ST. PAUL – United North Central’s Shawn Hendrickson capped off his senior season by reaching the podium at the state Class A boys wrestling tournament during the finals at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday, March 4.
Hendrickson was the only wrestler of the 12 local state qualifiers to earn a medal after placing sixth at 195 pounds to cap off a 24-10 season.
Hendrickson prevailed in his state debut by pinning Eden Valley-Watkins’ Sonnie DeHeer in 5:44. Hendrickson trailed 2-0 after the first period and 4-3 after the second period despite an escape and a reversal. Hendrickson received a penalty point to tie the match at 4-4 before recording the pin.
The Menahga senior was thrown into the wrestlebacks with a 6-1 loss to Benson’s Thomas Dineen in the quarterfinals. Dineen, who was rated No. 1 in the state, took a 4-1 lead with a pair of takedowns in the first period as Hendrickson recorded an escape. A reversal in the second period sealed the win for Dineen, who went on to win the state title to cap off a 49-0 season.
Hendrickson stayed alive with a 7-4 win over Royalton-Upsala’s Kaden Holm 7-4 in the consolation round. After a scoreless first period, a pair of escapes and a takedown gave Hendrickson a 4-2 lead after the second period. Holm, who was rated No. 10, tied the match with a takedown, but Hendrickson countered with an escape and a takedown with 31 seconds left to pull off the win.
During Saturday’s final rounds, Hendrickson used an escape with :09 remaining and a takedown with :01 left to eliminate Medford’s Dylan Heiderscheidt with a 5-4 victory. Heiderscheidt led 4-2 with takedowns in the first and third periods before Hendrickson pulled off the dramatic win.
St. Charles’ Tytan Small sent Hendrickson into the fifth-place match with a 4-0 win. Small prevailed with a reversal and a nearfall in the third period.
In the fifth-place match, Wabasso’s Vander Mathiowetz edged Hendrickson 8-3. Mathiowetz used a pair of takedowns in the first period to build a 5-1 lead. Hendrickson made it 5-3 with a reversal in the third period, but Mathiowetz sealed the win with an escape and a takedown in the final 44 seconds. Mathiowetz was rated No. 3.
Contributed / Beth Rasmussen
Kritzeck, McGee advance to Day 2
In addition to Hendrickson, two other local wrestlers – Park Rapids’ Lucas Kritzeck and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis’ Dawson McGee – managed to advance to the second day.
Kritzeck made his state debut by defeating Mora’s Conor Gmahl 11-7 in the Class AA 160-pound bracket. Two takedowns and a nearfall gave Kritzeck a 6-1 lead after the first period before another takedown made it 8-3 after the second period. An escape and a takedown in the third period sealed the win over the state’s No. 9-ranked wrestler.
After Mankato West’s Damian Riewe, who was rated No. 3 in the state, pinned Kritzeck in 1:14 in the quarterfinals, the Park Rapids senior stayed alive by pinning Totino-Grace’s Joe Kruse in 2:34 in the consolation round. After a takedown in the first period, Kritzeck used a reversal to set up the pin.
Kritzeck concluded a 29-8 season by being pinned by Hibbing’s Bryson Larrabee in 4:05 in his first match on Saturday. Larrabee gave up a takedown in the first period before using a reversal to set up his pin and deny Kritzeck a spot on the podium.
McGee defeated Crookston’s Gavyn Hlucny 6-0 in his first match in the Class A 126-pound bracket. The Nevis senior used takedowns in the first and second periods and a reversal in the third period to advance.
Border West’s Eli Larson used an escape and a takedown in the second period to edge McGee 3-2 in the quarterfinals. McGee had escapes in the second and third periods. Larson was the top-rated wrestler at 126 and ended up losing in the title match.
McGee rebounded to defeat BOLD’s Brady Kiecker 11-4 in the wrestlebacks. McGee built a 4-1 lead with a pair of takedowns in the first period and used a takedown in the second period to make it 6-2. A reversal and a nearfall in the third period sealed the win.
Trinity School at River Ridge’s David Gregory, who was rated No. 7, ended McGee’s bid to earn a medal with a 14-4 major decision. McGee opened with a takedown, but Gregory countered with an escape and a takedown to claim a 3-2 lead. Two reversals and a nearfall gave Gregory a 9-4 lead after the second period as McGee had a reversal. A takedown and a nearfall by Gregory closed out the scoring in the third period.
McGee ended the season with a 42-6 record and 144 career wins to rank third in school history.
“Dawson started off his tournament on fire. He controlled the first match and lost a narrow 3-2 decision to the No. 1 kid in the state. He wrestled extremely well in his last match on Day 1 to make Day 2. Unfortunately, we started off well on Day 2, but fell behind and could not recover,” said WHAN head coach Colby Marich. “Dawson and our staff were obviously disappointed, but as always Dawson handled himself with grace and dignity.”
Contributed / Beth Rasmussen
Tough first day for others
It was a tough first day for the other seven local qualifiers in the boys tournament.
Park Rapids senior Robby Sherk pinned Rush City-Braham’s Tucker Gould in 1:20 in the Class AA 106-pound bracket before being eliminated with a 15-2 major decision loss to Watertown-Mayer’s Joel Friederichs and by being pinned by Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Montevideo’s Ben Gunlogson in 3:37.
Sherk used a takedown and a nearfall to set up his pin against Gould and opened his second match with a takedown before Friederichs responded with a reversal in the first period, a takedown and two nearfalls in the second period, and a reversal and a nearfall in the third period to advance to the semifinals. Friederichs was rated No. 4 in the state.
Sherk held a 12-2 lead with a takedown and two nearfalls in the first period and a pair of reversals in the second period before a reversal in the third period set up Gunlogson’s pin. Sherk, who was rated No. 3 in the state, ended his career with a 31-3 record. Gonlogson was rated No. 7.
Contributed / Beth Rasmussen
Park Rapids sophomore Aiden Maanum lost to Watertown-Mayer’s Titan Friederichs by an 18-3 technical fall in 5:31 and to Simley’s Jake Kos 6-2 in the Class AA 113-pound bracket in his state debut.
Friederichs, who was rated No. 2, prevailed behind two takedowns and two nearfalls to build an 11-2 lead in the first period, a takedown in the second period, and a nearfall and takedown in the third period. Maanum had a reversal in the first period and an escape in the third period.
Kos, who was rated No. 6, used a takedown in the first period and a reversal and a takedown in the second period to eliminate Maanum, who had an escape in the second period and received a penalty point in the third period. Maanum ended his season with a 22-13 record.
United North Central eighth grader Eli Roiko made his state debut in the Class A 170-pound bracket by pinning Pelican Rapids’ Mark Kapenga in 2:50 before being ousted with a 13-3 major decision loss to Medford’s Tate Hermes and an 8-2 loss to Canby’s Nick Wagner.
Roiko trailed Kapenga 5-2 after the first period before a nearfall tied the match at 5-5 and set up the pin. Hermes, who was rated No. 2, used three takedowns in the first period, a nearfall in the second period, and an escape, a takedown and a nearfall in the third period to advance. Wagner used takedowns in the first and third periods and two takedowns in the second period to eliminate Roiko, who closed the season with a 16-21 record.
UNC’s other four qualifiers were eliminated after only one match in the Class A tournament.
Eighth grader Conrad Koll had to forfeit his match to Pelican Rapids’ Jed Carlson at 120 to end the season with a 19-3 record.
Junior Zach Hendrickson lost to Gregory 2-0 on a third-period reversal and was eliminated from the 126-pound bracket when Gregory lost his next match. Hendrickson ended his season at 26-15.
Senior Hank Tellers dropped a 2-1 decision to Royalton-Upsala’s Will Gorecki on a reversal with :08 remaining and was prevented another match when Gorecki lost in the quarterfinals at 145. Gorecki was rated No. 10 while Tellers, who closed the season with a 37-11 record, was rated No. 7.
Senior Marcus Peterson suffered a 6-4 loss to Bertha-Hewit/Verndale/Parkers Prairie’s Braden Shamp in his first match at 285 and was eliminated when Shamp lost his next match. Peterson, who was rated No. 2 in the state, held a 3-0 lead behind a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second period before Shamp countered with a takedown and a nearfall for a 5-3 lead. Peterson’s escape made it 5-4 entering the third period. An escape by Shamp sealed the win as Peterson ended his senior season with a 38-5 record.
Contributed / Beth Rasmussen
Park Rapids girls battle in debuts
Park Rapids senior Mickey Clark and sophomore Brooke Kritzeck lost both of their matches in their state debuts of the girls tournament on Saturday.
Clark (who was rated No. 5 at 100 pounds) was pinned by Northfield’s Caley Graber (the top-ranked wrestler in the state at that weight) in 1:16 and was pinned by Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis’ Ella Henning in 2:38 in the wrestlebacks to end the season with an 8-4 record. Henning was rated No. 6. Graber went on to win the state title.
Kritzeck (who was rated No. 10) opened with a 16-2 major decision loss to Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander’s Diann Smith, the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 138 who ended up losing in the finals. Smith used two takedowns and a nearfall for a 7-1 lead after the first period, two takedowns to make it 11-2 after the second period, and an escape, a takedown and a nearfall to close out the scoring. Kritzeck had escapes in the first and second periods.
Centennial’s Nora Akpan eliminated Kritzeck with a 7-1 decision in the wrestlebacks. Akpan, who was rated No. 7, prevailed with takedowns in each period. Kritzeck scored on a penalty point in the second period to end the season with a 6-6 record.
Contributed / Beth Rasmussen
