The Crookston Pirate Wrestling team had three compete in the Thief River Falls Invitational Wrestling tournament at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls, and all three placed. Crookston finished 11th out of 20 teams with 42.5 points. Bemidji won the tournament with 252 points,
Gavyn Hlucny, Lucas Perala, and Riley Helgeson were the three competing for the Pirates.
Team results –
1. Bemidji – 252
2. United North Central – 146
3. Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie – 134.5
4. Thief River Falls – 124
5. Grand Forks Central – 111.5
6. Minnewaska Area – 109.5
7. Fosston/Bagley – 102.5
8. Fertile-Beltrami – 62
9. Mahnomen/Waubun – 58
10. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River – 55.5
11. Crookston – 42.5
12. Hibbing – 27
13. Cass Lake-Bena/Blackduck – 25.5
14. All Saints Home School – 19.5
15. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley – 19
16. Crosby-Ironton – 14
17. Grand Forks Red River – 11.5
18. Nashwauk-Keewatin-Greenway – 10.5
19. Roseau – 8
20. Ottertail Central – 5
152 POUNDS – Gavyn Hlucny
Gavyn beat Sawyer Erickson of Minnewaska Area by a pin at 1:37. Gavyn took a 3-0 lead with a takedown eight seconds into the match. He gave up an escape and got another takedown 32 seconds into the match for a 6-1 lead. Gavyn allowed another escape before getting another takedown for a 9-2 lead and won by a pin a few seconds later.
In the quarterfinals, Gavyn continued his domination as he scored a takedown 19 seconds into the match and won by a pin in 1:32 over Max Mertens of Grand Forks Red River.
In the semi-finals, Gavyn took on Noah Holmberg of Cass Lake-Bena/Blackduckhad no problems as he scored three points on a takedown seven seconds into the match. He gave up an escape before getting another takedown 11 seconds later for a 6-1 lead. After another escape, Hlucny scored another takedown before an escape and two nearfall points for an 11-2 lead. Gavyn gave up the escape only to get another takedown for a 14-3 lead after one period. Gavyn started down, got an escape six seconds into the period, and got a takedown with 66 seconds left to win by a tech fall at 2:54 to advance to the championship.
In the championship, Gavyn took on Landen Larson of Thief River Falls. Gavyn started the match with a takedown 50 seconds into the match for a 3-0 lead. Larson scored on a reversal before Hlucny countered with an escape to take a 4-2 lead at the end of the first period. Hlucny started the second period down and got an escape seven seconds into the period. Neither wrestler scored the rest of the period, and Hlucny led 5-2. Larson started down in the third period and got an escape, only for Hlucny to get a takedown for an 8-3 lead. 12 seconds later, Larson got an escape, but Hlucny held on for an 8-4 victory to win the championship, and he improved to 25-3 on the year.
160 POUNDS – Lucas Perala
In the first round, Lucas lost to Tanner Schulke of Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie. Schulke started the match with a takedown 52 seconds into the match and that was the score after the first period. Perala started the second period down and got an escape to get within a 3-1 deficit. Schulke scored another takedown for a 6-1 lead before getting a pin at 3:08.
Perala lost to Weston McKay of Crosby-Ironton in wrestlebacks. Perala had a good start to the match with a takedown with 42 seconds left in the first period. McKay answered with an escape, takedown, and four nearfall points for an 8-3 lead. There was no scoring in the second period, but McKay won the match with a pin at 4:14.
In the seventh-place match, Perala received a bye and finished seventh lace.
HEAVYWEIGHT – Riley Helgeson
Helgeson received a first-round bye. In the quarterfinal match, Riley took on Jack Leiser of Fertile-Beltrami. There was no scoring in the first period. Helgeson got a reversal with 31 seconds left in the period, and Leiser finished the period with a reversal, and the match was tied at 2-2 going into the third period. Leiser got an escape and a takedown to take a 6-2 lead, and he won the match by pin at 5:44. In wrestlebacks, Helgeson bounced back as he took on Kaden Bartness of Mahnomen/Waubun. Helgeson got a takedown 90 seconds into the match for a 3-0 lead. In the second period, Helgeson started with an escape and followed with a takedown for a 7-0 lead before he won by a pin at 1:27. Helgeson continued his solid wrestling as he took on Joey Bruggeman of Thief River Falls. Riley started with a takedown 24 seconds into the match and won by a pin in 36 seconds. In the consolation semi-finals, Helgeson took on Braden Champ of Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie. There was no scoring in the first two periods. In the third, Helgeson started with an escape before Shamp got a takedown for a 3-1 lead. Helgeson scored an escape to get within a 3-2 deficit. Shamp got a takedown with one second left to win the match 6-2.
Helgeson competed in the fifth-place match against Jack Leiser of Fertile-Beltrami. Leiser wasn’t able to wrestle and had to medical forfeit and Helgson finished fifth place.
Wrestlin
