Huskies have a strong showing in opening round of Class AAA state tournament
St. Paul - The importance of having a strong showing in the opening round of the state tournament can be the difference between being on the podium, or watching from the seats of the Xcel Energy Center.
For five members of the Owatonna wrestling team, the podium is still in reach.
headlined by two-time defending state champion Peyton Robb and Brandon Moen, Owatonna had a strong showing during the first round of the 2017 Minnesota State Wrestling tournament in St. Paul Friday.
With wrestling from each class being continous, Peyton Robb was actually the first Husky to step on the mat.
He made it a quick showing, dominating Ben Schmalz of Mound-Westonka in every facet to a 16-1 win. Robb, who has yet to suffer a loss this season, will now face Matthew Muedeking in the quarterfinals.
While the Huskies started the round on a high note, they would soon suffer a pair of low points.
At 106, Kaden Nelson fell to Shakopee's Max Crowe by a 15-5 major decision while at 113 pounds, while Landen Johnson was pinned in 24 seconds by Sartell's Jackson Penk. The lights of the big stage appeared to be too bright for the young Huskies as they both appeared timid to pull the trigger on their offense. Both wrestlers will now have to hope that Crowe and Penk suffer losses in the quarterfinals to stay alive.
After the back-to-back losses, the Huskies reeled out five straight wins.
Defending state champion Brandon Moen needed just 52 seconds to record a win over Tyler Dahlstorm. Cade King, who leads the Huskies in wins this season, needed just 24 seconds to pin Martin Puttbrese. Moen will face Rowan Morgan of in the quarterfinals.
Griffin Thorn (220) and Goy Tut (285) finished the round with a pair of wins for the Huskies. Thorn managed to record a 8-1 verdict over Quintin-Kluver-Longfellow of Alexandria while Tut fended off Robert Marrier of Park for a 5-0 decision. Thorn will face Evan Foster of St. Michael-Albertville while Tut will face defending state champion Gable Stevenson of Apple Valley in the quarterfinals.