Kubiatowicz, Erickson, Peterson advance to state wrestling tourney
By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
BLUE EARTH – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva wrestling team had three individuals survive a rugged Section 2A Tournament to earn state tournament trips Saturday.
The tourney, which was reduced from two days to one day because of the weather, was held in Blue Earth.
Dillon Kubiatowicz at 113-pounds, Cordell Peterson at 120-pounds and Todd Erickson at 220-pounds will get to continue their seasons at this week’s Minnesota Class A State Tournament.
“I was really proud of our wrestlers. When it turned into a one-day event it became even more difficult to qualify for state,” said NRHEG coach Shawn Larson. “Our guys competed as well as they have all year and that’s why we had success.”
Kubiatowicz won three straight matches to earn NRHEG’s lone section championship. He improved to 30-9 this season.Kubiatowicz opened his day with a 2:31 pin against John Barber of Grand Meadow. He rolled to a 15-2 verdict over Maple River’s Lincoln Arndt in the semifinals.
Kubiatowicz earned the top spot with a 4-1 victory over Zach Buseman of Blue Earth.
Peterson started his day with a first-period fall against David Loeffler of St. Clair.
Peterson put Grand Meadow’s Josh Graves on his back in 3:05 in the semifinals.
Jackson’s Ryan VanderWoude defeated Peterson 7-3 in the championship match.
Peterson then had to win a true second match to advance to state, which he did defeating Trey Wigand of Maple River 7-0. Peterson will advance to state with a 25-17 record.
Erickson also had to do it the tough way. He reached the finals with a pair of pins, sticking USC’s Joe Mathews in 2:22 and Blake Benson of Grand Meadow in 5:22.
Maple River’s Tyler Olson caught Erickson and pinned him in 16 seconds in the finals.
But, Erickson rebounded with a fall of his own, pinning Zach Nirk of Blooming Prairie in 2:40 for true second.
Erickson is 23-9 this season.
Just missing a state tournament trip was 170-pounder Dillon Parpart, who saw his season end with a 34-8 record.
Parpart started his day with a fall, but was edged 6-5 by Blue Earth’s David Franta in the semifinals.
Parpart fought back with a 44-second fall and a 5-1 win, but could not wrestle for true second because Franta had already beaten him,
Matt Butler at 106 and Nick Bartness at 182 finished fourth for NRHEG.
Butler went 2-2 for the day, finishing 19-14 for the year. He was pinned in his opening match, but bounced back with 6-2 and 2-1 victories.
Butler dropped a 9-8 decision to Grand Meadow’s Brenn Olson in the third-place match.
Bartness completed a 24-16 season by going 2-2 during the day. He reached the semifinals by pinning Josh Moore of Maple River.
Garrison Mindrup of Hayfield edged Bartness in a four-overtime thriller in the semifinals.
Bartness won 7-6, before dropping a 10-7 verdict to Trevor Grems in the third-place match.
Jet Wayne (145), Tyler Logan (152) and Wyatt Fitterer (285) ended up fifth for the Panthers.
Wayne lost 9-0, and then split falls in his next two matches, to reach the fifth-place bout. He pinned Hayfield’s Chris Johnson in the second period to capture fifth.
Logan lost his opening match 8-4, but rebounded with 11-2 and 6-0 victories.
Chance Oftedahl of St. Clair major decisioned Logan for third, but Logan captured fifth place with a 9-2 win over Blue Earth’s Luke Schevey.
Fitterer opened the say with a 33-second pin, but then lost a 5-1 verdict to eventual champ Martin Granados of Blue Earth.
Jackson’s Nate Hahn knocked Fitterer into the fifth-place match with a 3-1 decision. Fitterer beat Trey Chatman of Hayfield for fifth.
Karter Sletten at 138 and 160-pounder Trey Hoppe both finished sixth for NRHEG.
Sletten recorded a pair of pins, but got pinned three times during the day.
Hoppe went 1-3, getting pinned in all three losses.
Cole Staloch had one win at 126, while Palmer Peterson (132) and Matt Jensen (195) were winless in the tournament.
The Class A State Tournament will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul today, Friday and Saturday.