“It probably didn’t turn out quite the way the boys would have liked,” said head Yellow Medicine East head wrestling coach David Wingert after he and his three wrestlers returned from the State Wrestling Tournament.
“But they wrestled as hard as they could and they left it all out on the mat. That’s all you can ask for.”
Tough opening draws and the fickle fortune of the State Tournament made for a tough road to hold for YME’s three State Tournament representatives; Evan Knudson, Dylan Hoffman and Justin Tongen.
All three wrestlers would lose by decision in the opening round. Knudson would lose by a 6-1 margin to Ogilvie’s Matt Hickerson before beating Dylan Herman of United South Central and losing to Kimball Area’s Marcus Hamer. While Hoffman would draw one of the toughest wrestlers in the state and eventual 135 pound State Champion Curt Maas of Medford. Hoffman would give Maas one of his toughest matches of the year, yet ultimately lose by a 7-2 decision. Hoffman, a three time state participant, would also lose in the opening round of the consolation bracket to Zumbrota-Mazeppa’s Grant Kyllo 5-3.
Justin Tongen, meanwhile, having just orchestrated a dominating performance—pinning his way through Sections—would draw the eventual third and fourth place winners back-to-back. Tongen would lose in both matches; first in a narrow 5-4 decision to third place winner Cole Kavitz of Medford then in a late-match fall to Crookston’s Anthony Caputo.
YME Individual Results
Evan Knudson (103 pounds)
First Round: Matt Hickerson, Ogilvie, dec. Evan Knudson 6-1
Consolation: Knudson dec. Dylan Herman, United South Central, 5-1
Consolation (2nd Rnd.): Marcus Hamer, Kimball Area, dec. Knudson 4-2
Dylan Hoffman (135 pounds)
First Round: Curt Maas, Medford, dec. Dylan Hoffman 7-2
Consolation: Grant Kyllo, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, dec. Hoffman 5-3
Justin Tongen (145 pounds)
First Round: Cole Kavitz, Medford, dec. Justin Tongen 5-4
Consolation: Anthony Caputo, Crookston, fall Justin Tongen 3:37
