LCWM upsets Westfield 37-36
The No. 4 Westfield Razorbacks season as a team came to an end last week after the No. 5 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (LCWM) Knights upset the Razorbacks 37-36 in Blooming Prairie.
The dual came down to the wire as both sides battled for bonus points to put the meet away, with a late pin eventually icing the dual for the Knights.
“This was a tough loss for our team tonight. I thought our effort and ability to save bonus points was the biggest difference in the dual. It takes a total team effort this time of year, and we weren’t able to make it happen,” said Westfield co-head coach David Lassahn.
“We had high expectations as a team coming into sections, and are disappointed we couldn’t perform better.”
The Razorbacks got off to a slow start against the Knights by dropping the first two matches at 106 and 113 pounds by a major decision and a decision.
Sophomore Kevin Hodge was bested in the first match by a 13-0 major decision to put LCWM up 4-0 before freshman Hunter Simonson lost a 10-6 decision to give LCWM a 7-0 lead.
Freshman Bo Zwiener put Westfield on the board for six points by beating his 120-pound opponent by fall in the first period, bringing the score to 7-6 in favor of LCWM.
However, eighth-grader Cannon Wacek lost by fall in the third period at 126 pounds, giving LCWM a seven-point lead at 13-6.
The Knights benefited from six more points as freshman Evan Fyksen lost by fall in the third period at 132 pounds to make the score 19-6 for LCWM.
However, junior Cade Christianson stopped the Knights’ momentum by pinning his opponent in the first period to earn six points for Westfield at 138 pounds and make the score 19-12.
Senior Keegan Bronson followed Christianson’s win with a dominant showing of his own by pinning his opponent at 145 pounds in 23 seconds to make it a one-point dual at 19-18.
Yet, the one-point deficit quickly became ten points as the Razorbacks dropped the next two matches at 152 and 160 pounds as sophomore Joe Christians and senior Sam Skillestad were beaten by fall and decision respectively.
At 170 and 182 pounds, senior Tyler Archer and sophomore Ty Bronson earned 12 points for Westfield with back-to-back first-period falls to give Westfield its first lead of the dual at 30-28.
Unfortunately for Westfield, the lead was short-lived as LCWM earned a 15-9 win by decision at 195 pounds and a win by fall at 220 to make the score 37-30 with only one match remaining.
Despite being unable to earn Westfield the win, sophomore heavyweight Brody Johnson earned a win by fall in the first period to make the final score 37-36.
The loss marks the end of the team season for Westfield. The team now shifts its focus to the section individual tournament beginning on Friday, Feb. 25 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.
