As the Hastings boys wrestling team closed out the regular season with a strong showing at home, rolling to a 48-9 dual meet victory over Rochester Century on Thursday night. The win capped a busy final week and gave the Raiders momentum heading into the postseason, as they prepare for the upcoming Section 3AAA tournament.
Hastings finished the dual with 48 points, controlling the match from the opening bout and earning wins across nearly every weight class. At 107 pounds, Sullivan McNamara set the tone early, winning by fall in 6:24 to give the Raiders an early advantage. Rochester Century answered at 114 pounds, as Lane Royston defeated Carter Kohner by fall in 5:28, tying the team score at 6-6.
From there, Hastings took command. At 121 pounds, Beckett Edstrom picked up a forfeit victory, pushing the Raiders ahead. William Bainbridge followed at 127 pounds with a major decision win, defeating Jackson Spearman 20-7. At 133 pounds, Donavin Ward continued the surge with a technical fall, beating Nathaniel Basballe 18-0.
The middle weights proved especially productive for Hastings. Trey Beissel earned a technical fall at 139 pounds, winning 21-6 over Ryan Pearson. At 145 pounds, David Bauer claimed a victory by default over Keegan Thoma. Rocco Iallonardo added a close win at 152 pounds, edging Keon Callies 4-2 by decision.
Mark Svoboda delivered another bonus point performance at 160 pounds, winning by major decision 16-5 against Cooper Sheeran. Kasen Esterby kept things rolling at 172 pounds with a 10-6 decision victory over Tristan Dauner Olson. Rochester Century earned its second win of the night at 189 pounds, as Aaron Olson defeated Xavier Timm 6-3 by decision.
The Raiders closed the dual in impressive fashion. At 215 pounds, Adrian Fuchs won a tight decision, edging William Dauner Olson 13-12. Heavyweight Elijah Christopher sealed the final score with an 11-5 decision win over Layne Meyer at 285 pounds.
The Hastings girls wrestling team also had a memorable week, competing Friday and Saturday at the Individual Section Tournament. All 11 Raiders placed in the top six, an impressive team-wide accomplishment, and seven qualified for the state tournament, the most in program history.
Audrianna Dahlberg led the way with a first-place finish, earning a state qualification. Trinity Yates, Elli Levine, Emma Taylor, Avery Levine, Lily Watts, and Khloe Richardson all finished as runners-up to advance to state as well. Kira Poellinger and Elyse Versland each placed third, while Olivia Levine finished fifth and Sammie Allen placed sixth.
The boys will travel to Woodbury on Friday, Feb. 13, for the Section 3AAA tournament, which begins at 4:00 p.m., while the girls will compete at the state tournament Feb. 26-28.