After a day of Region Dual tournaments in four locations scattered across the state, we now know the teams that will compete for a Class B dual championship starting Thursday, February 14 in the Fargodome.  The draw for B duals will be this Wednesday morning in Valley City, with the top five teams receiving seeds and the last three drawn in.

REGION 1:  Lisbon and South Border

The top two seeds are headed to state, with #1 ranked Lisbon defeating South Border 50-22 in the championship match.  In the semifinals, South Border rolled to 45-27 win over Oakes, who was third.  It’s likely that Lisbon and South Border will be the first and second seeds when they are released Wednesday, meaning the only chance of another rematch would be in the state finals.

REGION 2:  Central Cass and Hillsboro/CV

Central Cass rolled to the Region Two championship as expected.  The Squirrles were dominant throughout, winning 55-21 in the finals.  The surprise came in a Hillsboro/Central Valley team that showed up at full strength for the first time since the beginning of the season.  The Burros advanced to the finals with a 46-33 win over second seed Carrington.  Hillsboro 132 Kyle Alfson returned to the lineup for the first time since sustaining an injury in early December.  He will be an individual factor at 132 as well.  While Hillsboro was finally at full strength, Carrington’s dual hopes were decimated as the season progressed by injuries to state champion Kaden Wolskly, as well as placer Austin Hendrickson and Michael Clifton.  In the end, it was too much to overcome as the Cardinals finished fourth behind Pembina County North.  PCN did advance to the true second match but was beaten by HCV 45-34.  They were aided by the return of state champion Tanner Urlaub at 145 pounds.

Region 3:  Bishop Ryan and Velva

Region three went chalk as expected. Bishop Ryan and Velva dominated until the final, where Ryan scored revenge for a mid January dual loss.  Wrestling at full strength, the Lions edged Velva 38-33. Both teams won seven matches, but the Lions boasted bonus points in six of their seven victories.   Des Lacs/Burlington lost their first dual before reeling off four in a row to finish in third place.

Region 4:  New Salem and Bowman County/Beach

A three team race in Region Four ended with Hettinger/Scranton out of the dual state tournament.   Bowman County/Beach upended Hettinger/Scranton 40-29 in the semifinals, and then fell to #1 seed New Salem/Almont 45-35.  New Salem’s championship victory meant no true second match for the Night Hawks.  In the semifinal bout, Bowman County won eight matches, including three by forfeit.  New Salem started fast in the championship tilt, winning the first five matches by pin and coasting to a 45-34 victory.  Both Bowman County and New Salem should be seeded in the top five when seed are released Wednesday.