Wide open best described the Section 1A wrestling team tournament. The top seven teams, #5 in A Z-M (1-seed, 15-8), #12 in A Goodhue (2-seed, 22-8), Lean and Mean Chatfield (3-seed, 7-6), Lean and Mean D-E (4-seed, 14-7), Caledonia/Houston (5-seed, 13-7), and Lean and Mean GMLOS (6-seed, 14-6) all entered with at least six losses. Only Chatfield (3-1) posted a winning record in head-to-head duals in the regular season (Z-M 1-1, Goodhue, D-E, and Cal/Hou all 2-2, GMLOS 1-3). Eight of those duals (of 11) were decided by single-digits. Said six teams would face each other five times amidst the 1A tourney. Four were decided by single digits. Versus 6-seed GMLOS in one quarter, 3-seed Chatfield led just twice in the first eleven weights. Tate Karver (132) had the match/upset of the night, taking out #1 in A Class Jackson Hale via an 8-7 decision, making it 15-12 Chatfield. The winning point was ‘cut’ escape in the third period. At 182, Campbell Berge (down 5-4) notched a third period pin for Chatfield’s second lead, 28-27. Back-to-back pins by Grady Schott (195) and A.J. Karver (220) clinched the match, final 40-33. Cael Bartels (#10 at 113) and Seth Goetzinger (#3 at 126, wrestled 132) also had pins. Nathan Goldsmith (#5 at 145) won a 13-4 major at 152, Davontae Goldsmith a 14-7 decision at 170. In the semis, the Gophers than battled Goodhue. Six of the first seven weights went three periods. The Gophers didn’t trail until after 170 pounds. But ranked O’Reilly’s had pins at 160 (#8 at 152 Baxter), 170 (#4 at 160 Kelby), 195 (#2 at 170 Kaleb), and 220 (#2 at 195 Kodee) for Goodhue. A 22-13 Chat lead turned to a 37-28 insurmountable Wildcat edge. The Gophers made up 20-plus points (in-season dual was 49-24), but fell 37-34. Chatfield lost two two-point decisions. They were twice pinned in the final seconds of a period, once as the third ended (Goodhue would’ve won by MD). Bartels (113), N-Goldsmith (152), D-Goldsmith (182), and A.J. Karver (285) had pins. Sulley Ferguson (106) won by injury. Goetzinger (126) added a 15-2 major. The Gophers season ends at 8-7. Cal/Hou beat D-E in the quarters (38-28), top-seed Z-M (33-25) in the semis, before falling to Goodhue in the finals (33-27).
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