State-ranked Comets shine at LeRoy Invitational
By Fred Kroner
Pedro Rangel (132 pounds), Bryson Capansky (157 pounds) and Dalton Brown (175 pounds) all won their weight classes for the state-ranked Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestling program on Saturday (Jan. 20) at the LeRoy Wrestling Invitational.
Rangel and Capansky both had three matches. Brown went 4-0 for the day. Rangel posted two pins, the quickest in 1:06. Capansky’s lone pin was in 2:42. Brown’s fastest of his two falls came in 12 seconds.
Their efforts – and that of seven other teammates who finished among the top six – were responsible for the Comets winning the 20-team tournament. Oakwood/Salt Fork had 210 ½ points. Runner-up Princeton totaled 164 points and third-place LeRoy/Tri-Valley ended with 161 points.
Placing second for the Comets were Tyler Huchel (3-1 at 120 pounds) and Carter Chambliss (3-1 at 144 pounds).
Huchel finished two bouts by pin, the fastest in 50 seconds. Chambliss also had two falls, the quickest in 55 seconds.
Winning their third-place matches were Steven Uden (!06 pounds) and Brayden Edwards (113 pounds), each of whom had 2-1 tourney records.
Uden recorded one pin and it came in 1:02.
Other Oakwood/Salt Fork placers were Jack Ajster (fourth at 138 pounds with a 2-2 record), Thomas Wells (fifth at 126 pounds with a 4-1 record) and Ezekiel Smith (sixth at 215 pounds with a 3-2 record).
Ajster’s one pin was in 5:31. Wells won three times by pin, the fastest in 1:24. Smith registered 3 pins, including one in 56 seconds.
Four teammates, who were non-placers, recorded wins at LeRoy. Reid Dazey was 2-2 at 165 pounds with two pins, Sailer Harrison was 1-2 at 150 pounds with a pin in 3:59, Tucker Pesek was 1-2 at 190 pounds and Kade Fleming was 1-2 at 285 pounds with a pin in 1:18.
The Comets’ cumulative tournament record was 34-17 with 19 pins and one technical fall (by Edwards).
Nine squad members have reached the 20-win mark and another (Fleming) will do so with his next victory.
The team leaders in wins for the season are Rangel and Brown, each with 34 wins.
Other squad members in the 20-win club are Uden, Edwards, Wells, Huchel, Ajster, Chambliss and Capansky.
The Comets (23-1) return to action on Thursday (Jan. 25) at Monticello in a meet that also includes Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.
Nine Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestlers were recognized in the Class 1A state rankings released on Jan. 13, including three who were ranked among the top seven in their respective weight classes.
Capansky is rated second at 157 pounds, Rangel is sixth at 132 pounds and Grant Brewer is seventh at 150 pounds.
The other six Comets who were recognized were all in the honorable mention category: Edwards (113 pounds), Huchel (120 pounds), Ajster (138 pounds), Chambliss (144 pounds), Brown (175 pounds) and Harley Grimm (215 pounds).
In the team rankings, Oakwood/Salt Fork was rated third in 1A.
