels pretty good to get my first varsity win.”

Junior Kelby Armstrong kept the momentum going in the 120-pound match, forcing a pin with 29 seconds left in the second period to defeat Williston’s Wyatt Hanson and give his team a 51-3 lead.

Williston got its only pin of the night in the 138-pound match as Dalton McKenzie defeated Minot High’s Sam Goodman. But the Magi got the last laugh as McClanahan (145) got his second pin of the night, this time against Williston’s Cutter Jones in the final match to secure the 69-9 win.

With the pair of victories under their belt, the Magi hope to carry their momentum into the upcoming Invitational at Sidney High School, which will take place Nov. 30-31.

“We’re still working on some little things and trying to get into better shape, but this was a good win,” Armstrong said. “We’re going back to work tomorrow.”

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.

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