CROOKSTON WRESTLERS DOMINATE HILLSBORO/CENTRAL VALLEY

The Crookston Pirate Wrestling team won its eighth dual in a row with eight pins to beat Hillsboro/Central Valley 66-6 in a non-Section match in Hillsboro.

Carter Coauette opened the match with Crookston’s first of five straight pins taking his opponent down on the mat at 113-pounds in 1:56. “Carter (Coauette) had a sound, solid takedown,” said Crookston head coach Wes Hanson. “He was riding tough and was able to cradle lock-up there for a while before getting the fall. It was a really solid match for him.”
Ethan Bowman followed with a pin at 120-pounds in 3:34. “Ethan (Bowman) had a nice takedown,” noted Hanson. “He was riding the legs a little bit and eventually was able to lock up a tight hold and pick up a pin.”
Zach Brown dominated his 126-pound match with a pin in just 46-seconds. “Zach Brown is really starting to come into form,” explained Hanson. “He keeps improving, and we’re looking forward to getting him some individual tournament time and finishing this season strong.”
Cameron Weiland defeated his opponent with a pin in the final second of his match at 132-pounds. “That was a great match for Cam (Weiland),” said Hanson. “He scored the first takedown in that match but was getting beat in the second period. At one point, he was trailing by quite a few, but just kept wrestling and was able to hit a nice move late and pick up the win right at the buzzer. It was a very good wrestler that he beat.”
Braxton Volker pinned his opponent at 138-pounds in 1:43.  “Braxton (Volker) had a nice side leg,” added Hanson. “He was able to lock up a pin pretty early and make quick work.”
Cade Coauette won a hard-fought match at 145-pounds 4-2. “Something we’re always trying to do is get the first takedown, and Cade (Coauette) was able to do that,” explained Hanson. “He was very good in the top position and picked up a lot of riding time, even though that doesn’t count in high school, it still wears out your opponent. He was able to get a reversal and ride out to win the match.”
Cameron Hulst earned the Pirates’ sixth pin 1:25 into the 152-pound match. “Cam (Hulst) had that first takedown as well, had some good riding, and eventually locked up a pin,” said Hanson.
Hunter Knutson earned a pin at 160-pounds in 2:43. “Hunter (Knutson) scored a couple of nice takedowns, including one right at the edge,” explained Hanson. “He had a single leg and was able to pull his guy back on the mat and finish with good technique for that takedown. It was a very good performance for Hunter Knutson.”
Ethan Boll won a rematch of the championship match from the Rod Olson Invitational over Gavin Wright 4-3 at 195 pounds. “It was a rematch of our tournament when Ethan (Boll) had beat (Wright) in overtime,” noted Hanson. “We knew it would be a good match going in there. We gave up a penalty point in the first period, so it kind of switched the tone of the match a little bit and where we wanted to be. We ended up having to give up an escape to go onto our feet with not a lot of time left. Ethan was able to get a takedown with about 15-seconds left and get a ride out to close the match.”
Layten Fuentes earned Crookston’s final win on the mat pinning his opponent in 1:51 at 220 pounds. “That was a beautiful shot for Layten (Fuentes),” said Hanson. “He got into a position where his opponent was doing a good job of countering and Layten just slowly kept improving his positioning and was able to get a takedown. After a good ride, he was able to secure a turn, and get the pin.”

“Our guys worked pretty hard,” summarized Hanson. “We wrestled well in most positions and we were able to get a couple of big wins late, which was fun.”

The Pirates improve to 11-7 in duals. Crookston returns to the mat on Saturday when they compete in the Thief River Falls Tournament beginning at 10 A.M.