Scot Edwards put together an excellent state tournament run this past weekend, pinning his way to the finals before falling to the returning HWT champion, Craig Orlando of Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale. Edwards began the year ranked #2 behind Orlando, but fell out of the rankings after being sidelined with an illness for the majority of the regular season after the Christmas break. Scot proved that he was deserving of the preseason ranking, by dominating the competition on his way to the finals. Jesus Anaya also competed in the state tourney for the Dragons in the 106-pound division.
106 – Jesus Anaya ended his state tournament run by going 2-2, finishing 35-7 on the year. Anaya won his first round match with a 7-2 decision over Cohen Wiste of GMLOS in 2OT. Anaya was able to ride Wiste in the first 30 seconds of the second OT to enter the second part of the second OT tied at 2-2. Wiste almost locked up a cradle, before Anaya earned a reversal and near fall points to seal the victory. In the quarterfinals, Jesus squared off against the #1 ranked wrestler and eventual state champion from Sibley East, Drayden Morton. Anaya couldn’t get past Morton’s defense at the end of the match, dropping 5-3 decision to Morton. The loss put Jesus in the wrestlebacks where he took on Jake Nagel of Frazee. Anaya earned a pair of takedowns en route to a 4-1 decision over the Frazee 8th grade wrestler. The win kept Jesus alive in the tourney, as he faced Coy Gunderson of KMS. Gunderson (the eventual 4th place finisher) earned a pair of takedowns, eliminating the Dragon wrestler from the tournament one match before the medal round by a score of 5-1.
HWT – Scot Edwards pinned his way to the finals, knocking off a pair of state ranked wrestlers before he squared off against the top-ranked and returning state champion, Craig Orlando of Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale in the finals. Edwards opened his tourney with a 38-second fall over Mason Novitzki of Royalton-Upsala to advance to the quarters. In the quarterfinals, Scot squared off against Clayton Luthe of GMLOS. After a scoreless first period, Edwards chose to go down in the second period. After a scramble, Scot earned a reversal and put Luthe on his back, earning a spot in the semifinals with the fall in 2:26. The semifinals set up a rematch from the Redwood Riot semifinals, where Edwards took his only loss in the regular season to Tanner Berghuis of ACGC. Berghuis scored the first point in the semis, as Edwards was called for unnecessary roughness. Berghuis won the flip, deferring the second period choice to Edwards who chose to start period two in the down position. A scramble early in the period put Edwards up 4-1 as he earned a reversal and two near fall points. Berghuis quickly countered with a reversal to make the score 4-3. Almost immediately following the Berghuis reversal, Edwards countered putting the #2 ranked Berghuis on his back. The Falcon wrestler was unable to find a way off of his back this time, as Edwards earned the fall in 2:42 to advance to the championship match where he faced the returning HWT champion, Craig Orlando. Edwards and Orlando squared off last season in the state quarterfinals, with Orlando earning the victory over the Dragon junior. This year, the rematch started off a little different than it did last year, as Orlando seemed to be a little more hesitant, as his aggressive style allowed Edwards to put him on his back in their first meeting last season. After a scoreless first period in the 2019 state finals, Orlando won the flip in the second period and elected to start in the down position. Edwards elected to give the BHV junior the escape and continue the battle for the HWT title from the feet. As the two wrestlers battled for position in the second period, Orlando worked his way into a bear hug. Edwards countered by attempting to throw Orlando, but the two wrestlers hit heads on their way to the mat, causing Edwards to lose consciousness for a few seconds. Orlando continued to wrestle as the competitors hit the mat, earning the fall and his second state title. The loss ended Edwards’ season with an impressive 28-2 record and a runner-up finish in the MSHSL Class A State Individual Tournament. Of those 28 victories, 20 came by fall, while the remaining 8 wins were via forfeit. Only one wrestler that he pinned was able to make it to the third period, as the majority of the 20 falls came in the first period under a minute.
Congratulations go out to Edwards on his 2nd place finish, which earns him a place on the Adrian Wrestling Medalist Board. Congratulations also go out to Anaya, as he earned a spot on the Adrian Wrestling Honor Roll Board by qualifying for the MSHSL State Individual Tournament.
