The Anatomy of a Dual - Govs Defeat Aberdeen 34-27

On any given evening, there are a number of factors that can contribute to winning an important conference dual match-up in the ESD.  Earning bonus points, fending off bonus points, staying healthy, and depth in the line-up to allow a coach to bump wrestlers at key weights just to name a few.  However, for the past few years the Pierre Governor and Aberdeen Golden Eagle ESD dual have come down to one essential element: winning the coin-toss to start the dual.  If you read my blog post after the Golden Eagle victory last year, even the novice wrestling fan can come to appreciate how the requirement to show at critical swing weights can change the outcome of the dual. The match-up tonight didn't disappoint, as the Governors came into the dual evaluating a number of possible scenarios for thier lineup, with many of their preferred strategies needing Aberdeen to show at 106lbs, and then every other weight class throughout the remainder of the dual. Head coach Shawn Lewis indicated “Duals are all about getting the proper match-ups.  We knew beforehand the match-ups that we would like as they move their lineup around frequently.  Winning the coin flip allows us to determine the match-ups at the weight classes that we thought were key.”

Jace Bench-Bresher finishes a takedown on Aberdeen's Ethan Allen in their 113lbs match.  Bench-Bresher went on to earn the major decision 14-4 in the second match of the dual.

After the Governors won the opening toss, Aberdeen was required to check in first to begin the dual and presented #6 ranked Brendon Salfrank at 106lbs.  The Governors were short Hayden Shaffer due to illness, and sophomore Will Van Camp filled in, but lost by fall late in the first period.  Jace Bench-Bresher approaching the technical fall in the 113lb match against Ethan Allen, finished with a 14-4 victory to bring the Governors within two points with the major decision.  With Lincoln Turman coming off knee surgery just five days ago, the Governors had limited options at the 120lbs weight class, having weighed in both Turman and Daniel Tafoya in order to assess the wrestler that Aberdeen would submit to the table. If #2 ranked Jacob Moore reported, then Tafoya would wrestle for the Governors, but the Golden Eagles bumped up 113lb junior varsity wrestler Brock Martin allowing Turman the opportunity to wrestle.  Turman secured a :16 second pin to put the Governors in the lead which they would retain for the remainder of the dual.  Jacob Moore came out to wrestle Jack Van Camp, and following an impressive outing by Van Camp the third period concluded with a 9-8 victory by Moore to secure the decision for the Golden Eagles and bring the dual within one point.  

Cade Hinkle defends again the shot from Garrett Mitzel on his way to a 7-0 victory at the 138lbs weight class.

# 1 ranked William Turman secured an early first period pin over Logan Beadle at 132lbs, followed by a solid 7-0 victory by Cade Hinkle at 138lbs over Garrett Mitzell to firm up a 19-9 lead for the Governors.  At the 145lb weight class, #1 ranked Michael Lusk earned the major over Austin Cihak with a 18-8 victory, which was followed by a 5-4 victory for Aberdeen's Will Jarrott over Barry Browning at 152lbs.  Tied up 4-4 with less than :20 second left, Browning was hit with his second stalling call to generate the critical one point victory for Jarrott resulting in a 23-12 lead for the Governors.  Force to check in first at 160lbs, Aberdeen advanced #1 ranked Colin Haar who faced Logan Meyer as he could fill in as an alternate at either 160 or 170lbs for the Governors.  Despite keeping the gap close at the end of the first period, Meyer lost by fall to Haar in the second.  “We as a coaching staff felt that this dual was going to be won or lost by one match,” said assistant coach Travis Heasley.  “We needed the ones that our kids were supposed to win, and the ones that were in tough matches not to give up bonus points.  For the most part we did that.  Two matches that could really turn the dual for us were Jack Van Camp at 126lbs vs. #2 in the state at 120lbs, and Barry Browning against another ranked wrestler at 152lbs.  I felt both wrestled well and Jack had a great chance at an upset.  I felt that as a team we wrestled the best we have all year.” 

Stepping in against # 1 ranked Collin Haar of Aberdeen, Logan Meyer works to fight off a leg attack during the first period of the 160lbs match. 

Lewis bumped Austin Senger up to 170lbs to face Dillon Stoebner and scored an important takedown at the edge of the match as time expired in the third to win 15-4 and secure the major decision.  This then pushed Maguire Raske to 182lbs where he faced Brock Baker, and despite giving up the considerable size advantage was able to pull out the 4-2 victory and extending the Governors lead to 31-18. With three weight classes remaining and still an opportunity for the Golden Eagles to secure the victory with bonus points, Gage Gehring pulled out the critical 10-1 major decision over Alex Hopfinger at 195lbs and put the dual out of reach.  “The dual went pretty much as planned down low due to winning the coin flip,” said Lewis.  “We made a move at 160, bumping kids up from there.  Those match-ups we knew would be key to win 170 through 195.  Those ultimately sealed the deal.  Wrestling up a weight class is tough but Raske and Senger proved they were tougher.”

Austin Senger elevates Dillon Stoebner during thier 170lbs match during the closing seconds of the 2nd period.  Senger went on to secure the major decision 15-6.

At 220lbs, Gunnar Gehring lost by pin against Noah Fullmer bringing the dual within ten points. In the heavyweight match, Pryce Dyk squared off against #3 ranked Kaden Johnson.  In their two previous match-ups, Dyk lost 3-1 at the Watertown duals, and then a 3-1 overtime loss in the quarterfinals of the Rapid City Invitational.  Tonight, Dyk suffered a similar fate as Johnson secured a late takedown as time expired in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. He followed that up with an escape early in the third to produce a 3-1 victor and bring the Golden Eagles within seven.  However as the dual came to a close the Governors were able to generate the important ESD victory to bring their conference record to 1-1 and still be in the hunt for an ESD title. In reflecting on the victory, Lewis noted “Staying in the hunt for the ESD was goal number one tonight.  It makes every dual from this point forward a must win.  If we would have taken a loss we would have been out of the hunt, and may have looked for match-ups in duals rather than a focus of winning first.” 

Maguire Raske works to turn Brock Baker in the 182lb matchup, which Raske went on to win 4-2.  

Over the past six years, Governor wrestlers have become accustomed to entering every dual with an opportunity for a team victory.  This has required many to sacrifice for the team to secure the dual win.  In some instances, wrestlers are bumped from winnable matches against opponents at their designated weight classes and walk onto the mat with a primary goal of keeping the match close.  Heasley noted that “I think the wrestlers approach it with a team first mentality.  In duals we have had so far this year we have needed to shift some wrestlers, and we haven’t heard one complaint about being bumped.  They go out and try to do their job every time.” The Governor wrestling team has earned a much needed break as they will be out of action until January 5^th when they travel to the Bismarck Rotary in North Dakota.  A year ago, the team returned from a short Christmas break to begin preparing for their invitation to The Clash. Individual performances for each of the Governor wrestlers tonight include:

• 106lbs - #6 Bendon Sulfrank won by fall over Will Van Camp
• 113lbs - Jace Bench-Bresher won by major decision over Ethan Allen 14-4
• 120lbs - #1 Lincoln Turman won by fall over Brock Martin 
• 126lbs - #2 Jacob Moore won by decision over Jack Van Camp 9-8
• 132lbs - #1 William Turman son by fall over Logan Beadle 
• 138lbs - #8 Cade Hinkle won by decision over Garrett Mitzel 7-0
• 145lbs - #1 Michael Lusk won by major decision over #6 Austin Cihak 18-8
• 152lbs - #5 Will Jarrott won by decision over #4 Barry Browning 5-4
• 160lbs - #1 Collin Haar won by fall over Logan Meyer
• 170lbs - #3 Austin Senger won by major decision over Dillon Stoebner 15-6
• 182lbs - Maguire Raske won by decision over Brock Backer 4-2
• 195lbs - Gage Gehring won by major decision over Alex Hopfinger 10-1
• 220lbs - Noah Fullmer won by fall over Gunnar Ghering
• 285lbs - #3 Kaden Johnson won by decision over #7 Pryce Dyk 3-1

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Second Place Finish for Governors at Elk-Point Jefferson

Coming off an impressive team victory at the Rapid City Invite last week, the Governor Wrestling team traveled to the Elk-Point Jefferson Tournament on Saturday to face Class B #1 ranked Canton and a number of other regional teams from Iowa and Nebraska.  Nursing a number of injuries and illness, the Governors were short three Rapid City Invite finalists in L. Turman, Lusk and Bench-Bresher, yet finished in second in Elk-Point with a total of 207 points behind Canton which racked up 291 points with six individual champions.  Attending the tournament for the first time in 2014, the Governors won team titles at that initial entry and again in 2015.  The tournament was cancelled last year due to weather, but the event serves as an opportunity for the Governors to compete against some of the top ranked wrestlers from the B's.  Head coach Shawn Lewis indicated, "As a coach, I feel it is my job to make sure we get to see the best competition and a variety of opponents.  With the make up of our schedule, the EPJ tournament provides us the opportunity to see some Iowa, Nebraska, and solid class B schools.  I also helped start this tournament at the beginning of my coaching career and enjoy seeing our kids compete in it."  Despite being slightly shorthanded, the Governors still produced one champion in Maguire Raske, three additional finalist (Van Camp, W. Turman & Browning), and seven other wrestlers in the top six at the tournament.  

Coming in with the #2 seed at 170lbs, Maguire Raske advanced into the finals with a tech fall over Derek Anderson (Hinton, IA), and then a 7-4 victory over Laubach (Canton) in the semifinals.  Facing #5 ranked Collin Becker (Dakota Valley) in the championship match, Raske found himself down 3-0 in the second period but came out on top off a scramble situation and secured the pin to win his first varsity tournament.  After the match Lewis said "Maguire finally wrestled up to his potential this weekend. It is scary to think he is only a freshman and is one of the hardest workers on our team.  He has really made efforts the last couple of weeks to push himself and fix his mistakes.  Him winning his first championship is only one of many to come for him."  

Three other Governors advanced to the finals along with Raske.  At 126lbs, Jack Van Camp secured victories by fall against Garvin (Elk Point) and Murtha (Parkston), but then lost in the finals to #1 ranked, and returning state champion, Kellyn March (Canton).  After a first round bye, Barry Browning won by pin over Kohler (Parkston) in the quarterfinals and then produced a commanding 7-0 victory over #7 ranked Eldeen (Parker).  In the finals, Browning eventually lost a 5-2 decision against #3 ranked Scott Peterson (Canton).  "Despite finishing as runner-up, Barry looked good in his process," said Lewis. "He continues to get better every week, and his fast paced style is starting to click and his offense is electric.  Barry is lightening quick and he is starting to trust himself to use that on the mat."  One of the most highly anticipated matches of the weekend pitted a pair of three time state champions in William Turman and Caden Lamer (Tri-Valley).  In route to the finals, Turman won by tech fall over Salker (West Sioux, IA) and then a pair of first period pins against Troia (Millard North, NE) and Swatek (Elk-Point).  Lamer came out on top after a scramble late in the first period and Turman trailed for the remainder of the match.  A number of late shots in the third period could not generate a much needed takedown to tie the score, and Turman suffered his first loss of the season by a 5-3 decision.  When reflecting on the matchup Travis Heasley, assistant coach, noted "This match between Will and Lamer certainly lived up to its billing.  I think the biggest takeaway I took out of it is that Will wrestles to win every time.  He doesn't wrestle not to lose and he wasn't afraid to try something new against the best competition in the state.  I know as a coaching staff we really appreciate that kind of competitiveness."

Hayden Shaffer had another solid performance over the weekend with a third place finish.  Despite a win by pin over Hueser (Elk Point) in the quarterfinals, Shaffer lost to Riley Weber (Parkston) in the semifinals but returned with a 8-1 win in the consolation wrestle-backs and produced a second period pin against Issac Crownover (Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon) to finish the tournament.  After a 2-2 finish at the RC invite, Cade Hinkle rebounded with a third place finish in Elk-Point.  A quarterfinal win over Schuller (West Sioux, IA) then produced a matchup against #2 ranked Dominesse (Canton) in the semifinals.  Despite a 4-1 lead late in the second period, Hinkle lost by pin.  Hinkle finished strong with a pin in the wrestle backs and a 8-0 major decision in the consolation finals against Schuller (West Sioux, IA). In one of the most competitive weight-classes, Austin Senger faced #1B ranked Shaeden Scheidt (Canton) in the semifinals and lost a 5-0 decision (Iowa state champion John Henrich secured the #1 seed).  On the backside, Senger then won by major decision and then by 8-4 decision against Crownover (Bon Homme) to finish third.  Two additional Governors finished third including Gage Gehring and Pryce Dyk.  Gehring lost in the semifinals, but returned with a 9-1 major decision to advance into the consolation finals where he defeated Lesser (Millard North, NE) by pin.  Despite a close 5-2 loss against Marquez (West Sioux, IA), Dyk earned six bonus points for the Governors with three pins including his final match against Shiney (Millard North, NE) to finish third.  

Filling in for an injured Michael Lusk, junior Lee Snyder finished fourth overall.  Just one of two Governor's with an opening round match, Snyder won by pin against Langley (Elk Point) then was knocked back to the wrestle-backs following a 8-7 loss to Stene (Beresford).  Following three wins in the consolation side of his bracket, Snyder faced Stene again, but lost 4-0 to finish fourth.  Lastley, Gunnar Gehring finished 6th overall following a 9-2 loss in the quarterfinals to Baldwin (Canton).  A :14 second pin over Gengler (Hinton, IA) in the wrestle-backs advanced Gehring into the placing rounds but he fell short in his final two matches. 

This week the Governors will be preparing for one last competition prior to the holiday break as they travel to Aberdeen for a critical ESD dual against the Golden Eagles. Lewis concluded, "We will focus on getting ourselves ready for Aberdeen over the next three days.  We all have individual match-ups and are very familiar with the Golden Eagles.  It will also be a focus of mental preparation as that was lacking in our performance in Elk-Point.  Getting sicknesses to run their course and get them out of our room would be helpful."  Individual performances for each Governor wrestler over the weekend include:

• 106 - Hayden Shaffer - 3rd (3-1)
• 126 - Jack Van Camp - 2nd (2-1)
• 132 - William Turman - 2nd (3-1)
• 138 - Cade Hinkle - 3rd (3-1)
• 145 - Lee Snyder- 4th (4-2)
• 152 - Barry Browning - 2nd (2-1)
• 160 - Austin Senger - 3rd (3-1)
• 170 - Maguire Raske - 1st (3-0)
• 182 - Garrett Leesman - DNP (0-2)
• 195 - Gage Gehring - 3rd (3-1)
• 220 - Gunner Gehring - 6th (1-3)
• 285 - Pryce Dyk - 2nd (3-1)

Governors Make it Three Straight at Rapid Invite

This past Friday and Saturday, the Governor Wrestling program headed west to compete at the Rapid City Invitation following a disappointing fifth place finish at the Watertown Dual Tournament last weekend. Having set the tournament team point record in 2015 (and then exceeding it last year), uncertainty abound as to whether Pierre had the horsepower to compete with the best teams in the region.  Despite both entering the tournament tied for third in the team rankings, Pierre and Rapid City Steven would battle back and forth every round until the final HWT matches.  A pin by Pryce Dyk in his seventh place match helped closed the deal for Pierre helping them earn their third straight Rapid City Invitation team title.  After the second round, the Governors found themselves in third place with 72 points just 9.5 behind Stevens.  However, as the quarterfinal round concluded the team garnered the lead with 114 points generated from five Governors advancing into the semifinals (Bench-Bresher, Turman, Turman, Lusk and Senger).  Although matched-up closely with Stevens who also had five semifinalists, the Governors were successful in advancing four into the finals compared to only three for Stevens.  However, twelve Stevens' wrestlers secured wins to ensure a top 8 finish compared to only nine Governors allowing them to take a 197 to 194 lead going into the final round.  As the dust settled, the Governors produced enough wins stemming from bonus points (tournament high of 29 pins) to win 214 to 211, and maintain their reign as tournament champions.  When reflecting on the victory over the weekend head coach Shawn Lewis noted "This week our kids were more mentally prepared.  They had a chip on their shoulder after last weekend and wanted to prove to themselves and everyone else that this team has what it takes in order to make a run at a state title.  Couple that with getting a few kids healthier, and the result speaks for itself." 

The Pierre Governor Wrestling team takes their place on the award stand after winning their third straight Rapid City Invitational.

Lincoln Turman won his third straight Rapid City Invitation with a 3-0 victory over #2 ranked Jacob Moore from Aberdeen.  In route to the finals, Turman pinned Centore (Douglas) and Bissonnette (Hot Springs) in the opening rounds and concluded with a major decision over Bauder (Mitchell), and a close 1 point victory over Powell (Chamberlain) in the semifinals.  The win over Moore resulted in Lincoln becoming the first Governor wrestler to win three individual championships at this event.  "Lincoln becoming the first Governor to win three RC titles is something that I never thought about," said Lewis.  "You just don't have time to think about that stuff when you embrace the one match at a time mentality.  That is something that Lincoln does very well.  He makes sure he is prepared to go into battle each and every time out there and in every position.  As offensive as he is, he is even harder to score on.  Mentally and physically, no one is more prepared than Lincoln."

Lincoln Turman ties up Aberdeen's Jacob Moore as time expires in their championship match.  Turman went on to win 3-0 and earned his third straight tournament title. 

Immediately following Lincoln's victory at 120lbs, William Turman earned his second Rapid Invite title with a close 4-3 victory over returning state champion Spencer Stockman.  Turman had previously won this event in 2014 at 106lbs, but lost to three time North Dakota state champion Kyle Burwick (Hettinger, ND) the past two years.  Similar to his brother, William earned twenty-nine team points including 2 pins in the opening rounds, a major over Morrison (RC Central), and a 9-5 win over Lemus (Laramie, WY) in the semifinals.   

William Turman secures a reversal over Spencer Stockman (Stevens) during their championship match.  Turman finished the match with a 4-3 victory. 

Two other Governors advanced to the finals on Saturday including Michael Lusk who has previously ended his last two RC Invites on top of the podium.  In route to the finals, Lusk defeated Hagen (Hot Springs) and Preble (RC Central) in the opening rounds before earning the major decision over Jacobs (Sturgis) in the semifinals.  Despite taking the lead early in the finals match against #1 North Dakota ranked Devin Steidler (Bismarck, ND), Lusk fell behind 4-3 on a takedown late in the third period and was unable to garner an escape to tie the match as time expired.  Jace Bench-Bresher retained his undefeated season into the finals coming in as a sixth seed in the tournament.  He racked up bonus points in his first three matches with two pins and a major decision before defeating Williams (Lennox) 7-2 in the semifinal bout.  Bench-Bresher faced unseeded Reese Osborne (Sheridan, WY) in the final, but lost 6-2 to finish in the runner-up position.  Osborne had pinned his way into the finals having knocked off the #3 and #4 rated wrestlers in South Dakota.

Michael Lusk works to take down Kody Hagen (Hot Springs) in their opening match.  Lusk earned the 8-6 victory and finished as runner up at the event. 

Austin Senger also advanced to the semifinals where he faced off against Briggs Havlik (Mitchell) where he lost a 3-1 decision resulting from a takedown by Havlik as time expired in the third period.  Despite the loss, Senger returned in the consolation side of the bracket and finished his final two matches with pins over Scheett (Legacy HS, ND) and Durham (St. Thomas More) to add to his three previous pins at the tournament.  Overall, Senger generated ten bonus points for the Governors over the two days, and matched company with Spencer Sarringar to become only the second Governor to place five times at this event.  When reflecting on the slight setback for two of his seniors, Travis Heasley, assistant coach, stated "Michael and Austin will be right at the top at the end of the year.  They are both ruthless competitors and know what it takes to win.  Losses this weekend will just fuel them for the rest of the season." 

Despite a 1-3 record last week, Hayden Shaffer excelled in his second weekend in the Governor singlet placing fifth overall.  After a bye in the opening round, Shaffer lost to #1 ranked Eli Fischer (Milbank) and proceeded to win by pin or major decision into the final round.  By tournament end, Shaffer had racked up nine bonus points resulting from four pins and one major decision.  Heasley noted "Hayden has not had it easy, over half of his matches this year have been against top five kids.  In practice we have been working on some small things to get him better on his feet, and I felt this weekend we saw him trying some of those things.  When he is on top he is great at breaking them down and looking for a pin.  Hayden is a kid every coach wants on their team because he constantly wants to get better.  He is always asking how to do something better and will drill it until he's got it.  He will just keep getting better and better." Jack Van Camp also produced a number of significant wins at the tournament including a second round victory over #5 ranked Daynon Huber (Huron).  Following a loss to eventual champion Kyle Burwick (Hettinger, ND) in the quarterfinals, Van Camp added an additional pin to his first round win and a major decision before losing 4-2 in the fifth place match to Dylan Anderson (Natrona, WY).

Jack Van Camp scores the reversal late in his match against #5 ranked Daynon Huber (Huron) to secure an 8-4 victory.  Van Camp went on to finish 6th at the event. 

Finishing out the placers for the Governor's include Barry Browning (152lbs) and Pryce Dyk (285).  Browning was defeated 7-3 against Nate Allen (Stevens) in the second round, yet returned with two pins and a 9-6 decision over Colton Jackson (Douglas) before facing Nate Allen again in the wrestle-backs.  After a 4-2 loss, Browning secured 7th place with a 3-1 victory over Tanner Skaare (RC Central).  Dyk opened the tournament with a pin over YellowWolf (SF Washington), but fell to Kaden Johnson (Aberdeen) as time expired in sudden victory 3-1.  Dyk returned to pin Caleb Dagel (Roosevelt) and concluded the tournament with a second round pin over Marcus Glick (Thunder Basin) to lock the team victory for the Governors with the win and bonus points. 

Despite not placing at the event, the team title would have been unattainable without individual points earned by the remaining Governor wrestlers.  Cade Hinkle won by fall over his first two opponents before going 2-2 at the event.  Gage Gehring also won by pin in the opening round before losing to the top North Dakota wrestler at his weight (Kaylor - Legacy).  In the wrestle backs he generated a pin, before losing to Evan Hehr (Spearfish) in the third round.  Freshman Maguire Raske advanced to the quarterfinals with two opening round pins, before losing in the closing seconds of that match to Isaac Anderson (Hettinger, ND).  In the wrestle-backs Raske lost his final match 9-1 against Riley Mitchell (Thunder Basin-Gillette, WY).  At 220lbs, Gunnar Gehring won in the opening round before losing to Shraiber (Natrona, WY).  In the wrestler-backs he generated bonus points with a pin before suffering his final loss to Waylon Marshall (Todd County).  Finally, James Lees competed at 182lbs for the Governors going 0-2 on Friday.  Three additional Governors competed as unattached wrestlers including Will Van Camp (0-2), Lee Snyder (2-2), and Logan Meyer (2-2).

Cade Hinkle locks in a front cradle against Chance Davis (Legacy) in the wrestle-backs on Saturday.  Hinkle finished 2-2 at the tournament. 

When reflecting on the promising elements from the team's performance Lewis noted " Hayden Shaffer placing 5th as an 8th grader was great to see.  He has had a gauntlet of matches to start the year.  Jace Bench-Bresher making the finals.  He just keeps improving and his offensive attacks on his feet are strong." This coming weekend the Governors will travel to Elk Point where they will compete against the top Class B talent in the state, including a loaded Canton team that is currently rated #1 in that class.  The tournament will produce a number of significant match-ups including #1 ranked William Turman and Caden Lamer, both of whom have generated three state championships over the past three years. Overall performance for each Governor wrestler this past weekend includes:

• 106 - Hayden Shaffer - 5th (5-2)
• 113 - Jace Bench-Bresher - 2nd (4-1)
• 120 - Lincoln Turman - 1st (5-0)
• 126 - Jack Van Camp - 6th (4-3)
• 132 - William Turman - 1st (5-0)
• 138 - Cade Hinkle - DNP (2-2)
• 145 - Michael Lusk - 2nd (4-1)
• 152 - Barry Browning - 7th (4-2)
• 160 - Austin Senger - 3rd (6-1)
• 170 - Maguire Raske - DNP (2-2)
• 182 - James Lees - DNP (0-2)
• 195 - Gage Gehring - DNP (2-2)
• 220 - Gunner Gehring - DNP (2-2)
• 285 - Pryce Dyk - 7th (4-2)

Governors Finish 3-1 at Watertown Duals

After winning three straight Class A Wrestling titles, and five over the last six years, Governor wrestling fans have come to hold high expectations for their team at the beginning of every season.  With these high expectations, the Governor program kicked off the 2017-18 season on Saturday at the annual Watertown Dual tournament.  Solidified by six experienced seniors in Lincoln Turman, Michael Lusk, Barry Browning, Austin Senger, Logan Meyer and Pryce Dyk, and three other returning state qualifiers the Governors lost a key matchup against Watertown in the opening round, then rallied to finish 3-1 on the day against two other top five programs.  The team was without William Turman, Garrett Leesman, and Gunnar Gehring who are expected to return to action in the coming weeks.  

Two time returning state champion Michael Lusk works to turn Garrett Mitzel during the final dual against Aberdeen.  Lusk went on to earn the first period pin to finish 3-0 on the day.

In their opening dual, the Governors wrestled a solid Watertown Arrow team which also served as the ESD matchup for the year.  In his first outing in a Governor singlet, Hayden Shaffer faced off against #2 ranked Ty Altholff and lost a 9-5 decision.  This was followed up by a major decision for Jace Bench-Bresher over Ben Althoff, and a technical fall for Lincoln Turman against Mason Stoick.  With the 9-3 lead, the Governors suffered three straight losses at 126 through 138lbs. With William Turman sitting out to recover from knee surgery, Tyson Johnson filled in at 126 and lost by tech fall in his match-up with #5 ranked Robert Coyle.  Up a weight class, Jack Van Camp lost a 9-3 decision against Peyton Johnson, and despite holding a lead late into the 3rd period, Cade Hinkle suffered a pin with time expiring.  Two time returning state champion Michael Lusk brought the Governors back within five with a 9-3 win over Jake Werner, but Watertown regained a eight point gap with a 9-3 victory for Nathan Tuttle over Barry Browning.  

For the remainder of the dual, the two teams traded victories with a pin by Austin Senger at 160lbs, then a 3-2 loss by Maguire Raske against Sam Stroup.  Logan Meyer lost by pin against Jayden Hartford, yet those points were recouped with a pin for Gage Gehring over Ledgend Thorson at 195lbs.  Lincoln Stahl won by pin over Wesley Harsma late in the first period as he stepped in to fill the 220lb spot for Gunner Gehring due to injury, and the dual concluded with a 7-2 loss for Pryce Dyk against #2 ranked Dane Stahl.  As the dust settled, the Governors suffered their first dual loss at the Watertown Invite during the past two years and start off the ESD season with a 38-24 loss.  In reflecting on the initial outing for the team, Governor head coach Shawn Lewis noted "We wrestled like our overall team is currently, 'inexperienced.' We had many highs and lows, at times looked great, and at times looked bad.  That comes with inexperience.  Those things will need to work themselves out soon."

Gage Gehring elevates Ledgend Thorson during their 182lb match in the first dual against Watertown.  Gehring eventually secured the win with a third period pin. 

When reflecting on the performance of the Governors opening dual, assistant coach Travis Heasley stated, "I think as a team we wrestled flat and didn't have the drive we needed to win close matches.  We had a couple of matches we were in control and allowed our opponent to get back into the match and win.  We have a few that are wrestling some heavier weights than they are used to, and it will take a little time to figure out how to wrestle those weights.  I know that against Watertown, 170 was a match we needed, as well as 132 and 138.  However, there were other places we left points that we needed.  The dual was a wake-up call for a few and a learning experience for others."  

  Barry Browning secures a take down against Watertown's Nathan Tuttle during their 152lb match.  Browning finished the day with a 2-2 performance for the Governors. 

During the second round, the Governors squared off against Harrisburg, earning wins at the first four weight classes resulting in a 20-0 lead.  Shaffer secured his first Governor win with a pin over Kayden Kummer, followed up by a major decision for Bench-Bresher over Hirschkorn 10-2.  Lincoln Turman won by fall over Blakney, and Van Camp majored Dylan Hage 11-3.  Daniel Tafoya stepped in at 132lbs and was pinned by Jacob Hanssen, followed a loss by fall for Hinkle against Nolan Hoback.  The Governors then traded a series of wins over the next four weight classes starting with a major decision for Michael Lusk over Quinton Abrahamson, and a last second loss for Browning against Mason Shoenhard 4-3.  Austin Senger defeated Ryan Meyer 5-1 at 160lbs, followed by a pin for Nick Schirado over Logan Meyer.  Maguire Raske shifted up to 182lbs to earn a tech fall over Gulbranson to maintain a 31-21 lead for the Governors.  However with two pins for Harrisburg for Tassler against Gehring, and Warzecha over Harsma the dual came down to the HWT match between two rated opponents in Sam Detert and Pryce Dyk.  Down 1-0 going late into the third period, Dyk was able to hit a Peterson roll from the bottom to secure Detert on his back and generate the pin for the Governors resulting in a 37-33 victory.  Following the win Lewis stated "Pryce solidified himself as a contender at HWT as he battled three really rough heavyweights today.  He was in every single match and did a bunch of great things.  If he keeps working as hard as he has been, stays focused on the end goal, and trusts his coaches, he will be in the mix with a handful of heavyweights vying for medals come February."

Pryce Dyk earns the critical pin against Sam Detert of Harrisburg to secure the 37-33 victory over Harrisburg.  Dyk finished the day with a 2-2 record overall. 

To conclude pool play, the Governors wrestled Milbank who put their first points on the board with a 8-3 victory for Eli Fischer over Shaffer in the 106lbs matchup.  The Governors then proceeded to put up 54 unanswered points until Isaac Fischer defeated Logan Meyer 5-2 in the 182lbs weight class.  Bench Bresher, Turman, Van Camp, Johnson, Hinkle, Lee Snyder, Browning, Senger and Raske each earned either pins or forfeits in their matches.  Tanner Kettwig defeated James Lees 5-2 to generate the final 9 points for Milbank, as Gehring and Dyk both finished with forfeits resulting in a 66-9 victory.  As the Governors were wrestling Milbank, the Watertown Arrows were defeated by Harrisburg resulting in a three way tie in the pool with three teams finishing 2-1.  In the other pool Huron, Aberdeen, and Mitchel also each finished 2-1 and the tournament directors went to criteria to determine where teams would advance for the placing round.  Total team points were used, and the Governors finished with 127, followed by 132 by Watertown, and 135 for Harrisburg. As a result, the Governors finished third in their pool and were set to wrestle Aberdeen for 5th in the placing round.  Harrisburg went on to tie with Mitchell in the championship match which was eventually awarded to Harrisburg based on criteria. 

Hayden Shaffer catches Harrisburg's Kayden Kummer in a cradle during the opening match of the dual.  Shaffer eventually secured the pin in the first period. 

The fifth place dual came down to two teams who have won six of the last Class A team titles.  Brenden Salfrank started Aberdeen on the board with a pin over Shaffer.  Bench-Bresher then defeated Ethan Allen 7-1 and Lincoln Turman pinned Martin in the first period to create a 9-6 lead.  Jacob Moore then pinned Johnson at 126lbs, and Van Camp generated the first period pin over Beadle to increase the Governors lead 15-12.  The Governors came out on top for the next four matches with first period pins for Hinkle, Lusk and Browning followed by a 5-3 win by Senger over Will Jarrott to extend the lead to 36-12.  The Golden Eagles countered with a 9-5 win by Collin Haar over Raske at 170, and a tech fall for Dillon Stoebner over Meyer at 182lbs.  Gage Gehring earned the first period pin over Hopfinger and Aberdeen generated the final nine points with a forfeit to Fullmer, and a 5-1 win by Kaden Johnson over Dyk at HWT.  

Austin Senger works to topple Aberdeen's Will Jarrott during their 160lb match-up.  Senger won 5-3 to generate a 36-12 lead for the Governors. 

Overall the Governors had four wrestlers that finished the day undefeated in Bench-Bresher, Lincoln Turman, Michael Lusk and Austin Senger.  Despite being a state qualifier at 126lbs last year, Bench-Bresher looked natural at his more ideal weight of 113lbs. Heasley, indicated, "I thought he wrestled great on his feet and stuck to his game and controlled the action.  He got into some bad positions on top but recovered and continued fighting."  

Jace Bench-Bresher drives to take down Ethan Allen during their 113lb match in the final dual against Aberdeen.  Bench-Bresher won a 7-1 decision in the match. 

This coming week the Governors will travel to Rapid City to compete at the highly competitive Rapid City Invitation.  The tournament includes 37 teams from both A and B programs across Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota.  In practice this week Lewis noted "We will focus on staying in better positions throughout the matches.  Our offense will be priority number one.  We have to take the things we do well and refine them until they are unstoppable."  The Governors have five returning place winners from last year’s Rapid City Invite including 6th place finish by Cade Hinkle, a 4th place finish for William Turman, runner-up for Austin Senger, and two time returning Rapid City Invite champions in Michael Lusk and Lincoln Turman.  

Lincoln Turman works to pin Brock Martin during their 120lbs match.  Turman won by fall and finished 4-0 on the day. 

The Governors will look to get back to their winning ways as they attempt to repeat as team champions at the event this coming Friday and Saturday. The overall performance for all Governor wrestlers during varsity action on Saturday includes:

• 106 - Hayden Shaffer - 1-3
• 113 - Jace Bench-Bresher - 4-0
• 120 - Lincoln Turman - 4-0
• 126 - Tyson Johnson/Daniel Tafoya - 0-4
• 132 - Jack Van Camp - 2-2
• 138 - Cade Hinkle - 2-2
• 145 - Michael Lusk - 3-0
• 152 - Barry Browning - 2-2
• 160 - Austin Senger - 4-0
• 170 - Maguire Raske - 2-2
• 182 - Logan Meyer - 0-3
• 195 - Gage Gehring - 3-1
• 220 - James Lees/Wesley Harsma - 0-3
• 285 - Pryce Dyk - 2-2