Although Jones earned a pin in 1:04 during Thursday night’s 285-pound weight class bout, the No. 1-ranked Demons (5-0, 5-0 WDA) handed No. 2-ranked Magicians (9-1, 6-1 WDA) their first loss of the season. Bismarck seized control early and finished with a 41-22 advantage.

“Right now, our team is looking a little mentally down,” Jones said. “Down on itself, satisfied with being No. 2. We need to stop having that attitude.”

Five of Thursday’s first six matches ended in falls. In the 170-pound match, Bismarck’s Gage Roaldson pinned Minot’s Xylis Holter in 3:06.

Roaldson’s strong start carried over to his teammates. In a tight 182-pound clash, Bismarck’s Cullen Glatt took a 5-3 sudden victory over Minot’s Zachary Hughbanks.

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High's Preston Jones looks up after pinning Bismarck's Jordan Schumacher in Thursday's 285-pound match. Jones earned the victory in 1:04.

After Roaldson and Glatt scored the dual’s first nine points, Bismarck’s Isaiah Huus kept the Demons’ momentum rolling at 195. Huus pinned Minot’s Nicolas Juarez in 1:04.

“I felt like we weren’t very mentally tough tonight,” Minot head coach Justin Racine said. “In some tight situations, we kind of bailed out and gave up. That’s not going to work against a team like Bismarck High. You’ve got to come out and battle every single match, every single point. We didn’t do that tonight.”

Jacob Carmichael helped the Magi bounce back. Carmichael pinned Ethan Stewart in 2:47 and earned six points at the 220 spot.

Jones kept Minot’s winning streak alive with his pin. When the contest went to the ground, Jones went low and gained the advantage.

“(Schumacher) came in hard,” Jones said. “I got the inside tie, and the headlock is one of my favorite moves.”

Bismarck’s LJ Arujo stopped the Magi’s momentum with his win over Jacob Schulze at 106. Schulze weaved his way out of some traps, but Arujo kept applying pressure en route to his 3:13 pin.

“They were battling every point,” Racine said of the Demons. “Nothing was easy, nothing was free. They made you work for everything. That’s what we have to do in order to be able to compete with them.”

Christian Tanefeu scored four more points for Bismarck High at 113. Tanefeu kept fighting and scored a 22-10 major decision over Tyler Nelson.

Wilfried Tanefeu followed his brother’s lead with a 19-3 technical fall over Minot’s Stephen Schulze at 120. Wilfried picked up five additional points for the Demons.

Minot’s Victor Garcia maneuvered his way around the mat before picking up three points against Tate Olson at 126. Garcia maintained his balance during the 10-4 decision and eventually locked Olson into a hold.

Kaden Renner defeated Minot’s Kelby Armstrong in a marathon match at 132. Renner gained a quick advantage and earned the 11-3 major decision victory with an unrelenting style.

“Tonight was a little bit humbling,” Racine said. “I think the guys have seen where we need to get to if we want to have a chance to win it at the state tournament. Right now, we’re not there. We’ve got work to do.”

From there, the Magi and Demons traded victories. Preston Fetting picked up a 5-0 decision over Minot’s David Schulze at 138, granting Bismarck three points.

Minot’s Trevon McClanahan showed resilience throughout his 22-9 major decision victory over Bridger Owens at 145. McClanahan gained the upper hand through a strong ground game.

Brock Fetting’s 13-3 major decision win over Carter Peterson at 152 solidified Bismarck’s victory. Chase Burke won the last match of the evening, but his three points in the 3-2 decision over Ben Nage at 160 were not enough.

“(Bismarck) just didn’t give up in a match,” Jones said. “Every match, they were grinding and taking points. It seemed like some of our guys (didn’t) necessarily give up, but didn’t wrestle their hardest. It showed. I think that’s where they came out on top. They did not quit in any match tonight. I think we are that team, but we just need to get there.”

Minot will host Mandan (4-2, 4-2 WDA) in its final home meet at 7 p.m. next Thursday.

“We just need to get that Minot High grit back,” Jones said. “We’ll need to wrestle as tough as we can in every single match. No matter how it’s going, just keep wrestling. Just keep grinding.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.