The Crookston School District held a very spirited send-off to six Crookston Pirate Wrestlers. The six Pirate wrestlers are Carter Coauette, Ethan Bowman, Evin Trudeau, Hunter Knutson, Ethan Boll, and Gavyn Hlucny. They will all be competing in the Class A Individual State Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul tomorrow.
The Pirates not only got a send-off from their peers and teachers at Crookston High School but also from the students at Highland Elementary School, the Crookston Cathedral School, and Washington Elementary School, where they received hi-fives, well wishes, posters, and even songs from the schools. “We’ve got a number of seniors heading down with some underclassmen. They’ve all been there before,” Pirates Wrestling Coach Wes Hanson explained. “It’s a special time of year, there’s a lot of positive energy, and we appreciate that from the school and community. We’re excited to hit the road, get to St. Paul, and wrestle.” The Pirate wrestlers are hoping to get at least three members to place in States this year and bring some trophies home to Crookston. “They have high goals for themselves, they’re wrestling individually, and we want to bring a bunch of hardware back,” said Hanson.
Senior Ethan Boll won the State Championship last year and took third place in the National Tourney, and is looking to have a repeat performance at the upcoming tourney but currently has his sights set on the next match. “There’s definitely a lot of nerves, stress, and a little bit of pressure, but we’ll take it one match at a time, and we’ll see what happens,” said Boll.
The competition’s first round will begin tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., with the Finals beginning on Saturday evening. Stay tuned to the kroxam.com Sports page for reports and pictures of the Pirates Wrestlers’ results this weekend.
