UP IN THE AIR — NRHEG's Dustin Esplan lifts Jesus Romero of Pelican Rapids during the opening round of the state tournament Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Esplan dominated the match 14-1. (Star Eagle photos by Chris Schlaak)
SHOW HIM THE LIGHTS — Dustin Esplan puts Jesus Romero of Pelican Rapids on his back during the opening round of the state tournament Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
ALL BUSINESS — NRHEG head wrestling coach Paul Cyr, left, leads Seth Petranek to his first match in the state tournament Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
HEARTBREAKER — NRHEG's Seth Petranek lifts James Nelson of ACGC during the opening round of the state tournament Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Petranek was the aggressor in the match but lost a heartbreaking 2-1, four-overtime decision on a controversial call.
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
NRHEG took two wrestlers and some high hopes to the 2012 state tournament.
They did not come home empty-handed.
Seniors Dustin Esplan and Seth Petranek earned medals, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul last weekend.
“Even tough I wish boys guys could have ended their seasons with a victory, I am extremely proud of the way they competed and represented NRHEG at the state tournament,” said Panthers coach Paul Cyr.
For both, it meant a lot of wrestling. It included highlights, heartbreak and redemption.
In the wrestlebacks, Esplan defeated Richy Soto of St. James 8-3 and, in the third-place bout, he dropped a tough 5-4 decision in a rematch with Mills. Esplan finished the season with a record of 39-6.
“For Dustin Esplan, given what he went through last summer, getting another state medal is a great accomplishment,” said Cyr. “He competed at a very high level in every one of his matches. Mitch Lexvold is clearly the class of the 120-pound field and we wrestled him tough in the semifinals.”
Petranek, wrestling at 182, had a heartbreaker in the opening round, dropping a four-overtime, 2-1 decision on a controversial call to James Nelson of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.
In the wrestlebacks, Petranek posted a 7-0 victory over Triton's Lucas Etchason and a 3-1 triumph against Dillon Card of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 3-1 to ensure himself a medal. Then he ran into USC’s Brady Thisius, who beat him in the section finals. Thisius claimed a four-overtime, 3-2 decision — again ending with a questionable call — giving Petranek a rematch with Nelson for fifth place. Nelson won 6-3. Petranek finished 35-10.
“Seth Petranek had a very good tournament in placing sixth, but he couldn’t catch a break of any kind when it came to the officials,” said Cyr. “In his first-round match that went four overtimes, his opponent was awarded the winning score after it appeared that Seth had won the match. After winning his first two consolation matches, he again was defeated in four overtimes when it looked like he won the match.”
Still, Cyr was satisfied with the Panthers’ showing.
“Just the fact that we were able to get two guys to medal is a real achievement,” he said.