Wrestlers lose in semis, ready for individual competition

The New Prague Trojan wrestling team finished its team season with an 18-14 record after splitting a pair of Section 2AA games.

The Trojans opened with a 41-31 quarterfinal win over Waconia, then the Trojans lost to eventual section champion Scott West in the semifinals 44-15

Coach Greg Tikalsky will take his Trojans to the Section 2AA individual tournament Friday and Saturday at Delano High School. The top two finishers in each weight class advance to the state tournament, which begins Wednesday, March 4, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Among the Trojans hoping to advance are five wrestlers who have more than 20 wins. They are Jay Reinke (28-6), Aaron Redding (27-4), Andy Reinartz (25-8), Alex Minette (22-13) and Morgan Parriott (22-13).

Trojans 41, Wildcats 31

New Prague avenged an earlier loss to Waconia with a 41-31 win over the Wildcats in Waconia Thursday, Feb. 19.

The Trojans got a strong start with three technical falls and a fall to take a 21-0 lead. Andy Underhill got things going with a 22-7 win at 103 pounds, while Dakota Cole won his match at112 by a 19-4 score and Aaron Redding scored an 18-3 win at 119. Morgan Parriott (125 pounds) got a first-period pin.

The Wildcats scored a technical fall and a fall to make it 21-11, but Kody Dolezal stopped the run with a 10-8 decision at 140 pounds, then Nick McGuiggan scored a first-period fall at 145 and Andy Reinartz won with a 20-4 technical fall at 152, making it 35-11.

Waconia scored a fall and a technical fall, but Jay Reinke put the match out of reach with a fall at 3:41 in his match at 189 pounds.

Waconia won the final two matches to make the final 41-31.

Panthers 44, Trojans 15

Underhill, who has been strong down the stretch, won his fourth straight match with an 8-6 decision at 103 pounds. But then the Panthers won five straight matches, using its strong early lineup to take a 22-3 lead.

Dolezal stopped the run with a decision making it 22-6, then the teams traded falls, with Reinartz getting his fall at 3:07 at 152 pounds. Scott West won a pair of matches before New Prague got its final win, a decision by Reinke at 189. Scott West closed with two more wins to take a 44-15 win over New Prague. The Panthers went on to defeat Delano in the championship match. They will face top seed Simley in the team quarterfinals at the state meet Thursday, Feb. 26.