Though it didn’t end in a state championship, Chase Smith’s heavyweight run through the Class 3A individual state wrestling tournament was still one of the books.

Smith lost his semifinal match but rebounded with a third-place finish at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday, tying nine others for the program’s top individual finish since 2003.

Darren Roth also closed out his individual run on the podium. At 152 pounds, Roth defeated Rochester Century’s Garrett Pavelko by a 4-2 decision in overtime before decision losses in the next two rounds placed him sixth overall.

Bemidji Pioneer Article:
https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/wrestling/4977403-WRESTLING-Smith-places-3rd-Roth-6th-at-state-tournament

At the end of Monday’s practice, Bemidji High School wrestling head coach Rance Bahr acknowledged to the team that he knows it’s been a long season. But, as he noted, that’s what happens when you qualify for state.

The Lumberjacks are racking up overtime ahead of the Class 3A state team tournament, where BHS will compete on Minnesota’s biggest stage for the second year in a row.

Six individuals will also be pulling double duty as participants in the state individual tournament. Seth Newby (138 pounds), Thade Osborn (145), Colton Hinrichs (160), Darren Roth (152), Clay Olsen (182) and Chase Smith (285) will all try to add to the program’s current list of five individual state champions.

The individual tournament runs Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-29, with the action beginning at 9 a.m. daily and running through 8:30 p.m. Saturday for the state championship matches, all on location at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Bemidji Pioneer Article:
https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/wrestling/4969961-WRESTLING-Jacks-returning-for-state-encore