The Spencer Tigers’ dominance over the Lakes Conference in wrestling continues for yet another winter, following Thursday’s 44-30 dual victory over Spirit Lake Park. The win clinches a sixth straight league championship and pushes the Tigers’ league dual streak to 38 consecutive victories. Both squads entered the match with identical 6-0 conference records, and the Tigers took control early. Starting at 152 pounds, Spencer used two pin fall victories and two major decisions to build a 23-0 advantage. The sixth-ranked Indians battled back to take four of the next five matches, all by fall, bringing the score to 28-24. After a Spencer pin at 126, sophomore Levi Gilmore clinched the dual, and the title, with a 12-0 decision over Kenton Murray at 132 pounds. Earning the nine wins for Spencer were Trevor Streuli (106, Forfeit), John Christopherson (126, PF 5:01), Levi Gilmore (132, Dec. 12-0), Jack Randall (138, PF 3:18), Alex Doppenberg (152, MD 9-0), Tanner Schaefer (160, Dec. 8-6), Tanner Logan (170, MD 19-5), Blaine Johnson (182, PF 3:29), and Tayler Tatman (195, PF 5:10). The Tigers will wrestle again this weekend at the Ankeny Duals. Spirit Lake Park notched five match wins, all by fall, from Doug Miner (113, PF 4:39), Zach Skopec (120, PF 1:32), Dylan Bryce (145, PF 2:31), Nathan Kyle (220, PF 1:41), and Cody Norton (285, PF 1:59). The Indians return to the mats for a Friday-Saturday meet at OA-BCIG.
Click here for the post-match interview with Spencer coach Dave Schaefer.
Click here for the post-match interview with SLP coach Rick VanderWoude.
In other Lakes Conference wrestling, Emmetsburg posted a pair of dual wins on its home mat Thursday. The E-Hawks defeated LeMars 63-18, taking eleven of the 14 matches and winning seven by pin fall. They then earned a 52-21 decision over Estherville-Lincoln Central, getting victories in ten weight classes. The Midgets did collect one dual victory, wrestling to a 46-27 final over LeMars. Emmetsburg and ELC both finish with 4-3 dual records in the conference, while LeMars went 0-7.
The Siouxland Conference wrestling title was up for grabs Thursday night, and all three teams in contention met in Orange City. Okoboji and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley were both sporting perfect 5-0 dual records, while host MOC-Floyd Valley was a match back at 4-1. In the opener, the Pioneers eliminated the Dutch from contention with a 41-28 dual victory, setting up a winner-take-all-situation against the Nighthawks. The championship trophy would be handed to BH/RV, with a resounding 61-12 win. Zach Jones (160), Tanner Taylor (182), and Blake Manwarren (285) all earned two wins in the duals, while Jones, Taylor, and Jacob Sauter (195) registered a pin fall each. The Pioneers finish the Siouxland season at 6-1, and will compete in the two-day OA-BCIG Invitational starting Friday.
In an email to KUOO Sports, Okoboji coach Nate Dau says, “From the outside looking win we did place second in the Siouxland Conference. Our kids, school, and community should be proud of the way our kids wrestled and conducted themselves so far this season. We did enough to win against MOC-FV. They have some very tough kids and are very well coached…Boyden-Hull is a very solid team and once they got momentum going in their favor, they never slowed down. We have some great kids here and, as coaches, we are extremely proud of the way they have wrestled this season. Wrestlers are some of the hardest working and most dedicated athletes around. With that being said, it hurts just a little bit more when we lose.”
North of the border, the top-ranked Jackson County Central Huskies had little trouble winning both legs of a home triangular. JCC shut out Redwood Valley, 79-0, then proceeded to dominate Luverne, 68-6. Also, Fairmont/Martin County West dropped a dual with St. James by a 54-20 final.
