For the second time in program history, Spirit Lake Park wrestling will be making an appearance at the state dual team championships. The eighth-ranked Indians earned a pair of dual victories in Sheldon on Tuesday to claim its spot in the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2006. SLP defeated OA-BCIG by a 49-30 margin in the semifinals to set up a dual match with Siouxland Conference champion Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, who had eliminated Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 24-22, in the other semifinal. Spirit Lake Park, behind four wins by fall, two by decision and two forfeits, upended the Nighthawks, 41-26. Top-ranked Doug Miner (113) and Rick Maris (160) each tallied a pair of wins by pin fall. Miner registered a total of 26-seconds on the mat in his two wins, while Maris earned the biggest victory of the night, pinning No. 3 Dallas Rozeboom of BH/RV. Four others notched a pair of wins, third-ranked Zach Skopec (120), Sam Bosma (126), Kenton Murray (132), and sixth-ranked Isaac Lundgren (138). No. 8 Dylan Bryce (145), Mark Norland (170), Casey Jones (195), Nathan Kyle (220), and Cody Norton (285) all had a single victory in the duals. Spirit Lake Park, at 16-6 in dual competition, will be the number seven seed in the state tournament. They will battle second-seeded West Delaware, who boasts a 20-4 dual mark. That matchup will take place at 9am on Wednesday, February 15. Q102 will have the live coverage from inside Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Click here for postmatch comments from SLP coach Rick Vanderwoude.
In Class 1A, Okoboji and Emmetsburg competed in the duals at West Hancock in Britt, however, both would eventually be eliminated by top-ranked Clarion-Goldfield. The Pioneers lost their semifinal dual by a 61-11 margin. The E-Hawks, who made the championship round with a 46-30 decision over Lake Mills in the semifinals, suffered a 51-21 setback to the state tournament’s number one seed. Clarion-Goldfield is 17-1 in dual meets this season.
Nearly 30 individual wrestlers will compete this Saturday in the Class 1A and 2A District meets, looking to qualify for state. Q102 will have extensive live coverage starting at noon from Sibley-Ocheyedan and Cherokee.
