Two Woodbury Wrestlers Earn Spots on State Podium

Two of the five Woodbury wresters participating in the State AAA Individual Wrestling Tournament found their way onto the podium Saturday, as Ben Donnelly and Justin Herold-Plakut each wrestled their way into the third-place match. 

Donnelly, wrestling at 132 pounds, picked up a win in his opening round match, then lost a tough 5-1 decision to Luke Rowh of Hastings in the quarterfinals. After picking up three more wins, Donnelly again was faced up against Rowh, this time for third place. Rowh got the match's only takedown, and added an escape for a 3-1 victory. 

Herold-Plakut, meanwhile, was strong in his third-place match, edging Pat Casey of Shakopee with a couple of nice moves and a 4-1 decision.

Three other Royals couldn't find their way into the hardware. 

Howard Jones, who qualified at 160 pounds, lost his first-round match.  

Austin Braun got a chance in wrestlebacks, but lost his match, as the eighth-grader wrestled at 113 pounds. 

And 120-pounder Ty Johnson won his opening round match, but ran into state champion Tommy Thorn of St. Michael-Albertville in the quarterfinals, and lost by technical fall. He would lose again in the wrestlebacks. 

Like Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our free newsletter