By Corey Meints, The Times Citizen
Ellsworth Community College gave up 18 points in a 27-20 mat loss to Minnesota West in Worthington, Minn. Wednesday night. That is something head coach Kaden Karns said should be fixed when the calendar turns to 2025.
But it didn't help in the nightcap in a 58-0 loss to eighth-ranked Rochester Community and Technical College.
Nick Needham at 125, Tyler Roper at 141, and Caiden Rentz at 149 picked up wins in the first dual. Roper picked up a fall in 2:36 against Garnett Osborne and Rents laid a 15-0 technical fall on Mason Gladfelter in just 1:33 to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead after a double forfeit at 133.
The host Bluejays took over from there, grabbing a forfeit at 157, a tech fall at 165, a major decision at 174, and forfeits at 184 and 197. The Panthers ended the dual with an Aiden McFadden pin over Brody Knapp in 6:41 at 285.
"One match difference in that one," Karns said. "I think if we have either of the guys we have out in the lineup last night, we win the dual. I think even if we wrestled again with the same lineup, we can win that dual. We won 4 of 6 contested matches and were extremely close to winning the dual after giving up 18 free points in forfeits."
The nightcap, not so much. The Yellowjackets, with three ranked individuals, shutout the Panthers with four pins, two techs, and four forfeits.
"I think we got caught up in the moment of the last dual a little bit and didn't have our feet set to face a top-10 team," Karns said. "They are a very good wrestling team, and you have to be firing on all cylinders to compete with a team like that. We got humbled and were shown how far we still have to come to compete with the top teams in the country. I hope they take motivation from both of those things. I know I do. We're going to learn from it and apply it all to the rest of the season."
Minnesota West Triangular
Wednesday at Worthington, Minn.
Minnesota West 27, ECC 20
125: Nick Needham (E) dec. Austin Hansen 10-7; 133: NO MATCH; 141: Tyler Roper (E) pin Garnett Osborne 2:36; 149: Caiden Rentz (E) TF Mason Gladfelter 15-0 1:33; 157: Isaac Gardner (M) FF; 165: Treveon Owens (M) TF Devon Griffin 26-10 6:59; 174: Sam Rock (M) MD Giles Cowell 18-9; 184: Alex Schmitz (M) FF; 197: Jackson Miksch (M) FF; 285: Aiden McFadden (E) pin Brody Knapp 6:41.
Rochester 58, ECC 0
125: Rufus Bartee (R) pin Needham 2:15; 133: Jake Aho (R) pin Tyler Roper 1:57; 141: Tucker Ginther (R) FF; 149: Dominic Smith (R) pin Caiden Rentz 0:33; 157: Hunter Gartmann (R) FF; 165: Kley Krause (R) pin Devon Griffin 0:19; 174: Leo Tukhlnynovych (R) TF Giles Cowell 20-2 1:23; 184: Leighton Robb (R) FF; 197: Payton Garza (R) FF; 285: Cito Tuttle (R) TF Aiden McFadden 18-1 2:35.