Six Crookston Pirate Wrestlers received a send-off at the High School this morning from the entire school to the State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. The six wrestlers are Ethan Boll, Evin Trudeau, Gavyn Hlucny, Carter Coauette, Ethan Bowman, Hunter Knutason, and their coaches.
The send-off at Crookston High School included a walk through the school with the Pirate Pep Band following them and pictures on the fire truck. The next stop was Highland School, where the wrestlers walked through the school and received high fives and good luck wishes from the students, teachers, and staff. The last stop was at Washington School, where students greeted them with “Go Pirates” signs they made. After Washington School, the convoy led by the Crookston Police department, which included the wrestlers, coaches, and families followed by a Crookston Firetruck, went through downtown Crookston on their way out of town.
Coach Pirate Wrestling Coach Wes Hanson was thankful to the school and the student body for their support of his team. “The school definitely has a good feel within the school and a good atmosphere and sends us out right with the pep band playing, and the police escort out of town is pretty neat. I’m really proud of these guys, they deserve it, and I’m excited for these guys over the next couple of days,” said Coach Hanson. “We have high expectations for them. Most of these guys have been to the State Tournament before, and we’re looking to get a lot of place winners, and each of them has their own individual goals, but we’re hoping to get them all wrestling late into the tournament.”
The Wrestling Team will have their first matches starting at 9:00 a.m. on Friday at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. KROX will have reports with Hall of Famer Rod Olson calling in after each round, and Carley Knutson will also be taking pictures. Stay tuned to KROX Radio and KROXAM.com for updates on Friday and Saturday.
