Wrestlers edge Pillager, Aitkin in dual 

Contributed photo
William Schwartz took second place at the BHVPP Tournament on Saturday.

Otter Tail Central wrestling had a full and encouraging week of competition, and head coach Ben Naddy was proud of the effort and progress their team showed in both dual and tournament settings.

Thursday

The Bulldogs opened the week on Thursday by competing in a quad meet in Pillager. The varsity team finished the night with a 2–1 record, picking up a 43–29 win over Pillager, falling to Wadena-Deer Creek by a score of 48–26, and closing the evening with a hard-fought 37–32 victory over Aitkin. 

The kids battled throughout the night, and Naddy said he liked how they responded after the Wadena-Deer Creek dual to come back and finish strong against Aitkin in a very competitive matchup.

Josh Larson captured first place at the BHVPP Tournament on Saturday.

Naddy said the team had several wrestlers step up with impressive performances during the quad. Freshmen Houston Schwartz and Keaston Thorpe wrestled with a lot of confidence, while seniors Will Schwartz, Tayden Soma, Peter Newark and Josh Larson provided strong leadership and consistency. Those six wrestlers combined for an outstanding 15–3 overall record across the three duals, which played a big role in our success that night.

Saturday

On Saturday, the Bulldogs traveled to compete in the BHVPP Invitational. Tournament settings always provide a different challenge, and the team responded well. OTC had seven wrestlers place in a tough field, with three advancing to the championship finals.

Tayden Soma took second place at the BHVPP Tournament on Saturday.

Josh Larson capped off a strong weekend by winning his weight class and taking home a first place finish. Tayden Soma and Will Schwartz each reached the finals and earned runner-up finishes after battling through competitive brackets.

As a team, the Bulldogs finished fourth overall at the BHVPP Invitational, which marks their highest team placing of the season so far. That result reflects the steady improvement the wrestlers have been making and the work they continue to put in each day in the room.

Overall, Naddy said this was a positive week for the program. He said the team is continuing to grow, gain experience and compete at a higher level, and he is looking forward to seeing that progress continue as we move further into the season.

Colton Dolezal (1-2) 107 – 7th place- Quarters: Varsity – 107 – Hayden Hiebert (16-2) Fr., LBW over Colton Dolezal (9-16) Fr., OCB (F 3:56),  Bout 51 (White Mat) – Cons. Sub-Semis: Varsity – 107 – Brayden Nielsen (14-7) Fr., KMS over Colton Dolezal (9-16) Fr., OCB (TF 21-6 (3:40)), Bout 97 (White Mat) – 7th Place Match: Varsity – 107 – Colton Dolezal (9-16) Fr., OCB over Marek Gustason (0-6) 8th, PILL (F 1:47)

Brogan Malone (1-2) 121 – 7th place- Quarters: Varsity – 121 – Benelli Johnson (10-10) Fr., LBW over Brogan Malone (3-15) 7th, OCB (F 3:55), Cons. Sub-Semis: Varsity – 121 – Evan Aitchison (6-16) So., PILL over Brogan Malone (3-15) 7th, OCB (F 3:26)

Peter Newark (0-4) 127 – 5th place- Champ. Round 1: Varsity – 127 – Merrick Hoffman (18-5) So., BHVP over Peter Newark (14-18) Sr., OCB (MD 18-4), Champ. Round 3: Varsity – 127 – Logan Lund (8-16) Fr., PILL over Peter Newark (14-18) Sr., OCB (Dec 8-6), Champ. Round 4: Varsity – 127 – Hunter Katterhagen (9-2) Jr., LBW over Peter Newark (14-18) Sr., OCB (F 0:22), Champ. Round 5: Varsity – 127 – Johnny Molenaar (7-20) 8th, KMS over Peter Newark (14-18) Sr., OCB (Dec 7-0)

Brock Malone (1-3) 133 – 6th place- Quarters: Varsity – 133 – Brock Grabow (9-6) Sr., BARN over Brock Malone (4-10) Fr., OCB (TF 18-0 (2:49)), Cons. Sub-Semis: Varsity – 133 – Brock Malone (4-10) Fr., OCB over Tucker Wilts (3-9) Fr., KMS (F 4:31), Cons. Semis: Varsity – 133 – Maddox Vandermay (13-9) Fr., PILL over Brock Malone (4-10) Fr., OCB (F 1:07), 5th Place Match: Varsity – 133 – Logan Becker (9-10) So., BHVP over Brock Malone (4-10) Fr., OCB (F 2:17)

Houston Schwartz (0-4) 139 – 5th place- Champ. Round 1: Varsity – 139 – Jaron Poepping (6-12) Jr., BARN over Houston Schwartz (6-17) Fr., OCB (F 1:23), Champ. Round 2: Varsity – 139 – Brodie Pachan (19-1) Jr., LBW over Houston Schwartz (6-17) Fr., OCB (F 2:15), Champ. Round 3: Varsity – 139 – Justin Olson (17-6) Sr., BHVP over Houston Schwartz (6-17) Fr., OCB (F 1:29), Champ. Round 4: Varsity – 139 – Colton Noble (12-4) Sr., KMS over Houston Schwartz (6-17) Fr., OCB (F 0:40)

Keaston Thorpe (1-2) 145 – 4th place- Semis: Varsity – 145 – Trey Gunderson (14-0) Sr., KMS over Keaston Thorpe (12-15) Fr., OCB (TF 21-4 (1:46)), Cons. Semis: Varsity – 145 – Keaston Thorpe (12-15) Fr., OCB over Nate Hollenbeck (0-5) Sr., PILL (TF 15-0 (1:35)), 3rd Place Match: Varsity – 145 – John Paul Buntjer (14-8) So., LBW over Keaston Thorpe (12-15) Fr., OCB (TF 19-3 (6:00))

Tayden Soma (2-1) 152 – 2nd place- Quarters: Varsity – 152 – Tayden Soma (15-9) Sr., OCB over Shane Froehlich (12-7) Jr., KMS (F 1:19), Semis: Varsity – 152 – Tayden Soma (15-9) Sr., OCB over Tate Pauna (10-13) So., BARN (F 1:25), 1st Place Match: Varsity – 152 – Preston Captain (10-12) Sr., BHVP over Tayden Soma (15-9) Sr., OCB (Dec 4-3)

Anthony Rousu (1-2) 160 – 7th place-  Quarters: Varsity – 160 – Jacob Hidalgo (13-9) Sr., LBW over Anthony Rousu (2-19) Sr., OCB (F 0:48), Cons. Sub-Semis: Varsity – 160 – Tate Strom (3-11) Sr., LBW over Anthony Rousu (2-19) Sr., OCB (F 0:47)

William Schwartz (2-1) 215 – 2nd place- Semis: Varsity – 215 – William Schwartz (9-7) Sr., OCB over Jay Harkema (8-7) Jr., KMS (ID 1:45), 1st Place Match: Varsity – 215 – Tommy Miron (9-9) Sr., LBW over William Schwartz (9-7) Sr., OCB (F 4:46)

Lincoln Day (2-2) 285 – 3rd place- Champ. Round 1: Varsity – 285 – Lincoln Day (2-2) Sr., OCB over Elijah Marquardt (2-5) Fr., KMS (F 0:28), Champ. Round 2: Varsity – 285 – Heston Almendinger (10-5) So., LBW over Lincoln Day (2-2) Sr., OCB (F 0:27), Champ. Round 3: Varsity – 285 – Lincoln Day (2-2) Sr., OCB over Will Giza (3-17) Sr., PILL (F 0:50), Champ. Round 4: Varsity – 285 – Joshua Larson (13-12) Sr., OCB over Lincoln Day (2-2) Sr., OCB (F 0:25)

Joshua Larson (4-0) 285 – 1st place- Champ. Round 1: Varsity – 285 – Joshua Larson (13-12) Sr., OCB over Will Giza (3-17) Sr., PILL (F 3:16), Champ. Round 2: Varsity – 285 – Joshua Larson (13-12) Sr., OCB over Elijah Marquardt (2-5) Fr., KMS (F 0:38), Champ. Round 4: Varsity – 285 – Joshua Larson (13-12) Sr., OCB over Lincoln Day (2-2) Sr., OCB (F 0:25), Champ. Round 5: Varsity – 285 – Joshua Larson (13-12) Sr., OCB over Heston Almendinger (10-5) So., LBW (F 1:00)