The 14-member Mille Lacs Raiders wrestling team had five men — Mark Francour, Dylan Young, Robert Kulhanek, Ian Pratt and Bradley Brown — qualify as individuals for the state wrestling tournament staged at Excel Energy Center last week. During Wednesday’s opening round, Francour lost his match by decision and Kulhanek and Brown went down by pins. Young, a senior from Isle making his first trip to state, won his first match 8-5 over his opponent from Kenyon-Wanamingo. Pratt, an Isle senior making his second straight trip to state, entered the tournament as one of only five Class A individuals carrying an undefeated record.
He upped his record to 23-0 with a 7-2 win over John Drury of Park Rapids Area in the first round. Even with opening-round losses, Francour and Kulhanek got a chance to wrestle in round two on Thursday. Francour earned the 100th win of his wrestling career with a 3-2 decision. Kulhanek lost in overtime, 6-4. Pratt kept his hopes alive for an individual medal at the 189-pound division by defeating Ethan Kockelman of Canby, 3-1, to earn a spot in the semi-finals on Friday. Young lost 14-3 in the quarterfinals on Thursday, then lost 7-2 in the consolation bracket on Friday to bow out of the tourney. Francour also lost on Friday by the score of 7-1, to finish his individual tournament run. Pratt was Mille Lacs’ only individual standing going into the final two days. He went on to defeat Ben Dahl of Zumbrota 4-1 on Friday to advance to the finals against last year’s state champion Joel Bauman of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. Bauman entered the tourney with just one loss in 42 matches. In what will surely go down as one of the most memorable individual performances in Raiders’ wrestling history, Pratt went the distance with Bauman before losing, 9-4. Following his last match as a Raider, Pratt said, “I worked hard to get to this point, but came up just short. This whole tournament experience was awsome and something I will never forget.” Pratt joins Onamia wrestler Justin Jones as the only two wresters to earn second-place medals at state.
He upped his record to 23-0 with a 7-2 win over John Drury of Park Rapids Area in the first round.
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