Hitting the mats for the first day of individual competition at the 2023 NDHSAA Boys & Girls Wrestling State Tournament, schools from around the Minot area looked to cap off their season by sending their best grapplers to the Fargodome on Thursday to move one step closer to pinning down championship gold.

Class A boys’, Class B boys’, and girls’ wrestling teams saw their best individual qualifiers go head-to-head throughout the day on Thursday, ultimately looking to earn their place in one of Friday’s championship matches and cement their legacy in North Dakota high school wrestling history.

However, for several wrestlers in the area, they arrived in Fargo not to claim their spot at the pinnacle of their respective weight class, but to defend their crown.

Des Lacs-Burlington’s Emma Buee enters individual competition as the reigning girls’ 170-pound champion, while Minot High’s Gabe Mortensen looks to add a second Class A title to his resume.

On the boys’ Class B front, Des Lacs-Burlington-Lewis & Clark 152-pound juggernaut Cale Ibach sets his sights on back-to-back state championship gold as well.

Along with a number of defending champions in the Minot area, several wrestlers have spent time training hard to take the final step towards a title after runner-up finishes last year.

The Majettes’ Kiera Aguilar entered Thursday having placed second last year in the girls’ 140-pound weight class, while fellow Minot High grappler Kaydn Turnbow secured a runner-up spot in the Class A boys’ 220-pound weight class.

Eyeing the top prize in the boys’ Class B wrestling ranks, Bishop Ryan’s 160-pounder Drew Zwak and 285-pounder Coy Okeson arrived to Thursday’s individual competition as last year’s runner-ups in their weight classes, along with Velva’s Brayden Selzler pushing to add a wrestling title to his mantle in the 195-pound weight class after finishing in second place in last year’s tourney.

In Thursday’s action on the mats, the following local wrestlers advanced to the semifinals in their weight class and will earn a spot in the top four when wrestling continues on Friday:

Girls’ individual:

Minot High: Elizabeth Mortensen (105); Hallie Nash (115); Kylee Yetter (125); Haleigh Carr (135); Kiera Aguilar (145); Arianna Aguilar (155); Jade’ence Fletcher (190); Danijah Moore (250)

Jamestown: Hannah Sjostrom (170)

Des Lacs-Burlington: Kashtyn Bredahl (120); Emma Buee (170)

Class A boys’ individual:

Minot High: Gabe Mortensen (132); Daniel Fernandez (138); Kaydn Turnbow (220)

Dickinson: Jake Glaser (106); Wyatt Turner (120); Gage Glaser (126)

Williston: Aaron Morris (106); Landon Riely (220); Ty Wiedrich (182); Korbyn Draper (195)

Watford City: Ethan Dennis (145); Nivon Hayes (285)

Jamestown: Aden Braun (152); Colton Mewes (170); Jackson Walters (182)

Class B boys’ individual:

Velva: Pitch Hager (113); Carson Hildre (132); Brayden Selzler (195)

Bishop Ryan: Lane Cooper (126); Drew Zwak (160); Connor Harvey (195); Cade Okeson (220); Coy Okeson (285)

Kenmare-Bowbells: William Cook (132); Jaxson Holter (182)

Beulah-Hazen: Mason Mellmer (145); Armani Smith (220)

Des Lacs-Burlington-Lewis & Clark: Cale Ibach (152)

Doors will open at the Fargodome at 9 a.m. for those interested in attending on Friday, with 10 a.m. marking the start of third-round wrestlebacks, consolation semifinals, and the placing round.

At 3:00 p.m., introductions will be made for the individual championships, with the championship matches scheduled to commence at 3:30 p.m.