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Lake Mills sophomore Alex Beaty gains control of his opponent in the first round of the Iowa state wrestling tournament Thursday morning. Beaty went on to win the match via pinfall. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Beaty acknowledges his fans after getting the opening-round victory. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Junior Brett Peterson tried to escape the grasp of his first round opponent Thursday at the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Lake Mills senior Casey Hanson waits for the referee to award him the pinfall in his first-round match at the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Northwood-Kensett junior Drake Tiedemann tries to gain control of his opponent Thursday at the Iowa state wrestling tournament in Des Moines. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Lake Mills senior Elijah Wagner puts his opponent in a precarious position Thursday in his first match at the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Elijah Wagner works on securing the pin over his first round opponent Thursday. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Lake Mills senior Dalton Thorson fights for control over his opponent's ankle Thursday in the consolation round of the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Dalton Thorson attempts to turn his opponent to his back Thursday morning. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Brett Peterson tries to get to his feet Thursday morning at the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Lake Mills head coach Alex Brandenburg gives a fist pump after a victory Thursday morning at the Iowa state wrestling tournament. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

Six area wrestlers, five from Lake Mills and one from Northwood-Kensett started their state wrestling journeys Thursday morning in the Class 1A session of the tournament. 

While all six of them are moving on to day two of the tournament, only four are still alive for a state championship in their respective weight classes. 

For the Bulldogs, senior Dalton Thorson was first on the mat at 138 pounds. Thorson took on No. 8-ranked Bryce McDonough of Central Springs and lost in a 9-1 major decision. The loss moved Thorson into the consolation bracket, where he defeated Lawton Bronson’s Matt Peterson in a 7-3 decision. The win advances Thorson into the second round of consolations. 

In the next weight class up, sophomore Alex Beaty started his tournament with a pinfall win at 145 pounds. Beaty, unranked coming into the tournament, beat No. 5-ranked Max McGill of Woodbury Central to move into the second round of the tournament. Beaty will face the tough task of taking on No. 1-ranked Robert Avila Jr. of Lisbon in the second round. 

Unranked Lake Mills junior Brett Peterson lost in this opening-round matchup at 152 pounds to No. 8 Josh Glendening of New London in a tightly contested 6-4 decision. The loss relegated Peterson to the consolation bracket where he found redemption by beating Alburnett’s Gunnar Keeney in a third-period pinfall. He moves into the second round of the consolation bracket. 

The area has two wrestlers in the 160-pound division in Lake Mills senior Casey Hanson and Northwood-Kensett junior Drake Tiedemann. 

Hanson, ranked No. 3 in the weight class, defeated North Linn sophomore Jarin Peyton with a fall in the second period. An unranked Tiedemann beat Kingsley-Pierson senior Kole Reis in a 9-3 decision. 

Hanson moves on to the second round, where he will see Midland sophomore Caden Ballou. Tiedemann advances to take on No. 4-ranked MFL Mar-Mac junior Gabe McGeough. 

Lake Mills senior Elijah Wagner closed out the day for area wrestlers with a first-round win at 182 pounds. The No. 2-ranked Wagner beat Iowa Valley junior Brady Hoyt. The win advances Wagner into the second round, where he will take on No. 9-ranked Midland junior Cayden Miller. 

Beaty, Hanson and Tiedemann will wrestle in the second round of the championship side of the bracket. The second round is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Friday. Thorson and Peterson will wrestle in the second round of the consolation bracket, which will start immediately after the championship bracket’s second round. 

Check back with the Tribune for tournament results as they become available. 

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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