FLANDREAU – For the first time since 2015, the Flandreau Flier wrestling team crowned three of its own as champions at the 50th Flandreau Booster Club Invitational tourney.
Earning titles were juniors Teague Bergjord at 120 lbs. and Justin Klein at 175 lbs., along with senior Karter Headrick in the 215 lb. class. All three Fliers were seeded as number two in their bracket.
Taking second place was Zach Pederson at 132# and Tenley Quick earned second in the 114 pound girls portion of the Invitational. Both wrestlers joined the Flandreau team from Colman-Egan.
Madison, a Class A team, ran away with the team title scoring 208 points. The Fliers were just five points from second place but settled for fourth with 108. Elk Point-Jefferson took the runner-up spot with 112 edging Deuel who scored 111.5 points. Sioux Valley took fifth, Garretson sixth, Howard seventh and Luverne eighth. Chester Area, Red Rock Central, Viborg-Hurley/Irene-Wakonda, Canistota and Baltic rounded out the competition.
Bergjord opened the day with a 1:05 fall over Lukas Ludwig, an unattached Garretson wrestler. He then pinned Carter Downs of Madison, also unattached, in 3:22. In the championship bout, Bergjord took down a long time foe, Wyatt Pickard of Madison in an exciting 14-9 decision. The Flier had previously never beaten Pickard, also a junior.
Klein’s day began with a bye and a quick pin of Adrian Carmona of Luverne in 35 seconds. Next he pinned Tyan Braskamp of Madison in 1:37 to advance to the finals where he stuck Daniel Swenson of Chester Area in 3:37 to win the 175 pound class.
Headrick had four matches and won all by fall. He opened with a 1:40 pin over Sam Leen of Deuel, then pinned Dawson Mariner of Red Rock Central (Lamberton, Minnesota area) in 40 seconds and pinned Chester’s Aiden Hilbelink in 1:28. In the finals, he brought Howard’s Gabriel Martian to the mat in 56 seconds to win his first Booster Club Invite title.
At 132, Pederson decisioned Trey VanderWeerdt of Sioux Valley, then pinned Caden Kruger of Luverne (2:51) and took a 4-0 decision against DeClan Sheeks, unattached but from Madison. In the finals he fought a good fight against senior Carson Wolf of Madison, but took a 7-3 loss to place second.
In round robin style, Quick defeated one opponent by fall, but was pinned by Capri Johnson of Madison to take second place in the 144 pound girls division.
The Fliers were open at 113, 157 and 285.
Weight, name, results, record
106: Aston Duncan, bye; LBF 1:35 Steen RRC; LBF 1:34 Brown Bal. – 1-2
120: Teague Bergjord, WBF 1:05 Ludwig UA; WBF 3:22 Downs UA; won 14-9 Pickard, Mad – 3-0, 1st place
126: Emisael Bonilla, bye; LBF 3:22 Fennel EPJ; won 10-7 Peterson Ches; WBF 1:34 Deibert VHIW; lost 19-7 MC Arend Garr. – 3-2
132: Zach Pederson, won 8-4 VanderWeerdt EPJ; WBF 2:51 Kruger Luv; won 4-0 Sheeks UA; lost 7-3 Wolf Mad. – 3-1, 2nd place
