By Trevor Hass
Contributing Sports Writer
Early in the match between St. Cloud Tech, ranked 10th in the state in class AAA, and Rogers, Marshall Packer went out on the mat with a bit of added spunk to him.
Rogers ended up losing the match 42-30, but Packer and many other members of the team gained experience against some top wrestlers, challenging them in close matches all night long.
Packer pinned both of his opponents on Tuesday night, Dawson Weleski from Tech and AJ Aitkin from Osseo.
“Marshall getting two pins was huge for us tonight,” head coach Chris Donnay said. “He is really starting to get confidence when he steps on the mat.”
Although Rogers lost to St. Cloud Tech, six wrestlers gained wins, just two fewer than Tech. One of Rogers win came in the form on a forfeit at heavyweight for Andrew Piehl, something that is becoming more regular for the top-rated heavyweight in the state.
In the second match, that forfeit came back to help the Royals, who battled tough against Osseo and wound up tied at 33 once Piehl’s arm was raised in the last match.
Although the match was tied, there are criteria that can award a team a win. The first tiebreaker is how many six-point wins a team had. Six-point wins come in the form of pins and forfeits.
Packer and Zac Aanerud pinned their opponents in the Osseo match, while Bret Wilson was awarded a six-point victory on a forfeit. Three Osseo wrestlers pinned their opponents but the team refused to put anyone up against Piehl, giving the team its fourth six-point victory and the extra point needed to beat Osseo.
Rogers next chance to wrestle was Dec. 30 at Foley High School.