Zach Berube takes 4th in state
With only one senior and quite a few younger athletes on the team, Rugby’s wrestling program was a work in progress this year. That lone senior came through with a fourth place finish at the North Dakota Wrestling Tournament in Bismarck, Feb. 18.
Zach Berube wrestled the last match of his high school career against Hunter Mairs, Lisbon, who was rated #2 in the state in the 152 lb. weight class.
“Zach came out and took charge,” said Rugby Coach Mitch Meyer. “He wrestled like we knew he could.”
Berube won his first match when he pinned Beron Sinner, CC. Next he lost to River Voight, Kill., in a 10-4 decision. In his next match he pinned Evan Mellmer, B-H. He then wrestled Lane Anderson, Carr., and won by an 11-3 decision. His next match was against Clay Jacob, L-H-M-B and he won 4-2. He lost his final match to Hunter Mairs, Lis., by 5-2 decision.
Last year, Berube was in eighth place. This season, Berube, was injured early and missed a few matches, but he came back with determination to do his best at state. His season stats were 21-10.
“Both Dylan and Reid had very tough first matches,” said Meyer.
Dylan Morin wrestled at 170 lbs. in state competition. The sophomore was matched first against Isaiah Krebs,, B-H, and lost by pin. Next Morin wrestled Keegan Thompson, WC, and won by pin. Then he took on David Murphy, S. Rock, and was pinned. He has two more years of wrestling in his high school career to place in state. His season stats were 30-17.
Reid Mundahl is in his first year of his high school wrestling career and has already been to state, once as an eighth grader, and again this year. He wrestled at 132 lbs. against Josh Johnson, WC in his first match and was pinned. For his second match Mundahl took on the #1 ranked wrestler in his weight class, Dylan Urbach, Lisbon. Although he wrestled hard, Urbach defeated Mundahl in a technical fall . Not what Mundahl had hoped for, but based on his past performances, he’ll be back. His season stats were 17-25.
“I thought we had a really good season,” said Meyer. “We took our bumps but we had a young team.”
He added that many if not all of the wrestlers would be wrestling all summer and planned to come back next year ready to go.
Jon Koistinen and Brad Jundt were assistant coaches. Statisticians were Ariel Guse, Kaylee Odden, Samantha Maskey and Shayanna Veach.