USC’s Legred takes second at state

Published 9:20 pm Saturday, March 3, 2018

ST. PAUL — United South Central junior Blake Legred continued his reign of domination in the semifinals, but came up just short in the finals, narrowly missing his shot at school history.

Although his semifinal was considerably closer in score than his previous two matches, Legred managed to hold his opponent scoreless for the third straight match, winning 3-0 at 126 pounds.

After finishing the first period scoreless, Legred got an escape point in the second followed by a takedown in the third. In his three matches to that point in the tournament, Legred had outscored his opponents 30-0.

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His opponent in the finals was Michael Suda of Pipestone Area. The match went back and forth throughout, with Legred taking a two-point lead with around a minute to go in the final period. He would give up a stalling and an escape to tie the match at nine.

Suda would then go on to score a takedown and back points as the final period came to an end, 13-9. By the end of the tournament, Legred had outscored his opponents 39-13, earning a decision win, a major decision and a technical fall.

The final match was a disappointing end to a dominant tournament run, but as just a junior, Legred still has his shot at making school history and now has extra motivation to come back for more.

Legred ends his junior season with a record of 39-6 and as a second-place state finisher at 126 pounds.

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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