REDWOOD FALLS -- Jacob Prunty remained undefeated on the season and Worthington High School teammate Mason Byrne placed second Saturday at the Redwood River Riot wrestling tournament.
The Friday-Saturday tournament featured 33 teams. Prunty at 132 pounds and Byrne at 182 were most impressive individually for the Trojans.
Prunty was dominant throughout. He won his first match in a fall in 2:40, his second in a fall in 1:25 and his third in a fall in 3:19. He scored a 12-0 major decision in his next match, then decisioned Afton Kaping of Litchfield 5-0 for the 132-pound championship.
Kaping and Prunty met in the 2017 state tournament, and that one was also won by Prunty.
Byrne had a first-round bye. He won his next three matches by fall, in 3:15, 5:07 and 2:46. In the finals, he lost a 3-2 decision to Peyton Mortenson of Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Montevideo United.
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“It was tight in the third period,” Worthington head coach Mark Prunty said of Bryne’s championship match. “Mason went for a takedown and, really, it was kind of a slip. … He was being aggressive, which is what you want it to be, and the other kid took advantage and got the takedown.”
No other Trojan wrestlers placed. But Damon Schutz went 2-2 at 106 pounds, Lay K Paw was 1-2 at 138, Ethan Pavelko was 3-2 at 145, Jacob Neuberger was 2-2 at 220 and Adam Russell was 1-2 at heavyweight.
“Overall, as a team it really wasn’t one of our better tournaments. We came in a little short-handed. We were certainly looking to get more than two place winners,” said Coach Prunty.
Fairmont/Martin County West scored the most points of all the competing teams, with 216.5. Litchfield placed second with 158.5, followed by Marshall 117, Sibley East 113, St. Peter 112, Wabasso/Red Rock Central 111.5, Mankato West 110 and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton/Westbrook-Walnut Grove 102.5 among the top eight.
Worthington placed 13th with 88 points.
Wabasso/Red Rock Central’s Nick Altermatt won the 170-pound weight class with an 8-5 decision over Collin Steuber of Fairmont/MCW in the title match.
Fairmont/MCW had three champions: Lucas Jagodzinske at 106 pounds, Jaxson Rohman at 113 and Payton Anderson at 138.
