The Sidney Eagles came, saw, and conquered the Bismarck Rotary wrestling tournament.  Guy Melby’s Eagles scored 295.5 team points, 63 more than North Dakota Class A top dog Bismarck High.  The Eagles, wrestling without an entry at 170 pounds, placed every other point scoring wrestler in their lineup.  Melby’s crew placed seven wrestlers int he finals and got championship performances from Brodey Skogen (220), Jett Jones (195), and Aden Graves (145).

Second place Bismarck High brought home three individual championships. Eighth grader L.J. Araujo solidified himself at the top of the 106 pound rankings with his title at 106.  Araujo defeated RC Stevens #1 seed Brett Schoenhard 6-2 in the finals.  Araujo continues to improve his results after joining the Demons with the completion of the Middle School Season the third week of December.  At 120, Wilfried Tanefeu scored an 11-1 major decision over Sidney’s Kaiden Cline.  Tanefeu scored bonus in each victory of the tournament.  Top seeded 152 Preston Fettig won his title with tight tight bouts against North Dakota competition in both the semifinals and finals.  In the semis, Fettig edged Noah Braun of Jamestown 6-4 in sudden victory.  Fettig then edged Mandan’s Will Kleinknecht 3-2 in the finals.  In their six (yes, six) bouts this season, Fettig stands 4-2 against Kleinknecht.  At 113, Demon Christian Tanefeu dropped his final bout of the season to Aberdeen’s Brenden Salfrank.   Though Tanefeu was able to narrow the gap since his first loss (15-0) to Salfrank at the Rapid City Invite, the Aberdeen senior proved too strong from the top position.  Salfrank’s nearfall points ended up being the difference in an otherwise tight bout from neutral.

The Outstanding wrestler of the tournament was Napoleon senior Garrett Jangula.  Jangula, who’s career Rotary placements are 3-2-1-1-1, was dominant throughout the tournament.  Jangula scored five pins in 4:41 of total mat time.   No opponent, including #1 in Class A Gage Roaldson of Bismarck High, took Jangula out of the first period.  What is even more impressive is that Jangula missed much of the month of December due to injury.

At 126, St. Mary’s junior Reece Barnhardt won his third Rotary title with a 19-7 major decision over Jordan Darby of Sidney.  Barnhardt stands 30-1 on the season.

Minot’s Kelby Armstrong won is first Rotary title with a 5-4 decision over Ty Althoff of Watertown.  Armstrong defeated Bismarck’s Kaden Renner 10-8 in the semifinals.

Brody Defoe of Grand Forks Central solidified his #1 ranking with a fall in the finals over Bismarck Century’s Konnor Stordalen.  Defoe stands 20-1 on the season.