In what was a mostly uneventful Friday for local Class AA wrestlers, Litchfield 160-pounder Connor Hoff had a standout effort.
The senior punched his ticket to today’s semifinals by earning two wins on the opening day of the individual state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.
Hoff, who improved his record to 40-1, defeated Braden Frisby of Grand Rapids 7-4 in his opening match. He then overcame a late rally by Waconia’s Owen Hemze in the quarterfinals.
After Hemze forced extra time with a last-second escape, Hoff rebounded strongly in overtime, securing a two-point takedown and a 6-4 win.
Hoff will now face Sam Baier, a 42-3 grappler from Redwood-River Valley, in a semifinal today, beginning at 10:45 a.m. The winner will compete for the state title at 7 p.m.
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Elsewhere, two Dawson-Boyd/Lac Qui Parle Valley/Montevideo United wrestlers won their opening matches but were bounced in the following round. In 126, Bailey Eickhoff earned an 11-4 first-round win over Jon Schmid of Orono. His teammate, Peyton Mortenson, topped Logan Nelson of Litchfield 12-4 in 145.
The duo struggled in their ensuing matches, however, as each lost by the tally of 6-2, Eickhoff to Kasson-Mantorville’s Keaten Schorr and Mortenson to Ben Kelvington of Scott West.
