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Last weekend the Eastview High School wrestling team competed in the section 3AAA individual tournament at Rosemount High School, where they failed to qualify any wrestler for the state tournament due to tough competition within the section.
The previous weekend the team wrestled in the section team tournament at Eagan High School where they defeated Eagan 37-26, before losing in the semi-finals against Apple Valley High School which is ranked number one in the country, tied with one other school, by Amateur Wrestling News.
The powerhouse team turned out to be nearly as unbeatable in the individual tournament as they were in team sections. Apple Valley qualified thirteen of their fourteen man varsity roster for the state tournament, the only not to qualify being heavy weight ¬¬¬¬¬________ who was upset by Eastview junior Erik Ehresmann in the first round of wrestling Friday night. Following the match ____ stormed off the mat after a violent outburst and was disqualified from the remainder of the tournament.
Unfortunately this win proved to be the Lightning’s highlight of the weekend for the lightning, as later on that night Eastview’s 160 pound wrestler Nels Pederson lost to Jared Flaata of Park Cottage Grove, who placed fifth in the state tournament at the 171 pound weight class in 2009. The Lightning’s hopes of advancing post season were further terminated with the losses of Mitch Rechtzigel, Brad Hogan, and Josh Weinberg, who’s bracket contained the top the two ranked wrestlers in the state.
Although without any post-season rewards to indicate their success, the Lightning had a great season resulting in a ranking of eleventh place in the state prior to competing in team sections. Their ranking was ahead of Eden Prairie, a team who they defeated earlier in February but managed to qualify for the state tournament in section 6AAA.
Historically the Lightning have had difficulty in qualifying their wrestlers to the state tournament. In 2009 Pederson and alumni Dijon Sanders qualified for the individual tournament, in 2008 the team failed to send anyone to post-season competition, and in 2007 then senior Will Jackson was the only wrestler to advance to state where he placed fourth in the tournament at the ____ weight class.
With their 2009-2010 season over the boys will soon be back in the wrestling room practicing with one another to prepare themselves for next year’s competition. Among the training they will complete over the summer is a team camp at University of Missouri. With Hogan and Rechtzigel returning as veteran juniors next year the team will once again have a promising opportunity for state entry, if not to be thwarted by the team that resides just a mile down 140st street.