The lone Demon loss of the finals came in the 170 pounds weight class, where Parker Wahl was defeated by Rapid City Central’s Kolby Kost 9-2.  In the semifinals, Wahl scored his second victory of the season over West Fargo state champion Cade Pederson.  That win should be enough to put Wahl, who was defeated by Pederson in last years 160 pound state final, in the top slot at the state tournament regardless of what happens moving forward.

Three Bismarck Bismarck High juniors scored Rotary titles, starting with Chase Dockter at 220 pounds.  Dockter scored his first Rotary title with a 7-3 decision over Minot’s Hunter Swartwout.  Swartwout and Dockter are familiar foes at this weight class,  with Dockter scoring a state semifinal victory over his West Region counterpart last season.  State champion Laken Boese found the top of the podium with an 8-6 victory over two-time Rotary champion Lincoln Turman of Pierre.  Boese was Rotary runner-up at 106 last season.  Two-time state champion Ryan Ripplinger needed a last second takedown to avoid a semifinal upset at the hands of crosstown rival Drew Steidler of St. Mary’s Central in the semifinals, but was his usual dominant self in the finals.  Ripplinger scored a second period fall against Sidney (MT) state champion Christian Dean.

Bismarck senior Devin Steidler stayed undefeated on the year with a 4-3 decision over Pierre’s Michael Lusk.  Steidler also defeated Lusk in the Rapid City final in mid-December.

The 113 pound final between Class A foes Chase DeBlaere of West Fargo Sheyenne and Reece Barnhardt of St. Mary’s Central lived up to the billing, with Barnhardt edging DeBlaere by 10-9 decision.  Barnhardt, who lost to DeBlaere in the Valley City finals before Christmas, started strong and built an 8-4 lead before DeBlaere scored two takedowns in the third period to tie the match at nine.  Barnhardt broke the tie with a stalling point in the final seconds.

Minot’s Brody Armstrong fell short of back-to-back Rotary championships, falling to Rapid City Stevens senior Spencer Stockman at 132 pounds.  Armstrong defeated Stockman in last year’s 126 pound final.

West Fargo’s JJ Harms avenged his lone North Dakota loss with a 17-8 major decision over Legacy’s Chance Davis.  A two-time state champion, Harms has solidified himself as the man to beat in what is possibly the deepest Class A weight.  Turtle Mountain state champion Dawson Zerr, who has been at 138 all season, did not compete this weekend.

The lone Class A versus Class B North Dakota matchup of the finals was won in a 1-0 chess match by Napoleon’s Garrett Jangula.  Jangula escaped from Mandan state champion Isaac Berger in the second period, and was able to hold off Bergers attacks in the third to secure a tight victory.

Jared Franek was as dominant as always on the way to his fourth Rotary championship.  Franek won five matches on the weekend, three by fall and two by technical fall including a 16-1 finals victory over Tyler Clapp of Glendale Dawson County.

For the second week in a row, Carrington 182 Kaden Wolsky had his tournament title hopes turned sideways by Rapid City Stevens’s Dante Colicheski.  Wolsky was defeated 5-3.

The only fall of the finals came in the first period from Legacy’s Matt Kaylor.  Kaylor pinned Nolan Smith of Rapid City Central in 1:12 to bring home Legacy’s first Rotary championship.

Fargo Davies 285 Andre Baguma was able to get by all North Dakota opponents on his way to the finals, but was edged by Watertown’s undefeated Dane Stahl 4-3 in the finals.  Baguma pinned Valley City’s Jaden Oestern in the semifinals.

152

160

170

182

195

220

285

106

113

120

126

132

138

145