“We are a very young team this year, and I think this was kind of an eye opener for a lot of the wrestlers; many of which are first year varsity wrestlers,” stated OTC Head Coach Jason Rogers.  “Having to make weight three days in a row is always a struggle, but it helps build discipline and determination.” 

The first match of the season came against the Knights of WCAABE.  The Knights came into the season ranked number 3 in the state and they wrestled like it.  The Bulldogs wrestled well in some matches but came up on the losing end 76-6.  The lone win for the Bulldogs came from Mason Christianson with a pin at 126 pounds.  

Next the Bulldogs wrestled the Vikings from Pelican Rapids and again came up on the short end.  The Vikings ended up winning 56-22.  The Bulldogs ended up getting four wins in this dual, getting pins from Tayden Soma at 132, Carson Roehl at 138 and Kale Rich at 285.  The Bulldogs also got a major decision from William Schwartz as he won 16-4.  This was also Schwartz’s first varsity win.

Friday the Bulldogs traveled to Wahpeton for their first tournament of the year.  “The Dan Unruh Invitational is always a fun tournament,” said Rogers.  “We get to see wrestlers from North Dakota and South Dakota that we don’t really ever see throughout the rest of the year. This was the first varsity tournament for a lot of the Bulldogs wrestlers, although some didn’t achieve what they wanted to, I think it was a good experience and taught some of the young Bulldogs what it takes to be successful in these types of tournaments.”

The Bulldogs were able to get three young men to the podium as both Carson Roehl and William Schwartz were able to take 6th place at their respective weights.  Also, Conner Nelson was able to get a victory and Anthony Rousu was able to get his first career varsity win and pin.

The highlight for the Bulldogs came from Heavyweight Kale Rich as he was able to take home the Championship.  Rich was able to go 3-0 in the tournament, with two pins.  One of which came in the 1st period of the finals against Gabe Lyons of Lisbon.

“It was a great way to end the weekend, I am very happy with the way Kale wrestled,” added Coach Rogers.  “He set a goal for himself and he was determined to accomplish it.  I am also pleased with the growth I have seen with the rest of the team this weekend.  All we can do is strive to get better with each and every event and we will see where we are in a couple of months.”

The Bulldogs continue with a very busy schedule this week as they host United North Central and Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie on Tuesday in Underwood.  They then host Wadena-Deer Creek on Thursday also in Underwood.  Finally, they travel to Barrett for the Grant County Invitational on Saturday.