Eagles advance to State Class B dual tournament
Eagles advance to State Class B dual tournament
By TERRY MATHSON
Head Wrestling Coach
While the Velva Aggies successfully defended their State “B” team qualifying Region 3 dual tournament wrestling title, the New Town Eagles surprised the regional contenders by coming back through the losers’ bracket and nabbing the second qualifying spot.
Velva won the tournament with a win over New Town in the semifinals 48-26 and downing Des Lacs – Burlington 62-19 in the championship match. The Eagles took a much longer path to qualify for the state event.
Seeded fifth in the tournament, New Town took on the fourth-seeded Kenmare/Tioga/Ray co-op in the play in dual match in the first round. The Eagles avenged a 39-35 loss to KTR the previous week with a 60-19 lopsided win to reach the semifinal matchup with Velva.
After falling to Velva, the Eagles faced off with the other semifinal loser, the No. 3-seeded Minot Ryan Lions who fell to DL-B 57-27. The Lions had beaten the shorthanded Eagles 48-36 before Christmas, but with two more wrestlers in the lineup, the Eagles manufactured a strong win 45-20.
Having then earned third place, New Town had the right to challenge second-place winners DL-B for second place and the state berth. For the third time Saturday the determined New Town team avenged an early season loss (48-36) by overcoming the Lakers 47-33 and gained the elusive State B team spot.
