LAKEVILLE – Before the Section 1AAA individual tournament, Albert Lea wrestling coach Larry Goodnature said the Tigers could qualify as many as six or as few as one for state.

Monday, February 26, 2001

LAKEVILLE – Before the Section 1AAA individual tournament, Albert Lea wrestling coach Larry Goodnature said the Tigers could qualify as many as six or as few as one for state.

What Goodnature didn’t say was there’s a mighty fine line between both ends of his estimate.

The Tigers advanced two wrestlers to state but came frustratingly close with four others as the section tournament concluded Saturday night at Lakeville.

&uot;Overall, the kids wrestled well,&uot; said Goodnature. &uot;We did place 10 of our 13 wrestlers, and that’s good. Section 1AAA is the toughest section in the state. To come out of it is quite an accomplishment.&uot;

Coming out of it for the Tigers was a pair of seniors, Wyatt Reyerson and Alan Attig.

Reyerson was dominant while winning the 152-pound championship, winning all three matches by fall and pinning his opponent in 1:06 in the finals to improve his record to 28-1.

&uot;He looked good,&uot; said Goodnature.

Attig had a tougher path at 140. He won 8-6 on a last-second takedown in the semifinals but lost in the title bout on a last-second takedown. Attig came back to win 7-1 in the true second-place match, avenging an earlier loss to an Austin opponent.

&uot;Attig wrestled a great tournament,&uot; said Goodnature.

Attig takes a 21-8 record to state.

The Tigers’ near-misses were Josh Hansen, Adam Elseth, Justin Krueger and Andy Davis.

Hansen, a sophomore seeded third, defeated the No. 2 seed in the semifinals before falling 18-5 in the title match. He lost 13-10 for true second, finishing the season 23-7.

Elseth, a freshman, was nipped on a late takedown by the No. 2 seed in the 125 semifinals and finished third. His season record was 21-6.

Krueger, a junior who advanced to state last year, dropped a 6-5 decision in the semifinals at 145. He rebounded for a 6-5 win in the third-place match but did not get an opportunity to wrestle for true second. He finished 23-9.

Davis, a senior, wrestled tough at 171 while reaching the semifinals, where he lost 10-8 to the No. 1 seed despite having him on his back much of the third period. Davis wound up sixth, finishing 11-11.

Eighth-grader Brandon Klukow placed third at 112, ending his season 21-11.

&uot;For an eighth-grader, Brandon had a great tournament and a great year,&uot; said Goodnature.

Junior Adam Lares placed fourth in a tough heavyweight class, finishing 17-11. Junior Isaac Walton was fifth at 189, finishing 9-16.

A concussion forced senior Eric Page to forfeit the fifth-place match at 160, leaving him 15-10 for the season.

Neal Underdahl, Nate Loberg and Adam Morreim did not place. Underdahl finished 8-15, Loberg 5-7, Morreim 17-11.

&uot;It was a very emotional tournament because of all the ups and downs,&uot; said Goodnature. &uot;We won some close ones, we lost some close ones. The semifinals were so exciting.&uot;

The state tournament is Thursday through Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Reyerson and Attig will wrestle in the opening round Thursday at noon.