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Ripka competes at state wrestling meet

Lead Summary
By
Canaan Petersen for the Star Herald

Braydon Ripka earned a trip to the state wrestling tournament Friday, March 4, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul by placing second in the Section wrestling tournament.
For his first match at state, Ripka drew the Section 6A senior from West Central - Ashby, Ruebens Swanson, with a 44-9 record, and it proved to be a tough first match.
In the first period, Ripka worked for his takedown but was blocked every time by Swanson. In the final seconds of the period, Swanson came in for a takedown and went up 2-0.
In the second period, Ripka chose the down position and quickly escaped to his feet, bringing the score to 2-1. Halfway through the period, Swanson picked Ripka’s heel and secured another two points take down, bringing the score to 4-1.
In the third period, Swanson chose the neutral position with both wrestlers on their feet. Neither wrestler was able to score after many setups and attempts. The match ended in Swanson’s favor 4-1.
“Braydon wrestled well the whole match, but he couldn’t quite produce the points he needed,” head coach Jordan Kopp said.
Ripka’s future in the tournament now rested in Swanson’s hands as he needed to win one more match in order for Ripka to wrestle again.
Swanson got pinned the next match to the eventual runner-up in the weight class. Ripka’s season was over.
Ripka ends his career as a Cardinal wrestler in sixth place for all-time wins (113).
“I’m happy to have made it to the state tournament because that was my goal, but it would have been nice to wrestle more than one match,” Ripka said.
“I had a great career as a Luverne wrestler, and I’m proud of what I accomplished.”

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