WEST FARGO — The West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs wrestling team is grappling its way to the top of the North Dakota leaderboard.
The second-ranked Mustangs are 4-0 overall and in the Eastern Dakota Conference. Sheyenne has eight returning state tournament placers and 12 ranked wrestlers on its roster.
Sheyenne won the Valley City Holiday Tournament as a team on Saturday, Dec. 21. The Mustangs also took second at the St. Michael-Albertville Invitational on Dec. 7.
“It comes from working hard in the room,” said defending state champion Landon Zink. “Everyone just keeps getting better and we make each other better, too, which is obviously great for the team.”
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Zink won the 145-pound title a season ago and is ranked No. 1 in the state at 160 pounds. Zink earned a second-place finish in the STMA Invitational on Dec. 7 and sixth place at 157 pounds in the Rapid City Invitational.
Zink said his success on the mat comes from keeping it simple.
“I just stick to my stuff, do what I want to do and not let my opponent dictate the match,” Zink said.
At 152 pounds, Stetson Gisselbeck is also ranked No. 1 in the state. On Saturday, Gisselbeck won the Valley City Holiday Tournament with a 9-7 decision victory over Bismarck High’s Braeden Halverson in the title match.
The win marked Gisselbeck’s third top-5 tournament finish this season, including third place at the STMA Invitational and fourth at the Rapid City Invitational. Gisselbeck said his endurance has been a key factor in his success.
“What’s been working well is just hustling and getting to my takedowns,” Gisselbeck said.
Mustangs head coach Lex Lunde said the two working together as practice partners has enabled the tandem to feed off each other.
“They’re both great kids on the team,” Lunde said. “They work their butts off.”
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Jackson Alexander at 127 pounds has maybe been the biggest surprise this season for Sheyenne. Alexander, who was ranked No. 5 at 133 pounds in the first poll, dropped a weight class and has hit the ground running.
Alexander is ranked No. 2 in the state at 127 pounds. He finished third in the STMA Invitational after pinning Andover’s Elias Houle in 1 minute, 42 seconds in the third-place match.
“I think he’s at the right spot,” Lunde said of Alexander. “We’ve always known his talent, but it’s good to see him out there.”
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Griffin Magee is another dynamic talent among the Sheyenne roster. Magee is ranked No. 2 in the state at 107 pounds. He pinned Williston’s Ivan Jolley in 29 seconds to win the Valley City Invitational in his weight class on Saturday.
Magee also won the STMA Invitational and took second in the Big Buck Preseason National at 120 pounds on Oct. 12. He has three top-5 tournament wins for the Mustangs this season.
Gisselbeck said the team has come a long way since he joined as an eighth-grader.
“This is probably by far the best team I’ve seen at Sheyenne,” Gisselbeck said. “This is the best team I’ve been a part of, period. It’s just awesome to see us come this far.”
The team is set to compete in the Rumble on the Red Tournament on Jan. 2-3 at the Fargodome.
“We just got to keep having fun, doing our stuff and I think we’ll do great,” Zink said.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
