“It was unfortunate that three of our returning state entrants could not make the return trip as seniors,” said Cyr. “Lassahn, a two-time state entrant, finished third, Staloch finished third, and Brandon LeBlanc could not compete due to injury.”
Placing fourth were freshman Dillon Kubiatowicz, 106 (15-22); senior Jade Waltz, 113 (23-19) and sophomore Tyler Logan, 132 (26-16). Senior Matt Dahle (20-10) was fifth at 171.
“After a disastrous Friday round, we wrestled very well on Saturday, and even though we only qualified two guys for the state tournament, I am very proud of the way we came back,” said Cyr. “Esplan was the class of the 120-pound weight class. Staloch came back from a first-round losing, winning four in a row before falling in the true second match. Parpart had a good tournament. Petranek lost to Thisius for the second time this season.”
Cyr said the Panthers have some tough draws as they take the mat Friday at 11 a.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Esplan has the top three 120-pounders in the state in his bracket — including two prior state champions — and will face Jesus Romero of Pelican Rapids (30-5) in the opening round. Petranek is match with James Nelson of ACGC (40-2) in the first round.
Still, Cyr has high hopes.
“It should be fun,” said the coach.