Sports News

Five state placewinners and a Top 10 finish as a team in the state wrestling tournament made Hillsboro’s coaches happy — and anxious for next season.
While the Burros left their mark on this year’s state tournament Feb. 15 -17 in Fargo, the young team also whetted its appetite to return as a force next season.
With 10 qualifiers, the Burros achieved two team goals — finishing in the Top 10 in the individual competition and making an appearance in the team dual contest.
With a very young roster — nine of 17 athletes are freshmen or younger — the Burros showed promise for seasons to come.
Three seniors made their final appearances for the Burros — Gus Lee, Dan Rude and Lee Siegert.
Lee made his way to the state finals at 135 pounds and repeated as a state placewinner. In the championship match, he lost 6-4 in overtime to Evan Gross of Napoleon.
“Gus had a great opportunity to become a state champion. He was in control of the match and made a few costly mistakes to send the match to overtime. In overtime, he got taken down by a very determined wrestler,” said coach Mark McLean.
With more than 100 career wins for the Burros, Lee finished his season with a 29-4 record.
Sophomore Andrew Grothmann extended his state-placing streak, earning 2nd at 171 lbs. He placed 6th as an 8th grader and 4th as a freshman. In this year’s finals, Grothmann also lost to a wrestler from Napoleon, a team that dominated the state contest with six individual champions and its 6th straight pair of state titles in both the individual and team dual competitions.
“Making the finals as a sophomore is a great accomplishment,” coach Eric Ptacek said of Grothmann.
McLean added, “Andrew was aggressive and strong but lost to a better, more experienced and undefeated wrestler.”
Grothmann’s season record was 38-7 with a team high 24 pins.
Both Lee and Grothmann were seeded No. 2 in their weight classes going into the state tournament.
Junior Anthony Von Ruden was also seeded 2nd at 140 lbs. Ptacek said Von Ruden “had a bad match in the quarterfinals and fought back tooth and nail to earn a 5th place finish.”
McLean commented, “Anthony is well-known around the state as a powerful and talented competitor. I have no doubt he’ll achieve his goal of a state championship next year. He’s too determined to sit back and let the competition pass him by.”
Von Ruden’s season record was an amazing 42 wins and just three losses.
Sophomore Jake McLean was the surprise of the tournament for the Burros. Beaten by the No. 2 seed from Kenmare in the opening round, the unseeded 160-pounder battled through the wrestlebacks to finish in 5th place.
“Jake is a great example of what hard work and determination will do for a wrestler,” said his coach and father.
Coach Ptacek added, “Jake had an outstanding tourney, probably the best of his career so far.”
McLean ended his season with a 34-16 record.
Senior Dan Rude finished his high school wrestling career with an 8th place finish at 145 pounds. Rude, who compiled a 28-20 record this season, was unseeded in the state contest.
Coach McLean said, “His trophy may say he’s the 8th best wrestler in the state but I believe his ability has him right up there with number one.”
Other qualifiers for the Burros included senior Lee Siegert who lost a close decision in the wrestlebacks and missed out on placing. An ankle injury plagued the 189-pounder most of the season.
“In a sport that requires the use of every muscle in the body, the loss of the use of a leg can devastate a great wrestler. Lee worked through the pain and gave us everything he could for as long as he could take it. Lee may not have placed in the state tourney but he made us a better team,” coach McLean said.
Siegert battled to a 22-13 record in his final season with the Burros.
The Burros coaches had praise for their younger qualifiers as well:
Tyler Anderson, 8th grader, 112 pounds, 27-19 — “Tyler came on strong at the end of the season. He gave us a little glimpse of things to come,” McLean said.
Josh Riendeau, 8th grader, 119 pounds, 13-18 — “Strength and a hard-nosed attitude give him a foundation to be a top competitor.”
Tanner Boeddeker, freshman, 130 pounds, 24-17 — “He has a lot of talent to work with. We think he’ll be a top finisher in the next three years.”
Garrett Burg, freshman, 152 pounds, 15-18 — “He showed a lot of drive and made skilled wrestlers take notice of his abilities.”
In the dual competition, the Burros lost to Napoleon in the first round 62-3. The Imperials continued their record-setting dual victory streak, notching their 60th win at the state tournament in the dual finals.
“We were blown away by Napoleon,” coach McLean said. “I think they could compete against any team in the nation, any state, any class. However, we did have several close matches and we wrestled them closer than the final score showed.”
In the consolation round of the duals, the Burros fell short in their match-up against Rolla - Rock Lake - St. John, 40-36.
“I really thought we could beat them,” McLean noted. “We struggled to get the pins and major decisions we needed to beat them.”
The Burros set a 17-10 dual record this season.