Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High senior Preston Jones (left) tangles with Bismarck High sophomore Brayden Moran (right) during the 285-pound match in Friday's Class A Team Dual Tournament championship. Jones pinned Moran in 2:54.

FARGO — Not only did Friday evening’s bout between the West Region’s top two wrestling teams live up to the hype, it also delivered a little extra oomph.

West No. 1-seeded Bismarck High battled West No. 2 Minot High to the end in the Class A Team Dual Tournament championship. In the end, the Demons earned a 41-18 victory and seized a three-peat.

“That’s a really, really good Bismarck High team,” Minot head coach Justin Racine said. “One of the better teams that they’ve ever had. Our guys scrapped and we obviously didn’t come out ahead. We scrapped the whole time, every match. We gave it our all. They’re just better than us.”

Decision victories personified the match’s early battles. The teams started off on equal footing, with neither able to gain much ground on the other.

Minot’s Paden Combs got the action started by grinding out a 5-2 decision win over Juan Flores in the 126-pound weight class. In a rematch of a Class A Individual Tournament semifinal, Bismarck’s Kaden Renner topped Minot’s Kelby Armstrong in a 7-2 decision at 132.

The contest’s tide briefly flipped after Bismarck’s Preston Fettig beat David Schulze in a 4-0 decision at 138. Just before time expired, Fettig slammed Schulze to the mat.

Although Bismarck gained a 5-3 advantage, the Demons were penalized one point for unsportsmanlike conduct. After punching his ticket to the 138-pound Class A Individual Tournament final, Minot’s Trevon McClanahan weaved his way to a 6-3 decision victory over Ben Nagel at 145.

“We don’t have all the accolades, but we battle,” Racine said. “That’s what we pride ourselves on. We want our guys to battle every single match and every single point. That’s what we’re proud of.”

Bismarck’s Brock Fettig gained control of his match early on and seized a 13-4 major decision victory over Minot’s Carter Peterson at 152. Fettig contributed four points and helped make up for the point lost earlier.

Brandt Kringlie asserted himself over Minot’s Kyler Byer at 160 and captured a 9-1 major decision victory. Bismarck’s Gage Roaldson picked up six points by forfeit at 170.

After Bismarck’s Cullen Glatt won a marathon match over Isaac Fernandez via a late 4-3 decision at 182, Isaiah Huus gave the Demons an additional boost by pinning Zachary Hughbanks in 1:03 at 195.

Jacob Carmichael, who will represent Minot in the Class A Individual Tournament championship, earned the Magi’s first pin at 220. Carmichael handled Jordan Schumacher in 3:24 after scoring a plethora of points via takedowns.

The Demons’ Brayden Moran came out aggressively against Preston Jones at 285, but Jones flipped the script and captured a pin in 2:54.

In a pivotal 106-pound match, Bismarck’s LJ Araujo outlasted Gabe Mortensen and earned a 4-2 decision victory. Next, Christian Tanefeu scored six points with his 1:08 pin over Tyler Nelson at 113.

Bismarck closed out the match with a 13-3 major decision victory from Wilfried Tanefeu over Victor Garcia at 120. The Demons flexed their tournament muscles once again and captured their third consecutive state title.

“Guys stepped up and battled who maybe weren’t supposed to win,” Racine said. “That’s what we need.”

Minot’s semifinal match dripped with intensity from start to finish. When the dust settled, three key pins helped the Magi the 40-26 victory over West No. 4 Jamestown.

With the score tied at 19-19, Carmichael fought through some shoulder pain and pinned Jamestown’s Coty Huebner in 3:11 at 195. After recording the pin, Minot’s senior ran to the Magi bench and roared in excitement.

Next, Jones handled business at 220 by pinning Austin Kessler in 1:48. Jones’ win gave Minot six additional points and provided the Magi with the morale boost they needed.

“It goes to show that they wanted it,” Racine said. “They wanted to get there and get in the state finals in the duals. That’s what they earned.”

Jamestown’s Damien Krebs and Woods slugged out a tough match at 285. Neither wrestler gained much ground, but Krebs captured three points with the 3-0 decision victory.

Mortensen put the match on ice with a nifty technique at 106. When Jamestown’s Pete Rasmussen went for a takedown, Mortensen threw Rasmussen’s arm behind the Blue Jay and seized the 56-second pin on the ground.

“When I got to the match, I was just focused on getting my shots and my moves in,” Mortensen said. “When he shot on me, I let him do it and I let him get comfortable. I just chin-whipped him. Right there, I knew it was over.”

Racine celebrated fervently after Mortensen’s pin.

“I just wanted to show my guys how much it means,” Racine said. “I tried to stress to them when we were talking, ‘You’re in the state finals. You’re one of two teams in the whole state. That’s pretty special.’ I’m giving them props for a total team effort.”

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