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CITY (NewsDakota.com)–Hi-Liner head wrestling coach Aaron Larson gave away the secret to dual meet success before his team faced Fargo South Tuesday night.
“We have a full lineup for the first time this season. Kids are healthy, kids made weight, those are the two things,” said Larson.
Healthy wrestlers making weight and filling the lineup certainly helped, but matching up ended up making the difference.
Shane Undem moved up two weight classes and won a key fall that started a string of five Hi-Liner victories in six bouts, powering the Hi-Liners past Fargo South 40-33 at the Hi-Liner Activity Center.
The win was the first in the Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) this season, after a season full of empty weight classes and sick competitors.
Undem moved from 138 to 152, then defeated Nigel Helley by fall in 3:37, cutting a one-time 15-point Bruin lead to 21-18.
From there, everyone started moving up. Zack Doty moved to up to 160, and the sophomore won a 12-0 major over senior Garret Heiden, giving Valley City its first lead at 22-21. Stephen Radermacher then worked a 1:23 fall over Jake Solem at 170, a weight above his class, moving the lead to 28-21.
“Stephen wrestled that kid once this season, and beat him, but didn’t pin him,” said Larson of Radermacher’s win. “It was good to see him really get after him tonight.”
South struck back in the next match, with junior Cody Neilson defeating freshman Wyatt Bjornson by fall in 1:04 at 180. But it was the next weight class that saw Valley City finally deal an EDC opponent a dose of it’s own medicine.
Knowing the Bruins were without a wrestler at 195, the Hi-Liners moved Noah Kaber up to receive a forfeit, and subseqently moved Brandon Larson, the state’s top-ranked 195-pounder, to 220. Larson needed just 12 seconds to pin Cambell Nielson, sending the score to 40-27, sealing the win for the Hi-Liners.
Steven Horner then put Bruin heavyweight Josh Schlicht on his back, but Schlicht reversed the hold and socred a 1:09 fall over Horner to end the dual at 40-33.
The Bruins had won the first three bouts, with Marvin Berry working an 11-6 decision over Jake Ashline at 106, Marlo Bell defeating Cole McGough by fall in 1:00 at 113, and Rashidi Kikopa earning a fall over Cody Peterson in :27 at 120. South led 15-0 after three matches.
Jackson Lemnus put the Hi-Liners on the board, taking a :45 fall from Logan Rhode at 126, and Mark Miller followed by receiving the first of two Bruin forfeits at 138, cutting the lead to 15-12.
The match of the night was at 138, with Jordan Magnuson stepping in to allow Undem his eventual move-up. Magnuson lost in three overtimes to South 132-pounder Michael Bell, who moved up a weight class, 6-3. Regulation ended at 3-3, neither wrestler worked a takedown in sudden death, and Magnuson failed to score from bottom in the second overtime.
Bell earned an escape with :18 left in the third extra period, and Magnuson surrendered a takedown on a desperate try at the legs with time running out.
Reed Beckman had a disappointing night at 145 for Valley City. In a highly-anticipated “toss-up” bout with Myrone Bell, Beckman hit an early low single-leg, taking a 2-1 lead, but gave up a devasting five-point move from the feet, surviving 20 seconds on his back to trail 6-2 after a period.
Beckman fought back the entire match, closing within 10-9. Bell, who had been cautioned for stalling once in the bout already, may have dodged a bullet as we watched the clock tick away to earn the win. The Hi-Liner bench felt another caution was warranted, which would have tied the match, but they did not get the call.
Valley City moves to 1-6 in EDC duals, 3-8 overall. They travel to the Storhaug Invitational tournament at Lisbon this weekend, one of the top competition pools, with a heavy dose of Class “B” powerhouses and Apple Valley, MN, ranked in the top 10 in the nation.