BISMARCK -- After a crushing loss in the semifinals of the Class B state dual tournament on Friday, Hettinger bounced back with a bang.
Behind seven pins, the Black Devils cruised to a 49-24 victory over Region 4 rival Watford City to take home third place at the Bismarck Civic Center.
"I told the kids that if you get the opportunity to get a pin, go for it," Hettinger coach Randy Burwick said. "We needed points."
Nine of the 14 matches went to Hettinger, which fell to Lisbon 63-12 in the semifinals earlier in the day.
"That shows a lot of character in our kids," Burwick said. "Some of these kids took some real tough losses. I told them they had to dig down deep."
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Lisbon was too much for the rest of the Class B field, rolling over Velva-Garrison-Max 46-15 in the state championship dual. Oakes topped Hillsboro-Central Valley 57-17 for fifth-place honors.
On the Class A side, Bismarck High captured its ninth consecutive state dual championship with a thoroughly dominating 49-21 win over Fargo South. Grand Forks Red River edged Wahpeton 23-20 for third place.
According to Burwick, their preseason goal was met, though they fell shortof their most optimistic goal - making the state dual finals.
"Our goal was to finish top three," Burwick said. "We came back (from a loss) and accomplished our goal."
Hettinger got out to a 34-9 lead after eight matches thanks to pins from Eric Ormiston (152), McKay Hogan (160) Zach Morast (189), Norman Strehlow (285) and Sean Elkins (103).
Watford City senior Rowdy Lund, who is going for his third state individual title today, started the dual off with a pin over Jordan Timm at 145. In the 171-pound match, Watford City's Nolan Kalberer earned a decision against Clinton Silkman.
However, along with Hettinger's pins, Cole Miller earned a major decision as the Black Devils won six of the first eight matches. Hettinger 119-pounder Keifer Wald also won, topping Karson Knudtson by 5-3 decision.
Hettinger's Garrett Slater and Cole Turner also had pins.
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"You saw the character of the Hettinger Black Devils tonight," Burwick added.
