Morton coasted during his first-round match with Saint Clair/Mankato Loyola’s Lucas Vaughan on Friday. After quickly securing a takedown, Morton got the pin in 44 seconds to move on to a quarterfinals match with Reubens Swanson of West Central Area-Ashby-Brandon-Evansville.

In that match, Morton jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first period before finishing things off with a cradle and pin in 1:30.

“In both matches, I just focused on getting to my ties and snapping and faking and then tried getting to that cradle and I ended up getting it both times,” Morton said.

Morton took first in 2019 at 106 pounds, first in 2020 at 120 pounds and first in 2021 at 132 pounds. He’ll be looking to bring home his fourth state title, this time at 145, on Saturday.

Sibley East’s Drayden Morton takes down Lucas Vaughan of Saint Clair/Mankato Loyola during a first-round state wrestling tournament match on Friday at Xcel Energy Center.

“I’ll just keep wrestling the same way I have all year,” Morton said about Saturday. “Just keep trying to attack my ties and score as many points as I can.”

Morton will next take on Dover-Eyota’s Brodie Kellen in a semifinals match Saturday.

Morton won’t be the only Wolverine taking the mat Saturday as his heavyweight sophomore teammate Omar Martinez (285) also went 2-0 on Friday to advance to the championship semifinals on Saturday.

Martinez’s first-round match against Ottertail Central’s Kale Rich ended in success as Martinez was able to work for a pin in the second period in 3:07. In a quarterfinals matchup with WEM/JWP freshman Keegan Kuball, both wrestlers were tied at 1-1 heading into the third period before Martinez was able to take Kuball’s back for a 3-1 lead with 1:01 left in the match.

Kuball managed an escape after that, but Martinez put the match away with another takedown for a 5-2 decision.

Kuball said that his underhooks and conditioning played a big role in his quarterfinals win.

“Earlier in the match, I was getting my underhooks and he didn’t really like that so much,” Martinez said. “He was getting desperate because he didn’t want to get in that position.”

Martinez said that making it to Saturday meant a lot to him as he’s only been wrestling since the seventh grade.

“It really means a lot because I’ve only been wrestling for four years, so I’m really proud of myself in how far I’ve came,” Martinez said. “Walking into that room as a little seventh-grader until now, it means a lot. Sharing the mat with Drayden and going to [Saturday] with him means a lot to me because I’ve looked up to him as a wrestler the past four years now.”

Martinez will now wrestle Jeremy Mugg of Royalton-Upsala in a semifinals match on Saturday.

Sophomore Benito Diaz (113) also competed for the Wolverines on Friday.

Diaz had a tough time handling Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s Carson Petry in a first-round match. Petry led 8-0 after on period and eventually ended up picking up a 16-0 tech fall in 4:20.

Petry then fell in his next match to Jackson County Central’s unbeaten Nolan Ambrose, which meant that Petry was allowed a wrestleback match in place of Diaz. Diaz finished his freshman season with a 38-7 record.

CLASS A AREA ROUNDUP

Junior 160-pound wrestler Ashtin Johnson made his first state wrestling appearance for the Springfield Tigers wrestling team on Friday.

Johnson first took on Ottertail Central senior Jaxon Rich in a first-round match. While Johnson looked good in the first period, Rich ended up cradling him for a pin in the second period in 3:10.

“First period went pretty good for me, definitely won that period, got a takedown, rode him out, got some back points with a cradle,” Johnson said. “Chose down [second period], kind of a weaker spot this whole season for me when I go down. Then kept fighting, close to getting out every time, but I just couldn’t get out, [he] locked up the cradle and there it was.”

Johnson was unfortunately denied a wrestleback and finished his season with a 36-9 record after Rich dropped his quarterfinals match.

Despite the state experience ending sooner than he hoped for, Johnson said he hopes his run to state can inspire other kids to become Springfield wrestlers.

“It’s kind of cool to be able to represent Springfield, especially at a big stage,” Johnson said. “As a team, as we’re regrowing, it just maybe will give some kids some motivation to come out, and that kind of stuff.”

Nicollet junior Justin Slater, competing at 220 pounds for the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area wrestling team, also made his state wrestling debut on Friday, taking on Cameron Wieneke of Adrian Area in a first-round match.

Wieneke ended up pinning Slater in the second period in 2:25. Wieneke lost in the quarterfinals round, which meant that he earned a wrestleback match in place of Slater, who ended his junior year with a 31-15 record.