Local schools kick off wrestling season at MHS Early Bird Invite
Forsaking the worm for pins and wins, 115 boys and 50 girls from seven area high schools hit the wrestling mats for the first time this season at the Minot High-hosted Early Bird Invite on Saturday.
Despite the temperatures outside edging upwards, the action inside the Magic City Campus gym was even hotter as Minot High welcomed varsity and junior varsity wrestlers from Bishop Ryan, Carrington, Des Lacs-Burlington, Turtle Mountain, Williams County, and Williston for the first meet of the 2022-2023 season.
Friends, family, and fans packed the stands to root loudly and proudly for their hometown team’s participants, as the many colors and logos of local programs dotted the standing-room-only event and vibrantly ushered in the beginning of Class A and Class B competition.
Coming off of last year’s impressive inaugural season, head coach Mitchell Meyer and assistant coach Pete Stenberg helm a Minot High varsity girls’ wrestling team that saw the roster expand almost three-fold coming into their 2022-2023 campaign, growing from 10 wrestlers to the nearly 30 that would participate in Saturday’s meet.
Putting together a stellar opening year on the mats, the Majettes finished 3-0 in dual events, second in the WDA Tournament, and fourth in the North Dakota State Tournament in 2021-2022.
For a Magi boys’ squad led by head coach Justin Racine and assistant coach Mike Stien, they enter the new season on the heels of a 2021-2022 campaign that saw them finish 17-5 overall and second in the West Region regular season at 8-2.
In postseason competition, Minot High finished second in the West Region Tournament before ending the season in sixth place in the North Dakota Class A Tournament.
Although Saturday’s Early Bird Invite does not count against any of the participating teams’ regular season records, it more importantly marked the eagerly anticipated return to the mats for a Majettes team searching for their first state title in school history, along with a Magi squad gunning to pin down their eighth title in school history and the first since 2017.
Next up for the Magi, they travel to Sidney, Mont., on Dec. 2-3 to battle it out in the Sidney Invite, while the Majettes also hit the road to travel to Mandan for the Mandan Lions Tournament on Dec. 2-3.
Boys’ Varsity Results by Weight Class
120-pound class
David Llamas, Minot, 2nd place
126-pound class
Vern Copenhaver, Williston, 1st place; Tyson Taylor, Williston, 2nd place; Aiden Kellman, Minot, 3rd place
132-pound class
Breyden Buee, Des Lacs-Burlington, 1st place; Jack Coles, Williston, 5th place
138-pound class
Gabe Mortenson, Minot, 1st place; Drew Scott, Williston, 2nd place; Charles Chamley, Williston, 4th place; Kaidan Smith, Des Lacs-Burlington, 6th place
145-pound class
Daniel Fernandez, Minot, 1st place; Bryson Smith, Bishop Ryan, 5th place; Wade Isom, Williston, 6th place
152-pound class
Kaleb Minton, Williston, 1st place; Tyson Rice, Williston, 3rd place; Harrison Schwartz, Des Lacs-Burlington, 4th place; Noah Bledsoe, Minot, 5th place
160-pound class
Cale Ibach, Des Lacs-Burlington, 1st place; Kaden Kraft, Minot, 3rd place; Gunner Rakness, Des Lacs-Burlington, 4th place; Cody Crossland, Williston, 6th place
170-pound class
Colton Adams, Williston, 1st place; Kenny Smith, Des Lacs-Burlington, 3rd place; Sean Anderson, Minot, 4th place
182-pound class
DeJarius Jones, Minot, 1st place; Micah Larson, Williston, 2nd place; Carter Miller, Des Lacs-Burlington, 3rd place; Ty Wiedrich, Williston, 4th place; Alejandro Alvarez, Bishop Ryan, 6th place
195-pound class
Korbyn Draper, Williston, 1st place
220-pound class
Landon Riely, Williston, 1st place; Lincoln Brooks, Minot, 2nd place; Dante Novembre, Williston, 3rd place; Johnathan Smith, Des Lacs-Burlington, 6th place
285-pound class
Nathan Robbins, Des Lacs-Burlington, 2nd place
Girls’ Varsity Results by Weight Class
100-110 pound class
Elizabeth Mortensen, Minot, 1st place; Monica Boakye, Minot, 2nd place; Ella Brown, Minot, 3rd place; Madilynn Golphne, Minot, 4th place
115-120 pound class
Martha Ward, Minot, 1st place; Hallie Nash, Minot, 2nd place; Kierstyn Nevels, Minot, 5th place;
125-pound class
Anya Hudson, Minot, 2nd place
130-135 pound class
Kashlyn Bredahl, Des Lacs-Burlington, 1st place; Kylee Yetter, Minot, 3rd place; Riley Hanson, Minot, 4th place; Mary Hutchins, Minot, 6th place
140-pound class
Haleigh Carr, Minot, 2nd place; Payton Russell, Minot, 3rd place; Victoria Llamas, Minot, 5th place; Megan Ebach, Minot, 6th place
145-pound class
Aleina Billings, Des Lacs-Burlington, 3rd place
155-pound class
Victoria Pasterz, Des Lacs-Burlington, 1st place; Madelyn Roth, Minot, 2nd place; Adella Heberlie, Des Lacs-Burlington, 4th place; LizAnne Schnieder-Bruins, Minot, 5th place
170-pound class
Sadie Richmond, Minot, 1st place; Arianna Aguilar, Minot, 2nd place; Kiera Aguilar, Minot, 3rd place; Jordyn Radasa, Williston, 4th place
190-pound class
Emma Buee, Des Lacs-Burlington, 1st place; Lilly Nygard, Minot, 2nd place
250-pound class
Jade’ence Fletcher, Minot, 1st place; Izybella Fritz, Minot, 3rd place; Abbey Hvidsten, Des Lacs-Burlington, 4th place