GRAND FORKS – Hungry to get back to the mat, Dylan Carlquist capped off a big night for Fargo Davies at the East Region tournament with a pinfall over Grand Forks Central’s Daniel Suda for an individual title and a team championship crown for the Eagles.
It was a match that both competitors are comfortable with and one that both were looking forward to, especially Carlquist.
“All EDC wrestlers are good wrestlers, no doubt about that, but (Suda) was the one I wanted to wrestle tonight,” he said after raising his first place trophy with his Davies teammates. “As an opponent he would be the only one in the EDC to really challenge me.”
Now moving on to the state tournament, Davies and others are looking to make their mark by taking down fearsome foes in Fargo. It was shown it could be done at the Red River gym on Saturday. No. 2 West Fargo Sheyenne, No. 8 Valley City and No. 9 West Fargo High were beaten out by the Eagles.
“We’re off the wall, man. Raising that EDC trophy and getting five finalists, it’s crazy. And we couldn’t do it without all these guys,” Carlquist said.
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Cole Sauvageau at 106, Wyatt Kosidowski at 145, Malachi Werremeyer at 160, Zach Lilly at 195 and Carlquist were all finalists with Werremeyer being the only wrestler to drop his first place match. Nolan Mack, Kane Mathiason and Eli Christopherson also took home third place honors.
As for Grand Forks Central, the Knights were just one step behind.
Outside of Suda, Brendan Winn-Kelley was the other finalist for Central and was defeated via major decision by Kosidowksi. However, Winn-Kelley did secure 20 team points and a second place finish after ranking in at No. 3 in the last coaches' poll.
Winn-Kelley, a junior, is part of a program of 15 state qualifiers who are looking to cause some disruption at the state tournament.
Suda, a senior, has been in a similar position and has an idea of what it takes. He has put up a stellar career with the Knights program, and despite the outcome not going his way on Saturday he has been delighted by his years with the team.
“Wrestling develops you as a person, first and foremost, it teaches you a lot that you can’t really get elsewhere. So much credit goes to Coach (Jeff) Welsh, (Garrett) Litzinger, (Bryan) Safratowich. Without them I wouldn’t be near where I am today,” he said.
Suda fell 1:14 into his match with Carlquist, but is eager to get back to work and prepare for a potential rematch before seeing off his high school wrestling career.
“It was refreshing to wrestle against his style again. I haven’t gotten used to it. Hopefully I run into him again at state just cause I want another shot at that,” said Suda.
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As a team, Central finished in fifth place with 164.5 team points. Directly ahead of them was Valley City, which boasts two of the more intense wrestlers in the East Region.
Grebels kick up the intensity in their own unique ways
Koltyn and Koye Grebel came into the East Region tournament as two of the more successful wrestlers. They both picked up 40 victories along the way, the former lost only two matches and the latter only one.
The two Valley City sparrers and brothers brought their unique styles to Grand Forks and both came away with first place titles.
“The biggest thing is, it’s not really what we do here it is what we do in the practice room. That is where you win big matches is training in the room. That gives you all the intensity and confidence you need,” Koye Grebel said.
Koye, named Senior Athlete of the Year following all the matches on Saturday, is No. 1 in the 138 division in the last coaches'
poll. He is a big believer in faith, which is what drives him as a wrestler.
“You have to have a purpose in everything and what your purpose is is what defines you. For me, as a wrestler, my purpose is in the Lord,” he said.
In a way, he is a little more subtle than his brother at times.
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“For me, it is ‘I’m gonna go out and do what I need to do and go beat up this kid. Not as a jerk, but I’m gonna go out and manhandle him and do the best I can to do that,’” Koltyn said. “Koye is going out to wrestle for God and work for God, and I want to work towards that.”
The pair did indeed have their way with the competition in the EDC tourney. Koye’s three wins were a little slower compared to Koltyn but still impressive. He picked up falls against Nolan Maus of West Fargo and Michael Norman of Central before winning in the finals via major decision of Fargo North’s Augustus Maughan.
His semifinal round against Norman was his 200th win as a Hi-Liner, which brings great pride to the program.
“It shows you can be from anywhere and do great. I’m very grateful for the coaches and teammates. None of this is possible without everyone in my life,” Koye said.
Koltyn made quick work of all his opponents. Three pins and all three came under 40 seconds, which speaks to his development, which will face a test once his brother has graduated.
“I know I’m not going to have Koye in the practice room to make me better, so I’m going to have to take things into my own hands and outwork everyone in the state. I know he does that so I just have to mold my mind into what he does,” Koltyn said.
The NDHSAA state wrestling tournament is Feb. 16-18 at the Fargodome.
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