Forfeits, strong performances guide top-seeded Huskies past Rockets in Section 1-AAA quarterfinals

While the Owatonna wrestling team’s win was lopsided in part to five forfeits from Rochester John Marshall, the way the top-seeded Huskies performed, the forfeits may not have even mattered.
Collecting four pins and a major decision, the No. 6 ranked Huskies dominated the Rockets 62-12 in the quarterfinals of the Section 1-AAA tournament at Owatonna High School Thursday night, sending the seniors off with a win in their final home dual at OHS.
“We had some good efforts. One of things we look at in duals like this is improving each of our individuals,” noted Huskies co-head coach Scott Seykora. “When it comes to section semis and finals, we need all 14 guys to always to do their best and make sure that they are improving every single match.”
Owatonna won the first three matches, two of which were by pin to quickly jump out to an 18-0 lead. At 106 pounds, Landen Johnson pinned Ben Zierdt-Thorson at the 1:44-mark of the first period after recording an early takedown to start the match. Kaden Nelson would accept a forfeit at 113 before Haden Fox (120) managed to record the fall of John Marshall’s Seth Haight in the third period.
Joe Fox would drop a 10-3 decision to Connor Higgins at 126 pounds to give the Rockets their first points of the dual. Seykora noted that despite the loss, the improvement from the last time Owatonna faced Higgins will only help the Huskies on Saturday.
“He wrestled really well, had him on his back with that half nelson and just barely slipped out. So Joe’s gaining confidence. Even though he lost that match, he gained a lot of confidence because we got pinned by that guy last time,” mentioned Seykora.
With Owatonna boasting an 18-3 lead, John Marshall would forfeit 132, 138, 145 and 152 pounds, giving the Huskies a commanding 42-3 lead. After recording a quick five-point takedown off of a pretty hip toss to just seconds into the first period, Owatonna’s Parker Westphal managed to ride out Griffin Ferguson for a 7-3 decision at 160 pounds.
Despite battling back from a 5-1 deficit to make it just a takedown match, Nick Staska was unable to complete the comeback, surrounding a late takedown to Elijah Hollins at 170 pounds.
Brandon Moen had complete control against Darnell Wheatley, recording a technical fall midway through the third period to keep his record perfect at 182.
The final three matches would all end in pins in the first period with Owatonna collecting two of them from Griffin Thorn (195) and Goy Tut (285). Thorn was up 6-2 after before collecting a pin at the 1:35-mark while Tut would slightly best Thorn, pinning Kori McCarthy at the 1:28-mark of the match.
The top-seeded Huskies advance to the semifinals of the Section 1-AAA tournament Saturday at the Rochester Civic Center. They will face the winner of Northfield and Farmington.