The Becker Bulldog wrestling team put on quite a performance in the individual section wrestling tournament last week, with a total of 10 individuals advancing past the first day to earn a spot in the State Prelims held last Saturday in Mound.  

From there, four Bulldogs placed in the top two spots in their respective weight classes to earn a berth in the State Class AA Wrestling finals, scheduled to start yesterday (Friday) at STMA.

“We were excited and proud to have 10 wrestlers advance to the Super Section on Saturday,” said Coach Matt Aho.  “All 10 of our wrestlers placed in the top four in the State Prelims, which puts 10 of our wrestlers in the top 16 in the state!”

This year’s state tournament will look different from year’s past because of the Super Section format (also referred to as the State Prelims), meaning that the first round of state was held between two individual Sections at sites around the state.  The State Finals this year will consist of the top two finishers from each weight class from those four State Prelim sites.

“Kaden Nicolas, Lukas Paulson, Caden DeWall, and Bryce Kuschel all made the State Final day,” said Aho.  “This puts them in the top eight in the state in their weight class.”

The path for each of the four wrestlers was a bit different, with Kuschel (220), DeWall (182) and Paulson (145) each finishing in the top spot, while Nicolas finished second in his 106 pound weight class.

Kuschel (18-6 record) scored a pair of falls in his first two matches before picking up a 11-9 decision in the final match to secure the top place finish.

His opening match at the State Finals will be against Foley’s Hunter Gorecki, a senior with a record of 39-1.

DeWall came in undefeated and left little doubt about his plans, as he defeated his first opponent in a fall just seconds into the opening match.  He would go on to a pair of second period pins to secure his spot at the State Finals with his undefeated season record of 34-0.

DeWall’s opponent in his opening match will be Tri-City United’s Brody Rud, a senior with a record of 27-5.

Paulson was also dominant, as it took him a combined total of less than six minutes to secure three pins and his chance to also enter the State Finals undefeated at 34-0.  He will take on Thief River Falls’ Brady Kasprick a junior with a record of 31-1 in his opening match.

Nicolas (32-3 record) opened his tournament with a tech fall (17-2) in the first round before losing his second match.  However, he earned a true second place bid and scored an 8-6 decision over sophomore Noah Grindele (Annandale- ranked #7 in state) to qualify for the State Finals as just an eighth grader. 

Nicolas will face Simley’s Brandon Morvari (10th grade) in his opening match. 

The State Finals for Class AA are scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at STMA High School Friday, March 26. Complete results of the State Finals can be found in next week’s Patriot.