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Send them packing

Magi wrestling ousts East No. 1 West Fargo, 31-25

Justin Martinez/MDN Minot High sophomore Chase Burke lifts West Fargo’s Lanier Karpeh off his feet for a takedown during the Magicians’ 31-25 victory Thursday in the opening round of the Class A dual tournament at the Fargodome.

FARGO — The Magicians came to play.

The West Region No. 4-seeded Minot High School wrestling team put the rest of the field on notice Thursday, outlasting East Region No. 1 West Fargo by a score of 31-25 in the opening round of the Class A state dual tournament.

Patience proved to be key for the Magi as they withstood an early Packers run, timed their moves and ultimately completed the upset.

“Well, we knew it would be tight,” MHS head coach Justin Racine said. “We talk about that all the time how you don’t have to go and get it in the first period. You have to chip away, build a lead and it’ll come. That patience paid off.”

West Fargo looked to be in control early on, claiming a pair of decision wins in the 138- and 145-pound matches to jump out to a quick 6-0 advantage.

Justin Martinez/MDN Minot High junior Trevon McClanahan (top) places his weight on Fargo Davies’ Ty Weber Thursday in the 145-pound bracket of the Class A state individual tournament at the Fargodome.

The lead didn’t last long, though, as Minot’s Trevon McClanahan got his team on the board in the following 152-pound match against Spencer LeDoux. After getting a near fall in the second round, the junior ultimately settled for a 15-5 major decision win to make it a 6-4 affair.

Sophomore Chase Burke then put the Magi on top in dominant fashion. The sophomore shut out West Fargo’s Lanier Karpeh at 160 pounds for a 14-4 major decision win that gave his team an 8-4 lead.

The two teams exchanged points in the next two matches, and the Packers entered the 195-pound match with a slim 12-11 edge. That’s when the Magi pulled away.

Jacob Carmichael landed the first haymaker in his 195-pound match against West Fargo’s Jacob Bild. The junior wasted no time attacking and earned a takedown in the first four seconds. Ninety seconds later, Carmichael delivered a pin to put the Magi up 17-12.

With the Packers reeling, Jorge Talamantes took advantage. The senior saw an opportunity in the second round of his 220-pound match against West Fargo’s Houston Visto and went for it, swiftly putting his opponent on his back and earning the pin.

Just like that, the pair of falls gave the Magi a 23-12 lead.

“I liked how our team just picked it up,” Talamantes said. “It feels great to get (a pin), but mostly I liked how the rest of the team was supporting each other and we just kept going.”

Now up 27-19 with just three matches remaining, Minot’s Gabe Mortenson delivered the dagger. Holding onto a slim 2-0 lead over West Fargo’s Cole Irwin entering the second period of the 113-pound match, Mortenson landed a flurry of takedowns to claim a 13-4 edge heading into the final period.

The lead proved to be more than enough, as he earned the 17-7 major decision win to put the Magi on top 31-19.

Needing a pair of falls in the final two matches, West Fargo’s Nicholas Anderson came out aggressive in the 126-pound match against freshman David Schulze. After two periods of fighting tooth and nail, Schulze found himself on the ropes in the third period with the score tied, 8-8.

Anderson put Schulze on his back with 45 seconds left in a last-ditch effort for the pin, but the freshman kept his cool and broke free. Anderson went on to earn the 11-8 win, but the Packers’ fate had been sealed.

Minot held on and claimed the 31-25 victory.

The Magi will see plenty of familiar faces moving forward, as all four West Region teams came out on top in the opening round. Minot will face the No. 2-seeded Dickinson Midgets today at 2 p.m. with a trip to the championship on the line.

“The west is tough,” Racine said. “That’s why, during the year, all those duals are so just important. We knew we’d just have to qualify for the state tournament out of the west, and then we’d have a shot once we get here.”

Individual tournament

In addition to the win, the Magi also saw three of their wrestlers advance to the individual semifinals. Junior Kelby Armstrong, ranked No. 1, punched his ticket with a 14-2 major decision win over No. 5-seeded Joel Bowman from Jamestown.

McClanahan, who is the No. 2 seed at 145 pounds, will also be competing for a spot in the championship when he faces No. 3-seeded William Kleinknecht from Mandan. Also in the 182-pound semifinals is No. 3-seeded Carmichael, who is slated to face No. 2-seeded Tanner Jarrett from Dickinson.

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

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