Skluzacek places 5th at State Wrestling Tourney

    Tri-City United (TCU) freshman Tucker Skluzacek showed great poise and competitiveness as he competed in his first Class AA State Wrestling Tournament Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.
    Skluzacek won four of his six matches, placing fifth overall in the Class AA 114-pound weight class. He finished the season with a 48-7 record and became the highest placing freshman in TCU history.
    “Sometimes you see kids wrestle poorly in their first state appearance due to the huge arena and large atmosphere, but not Tucker. He's calm in those big moments and has wrestled in plenty of big events before. It's natural to him, and he's a competitor,” head coach Shaun Timmerman said. “It was really important to win that first match against #7 in state. Although Tucker is ranked #5 by The Guillotine, he was unseeded at State probably due to this being his first appearance. His opponent in the first round was a state placewinner last year, and with the single-elimination format, that match was the one that mattered most in my opinion.”
    Skluzacek opened with a 9-4 win over Preston Zayachak a senior at Windom-Mountain Lake.
    In his quarterfinal round, 4th seeded freshman Bennett Kujawa of Becker pinned Skluzacek in 2:56. Kujawa went on to finish third overall.
    Skluzacek picked up a pair of impressive wins in the consolation bracket to secure...

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