Tiger wrestlers reach second round

• Photo: Wrestling

Farmington’s Ridge Raddatz tries to escape from his opponent during Saturday morning’s Section 2AAA dual meet against Bloomington Jefferson. The Tigers advanced with their first section win since 2002.

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The Farmington wrestling team won its first section match since 2002 before bowing out to Lakeville North in the Section 2AAA team tournament Saturday morning at Tiger Gym.

The Tigers, seeded sixth in the 11-team section, used nine forfeits to advance past 11th-seeded Bloomington Jefferson, 66-18. After three straight forfeit wins to open the dual, John Walz secured the team’s first victory on the mat with a pin at 126 pounds.

The Jaguars scored pins in three of the next five matches, but surrendered five more forfeits before Dakoda Louis-Dupay earned a first-period fall at 220 pounds.

The Tigers’ second-round matchup with No. 3-seeded Lakeville North came down to bonus points, just as it did two weeks earlier when the Panthers won a head-to-head meeting at the Lakeville North Duals.

The Panthers won 8 of the dual’s 14 matches, seven of which came via fall, en route to a 45-28 victory.

“The difference in the dual, just like the first time, was we lost eight matches and seven of them were by fall,” Farmington coach Chad Olson said. “We can’t give up six points every time we get beat.”

Jacob Gabbard, Matt Rustad and Bret Hoffman all won by fall after winning decisions in the first meeting.

“It was great to see them improve,” Olson said.

Gabbard and Rustad’s pins, combined with a 15-8 decision by Walz, gave the Tigers an early lead in the dual. Jake Rudeen followed with a 5-2 decision and Joe Hoeve earned an 11-1 major decision at 152 pounds, but Lakeville North answered with five straight wins by fall to pull ahead.

The only Tiger loss that didn’t come via pin was at 106 pounds where Taylor Venz fell 5-3 in overtime to state-ranked Collin Degrammont.

The Tigers are back in action this weekend at the Section 2AAA individual tournament in Shakopee.

Tags: sports, farmington, tigers, prep, wrestling