MARSHALL -- It was a very strange finish to a very strange dual meet season Thursday night for the Worthington Trojans wrestling team.
And truer words were never said, said head coach Kirk Feit.
In the first round of the Section 3AA team tournament at Marshall High School, the Trojans forfeited four weight classes to Windom/Mountain Lake and lost, 36-35. The Worthingtonians led the Cobras 13-6 through 126 pounds, then forfeited four of the next five matches to trail 30-17.
A quick first-period fall by Worthington’s Evan Neuberger against W/ML’s John Bergman at 182 pounds brought the Trojans to within 36-23. But the 195-pound weight class was double-forfeited, clinching the Cobras’ victory. That done, they forfeited 220 and 285 to the Trojans, resulting in the one-point margin.
Worthington was seeded fifth in the south half of the tournament, and Windom/Mountain Lake was fourth.
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“I’m not gonna lie to you. This has been the weirdest season that I’ve had as a coach,” declared Feit. “A weird ending to a weird season. That’s why they say reality is stranger than fiction sometimes.”
The Trojans have been up, and they’ve been down this winter. They struggled recently through some unusual bouts with illness and injury. Earlier this week, Feit said his team was healing and he pronounced it ready to take on the Eagles.
But then came Thursday.
“I got the call today that I lost three kids today alone,” Feit said. “We made it respectable for the number of forfeits we had. We’ve got some quality kids that we couldn’t put out on the mat.”
From the tale of the tape: Worthington had three varsity players ill, one more in concussion protocol, and another one unable to perform due to an infection.
“You can’t come in and win when you have four forfeits. Those matches were dictated by the health of this team, and we just weren’t healthy,” admitted the coach.
Nonetheless, Worthington won five of the seven individual matches that took place, including three straight from 113 to 126.
At 113 pounds, Alex Galvez took care of Windom/Mountain Lake’s Matthew Voehl by a 13-4 major decision. At 120, Dalton Larson decisioned Kameron Koerner 8-6. And at 126, Oscar Galvez pinned Jared Hunter in 1:55.
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Worthington 138-pounder Ethan Meyer won by 9-1 major decision over the Cobras’ Aiden Holmberg, and Neuberger made quick work of Bergman at 182.
Windom/Mountain Lake started the meet with a fall in 5:03 by Preston Xayachak against the Trojans’ Saul Galvez at 106 pounds. The Cobras got their second on-mat win at 170 pounds when Graycen Hansen pinned Eh Day Htoo in 1:56.
After dispatching Worthington in the first round, the Cobras lost later Thursday night, 66-12, to the No. 1-seeded team from the south bracket, Marshall.
Feit said he told his wrestlers before Thursday’s event that they should simply fight as if their matches were individual head-to-head encounters. He praised several of his matmen for their performances.
Of Oscar Galvez, he said, “He’s hitting his stride at the end, where we need it to.”
It was Meyer’s first match back from injury, which had sidelined him for two weeks. “It’s a good one to have under his belt before we have that section individual. He’s getting the rust off,” Feit said.
The Trojans will host the finals of the Section 3AA team tournament on Saturday (Feb. 18). They’ll compete in the Section 3AA individual tournament Saturday, Feb. 25, at Morris Area High School.
“That’s what we’ve gotta focus on now. You’ve still got some unfinished business with some guys looking for bigger and better things,” said Feit.
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Windom/ML 36, Worthington 35
106-Xayachak (WML) pinned S.Galvez in 5:03
113-A.Galvez (W) won by MD over Voehl 13-4
120-Dalton Larson (W) dec. Koerner 8-6
126-O.Galvez (W) pinned Hunter 1:55
132-Renquist (WML) won by forfeit
138-Meyer (W) won by MD over A.Holmberg 9-1
145-N. Holmberg (WML) won by forfeit
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152-Maras (WML) won by forfeit
160-Bjorklund (WML) won by forfeit
170-Hansen (WML) pinned ED Htoo 1:56
182-Neuberger (W) pinned Bergman 0:27
195-Double forfeit
220-Schutz (W) won by forfeit
285-Gerhard (W) won by forfeit
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