The Scott West Panthers sealed up the Section 2AA team championship this weekend and will make their ninth trip to state later this month.

Here is coach Darren Ripley's account of the tournament:

THE TRADITION LIVES--WE ARE SCOTT WEST!
Panthers roll to Section 2AA Team Championship and their 9th trip to State.

After graduating eleven seniors off of last year's team that lost a Section 2AA Team showdown of top rated teams to Jackson County Central, the Scott West Wrestling team came into the 2007-08 wrestling season with a lot of questions to be answered and on this past Saturday night in Montgomery those questions would be answered as the Panthers stormed their way to a 34-14 team victory over 7th rated Watertown-ML to win the Section 2AA Team championship. "Personally, I am more proud of this team than any other that I have been associated with as a coach over the last 20 years," insists Scott West wrestling coach Darren Ripley. "They have answered the questions and overcame so much adversity throughout the year that you can't help but feel good about them as a team."

The Scott West Wrestling team advanced to Saturday night's Section 2AA Team championship meet with a 38-19 win over Hutchinson and a 43-21 win over Delano. However, Team Panther would save their best for last as they rallied from an early ten point team deficit to knock out the Royals from Watertown-ML. "We have a philosophy within the program that you get stronger as the day goes on," comments coach Ripley. "And our kids certainly carried it out to the mat with them on Saturday night."

After losing the first three matches to Watertown-ML's trio of good lightweights (Drew Fleming 13-1 over Lee Goldberg, Joey Stadnick 5-0 over Tyler Zilverberg and Brandon Henrich 4-0 over Jake Siegle), it was time for the Scott Wester's to call upon 125 pounder senior Tanner Adamek. "It's Tanner time!" exclaims coach Ripley. Adamek went right to work scoring two take downs against Drake Matuska to take a 4-1 first period lead. However, that was just a start of things to come as Adamek scored five more take downs in the second period and then six more in the third period as the Panther wrestler worked his way to a 26-11 technical fall. "I think Tanner's win brought a lot of energy to our side," states coach Ripley. "And I think it might have cast a little doubt onto the other side."

The "Adamek Bomb" ignited an eight match Panther winning streak that saw Scott West build an insurmountable 28-10 lead through 171 pounds. Junior Mark Dvorak followed the Adamek win with an impressive 9-5 win over Bill McCain at 130. Dvorak opened up his offensive arsenal as he took McCain down twice in each of the first two periods with single legs and duckunders. "Mark wrestled aggressive and smart," suggests coach Ripley. "It was another big win for him and the team."

The Panthers would get another big team win at 135 pounds as Tyler Kivel would score a 6-2 win over 6th rated Matt Hirsch. With the scored tied at 2-2 in the third period, Hirsch chose the bottom position to start the third period and that's when Kivel would go to work. The Panther junior rode the Watertown-ML wrestler hard and then cranked him over with a pair of powerful half-nelsons that accounted for two sets of near falls and the win. "Tyler was close to finishing and scoring on some take downs and that he need to do," states coach Ripley. "He certainly was dominant and tough on top in the third period to get the big win."

Steamrolling his way to a big win for the Panthers was 140 pounder Tony Valek as the senior scored a 15-0 technical fall over a good sophomore wrestler in Max Poikonen. Valek scored from every position and would widen the gap with reversals and near falls in each of the final two periods. "Tony is just a complete wrestler," sites coach Ripley. "However, beyond being a complete wrestler, Tony is a great leader and has had a great impact on this team getting to the State Tournament."

The old saying is that patience is a virtue and that Scott West patience would be rewarded as Alex Worm arrived on the mat Saturday night to make a positive impact for the Panthers team drive to the State Tournament. "Better late than never is the way that I look at," states coach Ripley. "Alex wrestled a very solid match, proving another old saying that the worm has turned." The Scott West junior would use a take down in each of the three periods to score a big 6-3 win over Watertown-ML's Scott Neaton at 145 pounds.

The big wins would keep coming for the Panthers as senior Gabe Dvorak would score a decisive 8-2 win over Jon Dailing at 152 pounds. Dvorak would take a 3-0 lead into the third period and would score a reversal to take a commanding 5-0 lead en route to the victory. "Gabe really stepped up and wrestled well in the semi final meet against Delano and here in the championship against Watertown-ML," responds coach Ripley. "He wrestled like a Scott West senior with the last name being Dvorak."

The Dvorak win made it six wins in a row for Scott West and the Panthers would get wins seven and eight not from a Dvorak but from a pair of Fogarty's, cousins Dillon and Connor. Dillion would win a 1-0 rematch over Taylor Neaton at 160 pounds and Connor would do the same with a 4-2 rematch win over Brad Falde at 171. "They maybe related by blood but their wrestling styles are far from related," contends coach Ripley. "Dillon's going to come straight at you and wrestle you hard with six minutes of basic, fundamental wrestling, while his "Crazy" cousin is going take you on roller coaster ride around the mats that you can't even come close to buying at any amusement park in America."

Watertown-ML's #1 rated Eric Reinert would put an end to the Scott West winning streak as he would down Michael Kroell's at 189 pounds by a score of 16-3. Kroell's, just an 8th grader, put up a good fight and made the Royal wrestler earn his points. "Michael did a good job of making Reinert earn his points," states coach Ripley. "It's all part of the process and I think some day soon Scott West fans will see Michael Kroells doing the same thing to many of his opponents."

Senior Alex Krautkremer has been through the process and the Panther wrestler got after Royal wrestler Nate Dickhausen in their third meeting of the year at 215. With the two wrestlers splitting a pair of matches throughout the year, Krautkremer would score early in often in this one as he widened the gap between the two wrestlers by following up a take down with a half nelson that sent Dickhausen to his back, a three-point near fall and an eventual 11-4 Krautkremer win. "We would have really liked to seen Alex get the pin or the major," insists coach Ripley. "However, this was a very good match for him and it does show that he has been practicing and wrestling well."

Just a sophomore, Panther heavyweight Travis Hentges has also been wrestling well. Hentges would close out the meet with a solid 6-2 win over Derek Ernst as he used a take down in each of the three periods to win. "Travis was close to getting some turns and we would have really liked to see that," states coach Ripley. "With that being said, we have really liked the way that Travis has wrestled since the middle of January on."

Following the Hentges win at heavyweight, the Scott West captains were presented the Section 2AA Team Championship plaque, the enthusiastic Scott West fans flooded the Montgomery gym floor as the State Celebration was on and an echo went throughout all of Scott County: "We are...SCOTT WEST!...We are...SCOTT WEST!...We are...SCOTT WEST!"

Scott West will take to the mats at the St. Paul XCEL Energy Center on Thursday night (February 28th) at 5:00 p.m. with a 27-5 dual meet record this season. The Panthers will face Plainview-Elgin Millville, a team that they beat 45-23 at this year's Clash VI--National Duals in Rochester. "I don't put too much stock in last time meetings," comments coach Ripley. "There are a lot of variables in high school wrestling and things change, line ups change and you just better have 14 guys that come ready to wrestle if you want to advance to the next round."

Before the Scott West Wrestling team takes to the mats for their 9th trip to the State Tournament in its 18 year wrestling history, the Panthers will make their way to Delano this weekend for the Section 2AA Individual Tournament with the top two wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes advancing on to the State Tournament. "There won't be any free passes," states coach Ripley. "Section 2AA has a long standing history and reputation over the last several years as arguably being the toughest Section in the State, regardless of class." The Section 2AA Individual Tournament in Delano will begin with wrestling action at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. See you at the mat and Go Panthers!