WORTHINGTON - Well, look at it this way: Wabasso/Red Rock Central beat Worthington in an early-season dual early last season, too, and things turned out alright for the Trojans.
The WHS wrestling team qualified for the Minnesota state Class AA wrestling tournament in 2015, but they lost to the Bobcats 39-24 in a Dec. 9 bout. On Tuesday, the Bobcats beat the Trojans again, 36-21, in a triangular meet with Quad County at Worthington High School.
In the evening’s first match, W/RRC rolled over Quad County 42-15. Worthington had to battle to beat Quad County in the next match, 36-28. And in the finale, W-RRC broke free from an 18-15 deficit to win five of the last six weight classes and thwart the Trojans 36-21.
“It’s a long season. We’ve got a lot of time to do something about it,” said WHS head coach Mark Prunty at the end of a marathon evening that began at 5 p.m. and didn’t end until nearly 11 p.m. “We’ve got a lot of things to improve on. Wabasso is a good team. We’ll have to wrestle extremely well to beat them.”
Though the Trojans came out on the losing end of their last dual, they enjoyed some stalwart moments. In their match with Quad County, Ethan Pavelko became locked into a hotly-contested match with Tori Rupp and came out on the winning side, 5-3, at 132 pounds. In the same dual, the Trojans’ Cody Michelson drew state-ranked Kirby Winson at 170 pounds and led Winson 7-0 at one point before winning by fall in 5:25.
Winson is the state’s No. 4-ranked 160-pound wrestler in Class AA.
In the Wabasso/Red Rock Central match, Worthington’s Mason Byrne showed grit and determination in beating the Bobcats’ Caleb Kemp 3-2 in overtime at 152. The Trojan twins, Hser Eh Pwae and Hser Moo Pwae, won two matches apiece for the Trojans on Tuesday at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively, and both easily.
“Really a breakthrough match for Cody,” Prunty said. “This was just a great confidence-booster - obviously to pin (Winson), but also to have a good lead at the time.”
Prunty was equally pleased with Byrne, who after winning his first match 7-0 on Tuesday had to battle hard for more than six minutes against an equally-determined Kemp.
“Just last weekend he lost a match in overtime. What a difference a couple of days makes,” Prunty said about his never-say-die sophomore.
Prunty called Pavelko, another sophomore, the most improved competitor in the WHS wrestling room.
Worthington got falls from just two wrestlers, Hser Eh Pwae and Michelson, in the Quad County match. Jacob Prunty (113) won by 11-1 major decision at 113 pounds, and Hser Moo won by technical fall at 126.
Against W/RRC, no Trojans won by fall. Trojans Hser Eh won by technical fall at 120 and Hser Moo won by major decision at 126.
Coach Prunty said there’s no reason to be concerned so early in the season. Both Quad County and W/RRC are fine teams and there’s a lot of time to work on things that need work. Foremost among them, Prunty said, is to get better at escaping when in the down position.
W-RRC 42, Quad County 15
106-Hesse (WRRC) pin Hidalgo 3:22
113-Friese (QC) pin Johnson 3:05
120-Irlbeck (WRRC) TF Bestland 6:00
126-Stage (WRRC) dec. Stier 8-3
132-Z.Johnson (WRRC) dec. Rupp 8-4
138-Thein (QC) dec. Dudgeon 9-3
145-Bierl (WRRC) dec. Hatch 8-3
152-Kattevold (QC) dec. Kemp 6-3
160-Fulton (WRRC) MD Grokslags 17-4
170-Winson (QC) dec. Altermatt 5-2
182-Anderson (WRRC) dec. Johnson 6-4
195-Liebl (WRRC) dec. Friese 2-0 OT
220-Welch (WRRC) pin Bratsch 3:20
HWT-Coulter (WRRC) pin Beckler 2:29
Worthington 36, Quad County 28
106-Hidalgo (QC) pin Gaul :47
113-Prunty (W) MD Friese 11-1
120-Eh Pwae (W) pin Bestland 1:13
126-Moo Pwae (W)TF Stier 5:09
132-Pavelko (W) dec. Rupp 5-3
138-Thein (QC) pin Donkersloot 3:30
145-Hatch (QC) pin Camacho 4:22
152-Kattevold (QC) MD Blanchette 11-2
160-Byrne (W) dec. Grokslags 7-0
170-Michelson (W) pin Winson 5:25
182-Riley (W) dec. Friese 6-1
195-Johnson (QC) pin Rogers 4:44
220-Putman (W) dec. Bratsch 5-2
HWT-Veen (W) dec. Beckler 12-9
W-RRC 36, Worthington 21
106-Hesse (WRRC) pin Gaul :51
113-Prunty (W) by forfeit
120-Eh Pwae (W) TF Irlbeck
126-Moo Pwae (W) MD Stage 18-6
132-Johnson (WRRC) dec. Pavelko 4-0
138-Dudgeon (WRRC) dec. Camacho 9-2
145-Bierl (WRRC) dec. Blanchette 6-1
152-Byrne (W) dec. Kemp 3-2 OT
160-Fulton (WRRC) pin Neuberger 1:10
170-Altermatt (WRRC) dec. Michelson 3-1
182-Riley (W) dec. Liebl 5-2
195-Anderson (WRRC) pin Rogers 3:23
220-Welch (WRRC) dec. Putnam 3-1
HWT-Coulter (WRRC) dec. Veen 1-0
