The Mound Westonka White Hawks wrestling squad competed in the Section 6AAA individual wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 21 and 22. The White Hawks placed 11 out of 14 wrestlers, and eclipsed last year’s record by one sending eight to state. “Overall we had a great tournament and are excited to be sending eight guys to state. We had a couple more kids we were hoping to get through, but the guys wrestled well and I am very proud of their performance,” said head coach Todd Munsterteiger. Earning section championships for the White Hawks were Neil Schmalz, Lee Schmalz and Sam Bennyhoff , while Luke Schmalz, Ryan Reid, Drake Heath, John Byers, and Bryan Tierney earned second place finishes and a spot in the state tourney. Junior Sam Bennyhoff will be making his fourth trip to the state tournament, where he was a runner-up last year. Senior Bryan Tierney will be going for a third year in a row, and is hoping to break through after tough losses the past two years. Sophomores Ryan Reid and Drake Heath are both back and hoping to improve on first round losses last year. Senior John Byers earned his first trip to state with a big semi-final victory over his second-seeded Robbinsdale Armstrong opponent. “It was especially satisfying to see a hard-working senior like JB finally make it,” added assistant coach John Wardlow. Brothers Neil, Lee, and Luke Schmalz all earned state berths for the first time as well. Also medaling for the Whites Hawks were: senior Bricen Rasmussen, who ended his career with a sixth place finish; junior Kyle Johnson, who finished a strong fourth, and senior Ryder Schmidt who earned third place. “I know Ryder was disappointed to miss out on going to state his senior year, but he had a great career and was a huge part of our success during his run here,” commented assistant coach Eric Rodelius.
The White Hawks wrestlers will begin first-round action on Friday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Wrestling continues Friday night and Saturday, with finals slated for 7:00 p.m. Saturday evening.
