Thursday, March 28th, 2024 Church Directory
Tyson Ricker was the lone Bulldog to pick up a championship in his bracket at the Rogers Holiday Matness tournament. (Patriot archive photo).

Ricker wins title for #2 ranked Bulldogs

The #2 Class AA state ranked Becker Bulldog wrestling team participated in the Rogers Holiday Matness tournament last week and came away with a fifth place team finish (137 points) in a very competitive 36 school field.  

STMA won the title with 296 points, while M8 foe Princeton finished third. Becker did outdistance perennial powerhouses the likes of Apple Valley, Andover and Foley.

Becker Senior Tyson Ricker claimed the Bulldogs’ sole individual bracket championship, as he dominated the 182 pound bracket.

Ricker opened the tournament with a bye and then scored a fall just before the final horn (5:54) in his second match. From there, he scored a pair of pins, at 2:49 in the second period and another buzzer-beater at 5:49, to secure his place in the championship match.  

In the finals, Ricker scored an 8-2 decision win over Kimball Area’s Hank Meyer.

Other top finishers for the Bulldogs included: Kaden Nicolas (132) and Landen Kujawa (138) - fourth place; Drew May (145) and Adam Jurek (160) - fifth place; Owen Angell, sixth place at 170; Bennett Kujawa, seventh place at 106; and Ethan Duncombe, eighth place at 152.

For the season, the Bulldogs remain ranked #2 in the Guillotine state Class AA rankings, just behind top-ranked Smiley.

Individually, Becker had five wrestlers ranked in the top ten as of the last state Class AA individual rankings: Nicolas (second at 126), Landen Kujawa (second at 132), Jurek (sixth at 160), Ricker (sixth at 170) and Dylan Kolby (sixth at 220).

Becker was off this week until Friday evening and Saturday, when they were scheduled to travel to Lacrosse, Wisconsin for the Lacrosse Center Invitational.