Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Steward had an individual champion and three runners-up as it played host to the 10-team Hutchinson Invite Saturday.
Hayden VanderVoort claimed the Tigers’ lone individual title with an 11-4 decision over Grant Cook of Amery, Wisconsin, in the 195-pound finals. VanderVoort, a senior, was ranked second in the state the most recent Class AA rankings by Guillotine.
VanderVoort’s championship, combined with runner-up finishes by Logan Schwanz (113 pounds), Luke Hoag (152) and Brady Anderson (182), helped Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart earn a fifth-place finish. The Tigers totaled 131 points in the tournament, which was won by Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran with 195.5 pooints.
Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart was ranked sixth in the state in Class AA by Guillotine, one spot ahead of Watertown-Mayer. Becker, which finished second in the Hutchinson Invite, was ranked third in the state.
Saturday’s 113-pound championship match had all the markings of a state tournament clash, with Tigers sophomore Schwanz, ranked second in the state, squaring off against Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran freshman Titan Friederichs. Friederichs earned the win and a likely boost in the state rankings with an 11-3 decision.
Minneota’s Zack Fier topped Hoag 9-3 in the finals at 152 pounds. Fier was unranked, while Hoag was ranked 10th.
In another match with broader implications, ninth-ranked Andersen met Becker’s Tyson Ricker in the finals at 182, and it went to the wire before Ricker claimed a 4-1 win. Ricker was ranked fourth in the state, while Andersen was ninth in the most recent Guillotine poll.
Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart saw several other wrestlers finish in the top six of their respective weight classes at the Hutchinson Invite. Max Martin (126) and Michael Hahn (160) finished fourth, while Riley Carrigan (285) took fifth, and Jay Rickertson (170) and Evan Peirce (220) sixth.
Saturday’s invitational capped a busy three-day window for the Tigers, who also competed in a quadrangular at New Ulm Thursday, where they won two of three dual meets.
Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart beat New Ulm 45-19 and Quad County 61-19, but lost to Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo United 39-34.
