Submitted by Express Wrestling
The Express Wrestling Club had 36 boys and 17 girls compete at the North Dakota State Folkstyle Wrestling Tournament held March 24-25 at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex in Fargo. Express Wrestling put 7 wrestlers in the finals coming away with 4 champions. Champions for Express were Alyx Grafing, Kathryn Maresh, Katherine Russell, and Victoria Sanchez.
Alyx Grafing, 2nd grader (8U 50 lbs.) wrestled Friday night in the Girls State Tournament where she dominated her way through a bracket of 8 girls winning all 3 of her matches by pin in times of 26 seconds, 27 seconds and 1 minutes 42 seconds in the championship match to win her 1st ever state title.
Kathryn Maresh, 2nd grader (8U 65 lbs.) won her 2nd straight state title Friday night at the Girls State Tournament in dominating fashion by winning her three matches by pin in 55 seconds, 19 seconds, and 21 seconds in the finals.
Katherine Russell, 5th grader (12U 125 lbs.) was another state champ for Express winning all her matches by pin in times of 21 seconds, 34 seconds, and 17 seconds in the championship match to win her 1st ever state title.
The last state champ for Express was sophomore Victoria Sanchez (16U 116 lbs.). Victoria was in a two-girl freestyle bracket where she wrestled the same girl twice winning the first match by pin in 1 minute 49 seconds and in the second match, she won by tech fall 12-2. This was Victoria’s 1st ever state title.
Olivia Ford, 2nd grader (8U 61 lbs.) made it to the championship match in her bracket by winning her first match 6-0 and winning by pin in 2 minutes 47 seconds in the semifinals. Olivia then lost in the finals to her teammate Kathryn Maresh
Brady Broten, 6th grader (12U 92 lbs.) made it to the finals in the boy’s division. Brady won his first three matches by pin in 32 seconds, 55 seconds, and 1 minute 33 seconds. He then won in the semifinals with a 5-2 decision. Brady would be defeated in the finals 13-0 and he then wrestled for true second where he lost 10-0 placing him 3rd.
Andon Bulow, 8th grader (14U 187 lbs.) also wrestled his way to the finals in the boy’s division. Andon won by pin in 1 minute 55 seconds and 3 minutes in his first two matches before being pinned in the finals. Andon then wrestled for true second where he won by pin in 3 minutes 46 second placing him 2nd.
Other girls placing at the Girls State Tournament Friday: Pre-K Liza Hansen 6th place (6U 40lbs.), 1st grader Faith Swart 6th place (8U 53 lbs.), 2nd grader Charlee Coghlan 2nd place (8U 59 lbs.), 4th grader Alihanna Helman 2nd place (10U 97 lbs.), 4th grader Keighty Harris 6th place (12U 72 lbs.), 6th grader Hailey Ford 3rd place (12U 117 lbs.), freshman Deegan Kirschenmann 3rd place (16U 129 lbs.), freshman Mylee Christianson 4th place (16U 135 lbs.), and junior Brooke Bundy 3rd place (18U 171 lbs.). Braylee Amann, Emma Trapp, and Jayden Greer also wrestled in the girl’s division but did not place.
Other boys placing Saturday for Express were kindergartener Joseph Ford 6th place (6U 49 lbs.), 1st grader Arden DeWaters 6th place (8U 53 lbs.), 1st grader Myles Swenson 6th place (8U 85+ lbs.), 2nd grader Chance Ronsberg 2nd place (8U 85+ lbs.), 4th grader Avery Gerlach 5th place (10U 63 lbs.), 4th grader Teagan Greer 4th place (10U 67 lbs.), 3rd grader Conley Bulow 5th place (10U 84 lbs.), 3rd grader Nathaniel Russell 3rd place (10U 105 lbs.), 5th grader Carter Coghlan 6th place (12U 82 lbs.), 5th grader Kallen Hansen 4th place (12U 98 Lbs.), 6th grader Simon Trapp 3rd place (14U 71 lbs.), 7th grader Chase Coghlan 3rd place (14U 106 lbs.), 7th grader Leighton Hendrickson 4th place (14U 165 lbs.), 6th grader Amari Ronsberg 5th place (14U 250 lbs.), and sophomore Quincy Corbin 6th place (16U 145 lbs.).
Also wrestling in the boy’s division but did not place were Turner Peterson, Tyson Jenrich, Alex Jenrich, Cannon Keller, Alyx Grafing, Winston Hendrickson, Decker Bulow, Tyson Broten, Holt Gubrud, Sawyer Peterson, Alan Kleymann, Dominic Malcolm, Callahan Lee, Sullivan Peterson, Orion Malcolm, Bowan Bulow, Wyatt Maresh, Zack Anderson, Jayden Greer, Hailey Ford, and Trever Mathias.
Express had two dual teams (k-3rd grade and k-6th grade) compete Friday March 24th in the State Dual Tournament. The k-3rd grade team beat Stanley in their first dual 28-17, they would lose their second dual 35-24 to Matpac from Bismarck, and their third dual needed tie breakers to figure out the winner because they tied the Gorillas from Bismarck 30-30 but ended up losing based on total match points. The k-6th grade team wrestled the Bison Club from Fargo and lost, then they wrestled Carrington and lost a close dual late 43-27 ending the dual season for Express.
Express is coached by Matt Maresh, Ryan Coghlan, TJ Hansen, Dustin Krueger, Travis Peterson, Koye Grebel, Trevor Bakalar, Drew Dockter, Tim Miller, Aaron Bulow, and Hope Hopson.