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Sean Howk, Hunter Ranweiler win titles at Section 3AA wrestling meet

Eagles send 4, Bobcats send 6 to state meet

Staff photo by Jake Calhoun New Ulm Area’s Hunter Ranweiler works on top against Wabasso/Red Rock Central’s Tyson Doubler in the 138-pound title match at the Section 3AA wrestling tournament on Saturday at Redwood Valley High School. Ranweiler won by 3-0 decision.

REDWOOD FALLS — Hunter Ranweiler watched the clock as the final seconds ticked away — he knew he finally made it.

After coming short the past few years, the junior for New Ulm Area finally got over the hump and qualified for the state wrestling tournament. Ranweiler (39-1) beat Wabasso/Red Rock Central’s Tyson Doubler in a 3-0 decision in the 138-pound finals of the Section 3AA wrestling meet on Saturday to punch his ticket to state.

“It feels great,” Ranweiler said. “Coming up short last year, [I used] that to motivate me this year. It makes me feel pretty great.”

Ranweiler is one of four New Ulm Area wrestlers to qualify for state, joined by Ryan Wacker (126 pounds), Sean Howk (132) and Tanner Stark (152).

Howk is making his third-straight appearance and Wacker is making his second appearance — his first since qualifying as a freshman in 2014 — but this is the first time that Ranweiler will be joining them.

“A couple years ago when we all had chances to go to state, we always were talking about sending us three — me, Sean and Ryan,” Ranweiler said. “This is the year we could finally make it happen. We were all in the finals, we all ended up making it. It’s a great feeling.”

Howk (37-4) won his first-ever section title in beating Fairmont/Martin County West’s Payton Anderson by 4-0 decision at 132 pounds.

Wacker (34-4) fell short against No. 10-ranked Zach Ringnell of Fairmont/Martin County West in a 3-2 decision in the 126-pound finals. Wacker had a 2-1 lead after a takedown at the 0:55 mark in the second period, but eventually gave up what turned out to be the winning reversal.

“That was a tough match; obviously you get to this point, every match is tough,” NUA coach John Rieser said.

Because Wacker had beaten Luverne’s Tucker Oeltjenbruns — the third-place finisher — in the semifinals, however, he was able to avoid a true-second match.

Stark (26-7) made waves as the No. 6 seed in the 152-pound bracket, having pinned his way to the finals before falling to a true-second match and squeaking by Luverne’s Jeremiah Dooyema in a 10-9 decision.

“We’ve been telling them all week, we knew he could do it,” Rieser said. “He’s been up and down a little bit this year and when he wrestles well, he wrestles well. He’s one of those kids who’s never out of a match.”

While trailing Dooyema 4-1 in the second period, Stark notched a reversal and a 2-point nearfall to take a 5-4 lead into the third. After back-to-back reversals and back points by both wrestlers, Stark came out of a wild scramble leading 10-9 and held onto it until the final whistle.

“The way he wrestles, I’d describe as ‘free,'” Ranweiler said of Stark. “He just kind of does whatever’s there [and] he goes for it. If something else is there, he’s trying that and he scrambles a lot. He wrestles free and scrambles, that’s about it.”

BOBCATS QUALIFY 6 FOR STATE: Devan Liebl won the lone individual section title for Wabasso/Red Rock Central on Saturday as he beat Worthington’s Brandon Kempema in a sudden-victory 4-2 decision in the 195-pound finals.

Despite four losses in the finals, the Bobcats managed to send six to state with heavyweight Jared Welch beating Quad County’s Ethan Beckler in the true-second match to secure their final qualifier spot.

Welch (13-3), who has been dealing with injuries from this past football season, has not spent a lot of time on the mat this year but was still able to secure his fourth-straight state berth.

“Instead of operating, we just decided to rehab [his knee] and that is why he is just now starting to come around,” W/RRC co-head coach Gary Hindt said. “Thank goodness. Those last two matches, he really put it together.”

Welch beat former state qualifier Nic Putnam of Worthington in a 5-1 decision to force the true-second match with Beckler.

No. 6-ranked Nick Altermatt nearly upset No. 3-ranked Solomon Nielsen of Luverne in the 170-pound finals in what was possibly the match of the night.

With the score tied 5-5 after two periods, Nielsen took a one-point lead with less than a minute to go and was called for stalling with 0:11 left to tie the match at 7-7. After a tense scramble that had almost everyone in attendance on their feet in excitement, Nielsen secured positioning with 0:02 remaining in the sudden-victory period to escape with the 170-pound title.

Nielsen lost to Redwood/River Valley’s Sam Baier last year in the 160-pound finals of both the Section 3AA meet and the Class AA state meet.

“We know we can wrestle with the big boys,” Hindt said. “Nick is a tremendous athlete and he really put it together. In many ways, I thought he outwrestled his opponent, but the scoreboard said different. We’ll take that and run with it.”

Altermatt’s loss negated a true-second match because he had beaten the third-place finisher, Mason Byrne of Worthington, in the semifinals.

Aside from Welch, both Jared Schroepfer and Mitchell Fulton needed to win true-second matches to advance to state.

Schroepfer (31-5) beat Fairmont/Martin County West’s Mario Maldonado in a controversial 5-4 match at 145 pounds, while Fulton beat Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Montevideo United’s Austin Schmitt by 5-2 decision at 182.

Doubler’s loss to Ranweiler in the 138-pound finals still assured him a state berth with the third-place finish of Anthony Axford of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton/Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

Section 3AA wrestling

FINALS

106 – No. 2 Jaxson Rohman (F/MCW) pinned Hunter Baker (Luve), 1:05

113 – Hsa La Eh (Marsh) pinned Danny Blankenship (F/MCC), 3:27

120 – No. 5 Jacob Prunty (Worth) dec. Dereck Ellingson (TMB/WWG), 3-0

126 – No. 10 Zach Ringnell (F/MCW) dec. Ryan Wacker (NUA), 3-2

132 – No. 9 Sean Howk (NUA) dec. Payton Anderson (F/MCW), 4-0

138 – No. 7 Hunter Ranweiler (NUA) dec. Tyson Doubler (W/RRC), 3-0

145 – Toby Semler (Marsh) dec. No. 5 Jared Schroepfer (W/RRC), 7-4

152 – Peyton Mortenson (D/L/MU) dec. Tanner Stark (NUA), 5-2

160 – No. 6 Collin Steuber (F/MCW) mdec. Miles Kattevold (QC), 11-1

170 – No. 3 Solomon Nielsen (Luve) dec. No. 6 Nick Altermatt (W/RRC), 9-7 (SV)

182 – No. 7 Vince Riley (Worth) dec. Mitchell Fulton (W/RRC), 5-2

195 – Devan Liebl (W/RRC) dec. Brandon Kempema (Worth), 4-2 (SV)

220 – Cole Bungarden (D/L/MU) pinned Zach Luke (Luve), 2:00

Hwt – Mason Hutt (D/L/MU) dec. Ethan Beckler (QC), 7-5

PLACEWINNERS

New Ulm Area

106 – Jackson Bode, 6th

113 – Carter Brandes, 6th

120 – Cole Ranweiler, 5th

126 – Ryan Wacker, 2nd

132 – Sean Howk, 1st

138 – Hunter Ranweiler, 1st

152 – Tanner Stark, 2nd

220 – Colby Wenninger, 6th

Wabasso/RRC

106 – Mason Irlbeck, 4th

138 – Tyson Doubler, 2nd

145 – Jared Schroepfer, 2nd

152 – Cody Dudgeon, 4th

160 – Cole Werner, 4th

170 – Nick Altermatt, 2nd

182 – Mitchell Fulton, 2nd

195 – Devan Liebl, 1st

Hwt – Jared Welch, 2nd

Redwood/River Valley

113 – Maverick Goblirsch, 4th

132 – Tayte Harazin, 4th

145 – Eric Bommersbach, 4th

220 – Chad Maddock, 5th

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