Belle Fourche lessons — Young Dogies tested at invite
Newcastle’s boys wrestling team faced a challenging field Saturday at the Belle Fourche Invitational, gaining valuable experience against seasoned opponents despite coming away without a placer.
With a lineup made up largely of underclassmen, the Dogies entered the tournament expecting stiff competition and used the event as a measuring stick heading into the final stretch of the season.
“From my perspective, we had a lot of lessons learned this weekend,” head coach said. “Overall, every one of our wrestlers competed well — we just ran into opponents with more years of experience and more matches under their belts.”
Newcastle had several wrestlers earn consolation wins and team points, including Bridger Hill at 132 pounds, Cayson Phillips at 138, and Logan Dowdy at 165, but none were able to advance deep enough in the bracket to reach the podium.
Hill opened his tournament with a first-round fall over Belle Fourche’s Jace Hiles before adding a 10-9 decision in the consolation rounds. Phillips and Dowdy also picked up falls in wrestleback action after early-round losses.
The Dogies entered the invitational with nearly 90 percent of the roster made up of underclassmen, a factor the coaching staff viewed as part of the long-term development process.
“That’s exactly why we go to tournaments like this, where we know the competition will be high quality,” the coach said. “Even though it wasn’t a flashy weekend in terms of wins, there were plenty of opportunities to learn, regroup, and get better before regionals and state.”
Newcastle is scheduled to continue its postseason buildup at the Black Hills Classic in Hill City on Saturday as the Dogies prepare for the 3A East Regional meet and the state championships later this season.
Newcastle results at Belle Fourche Invitational:
106: Asic Dawson, 0-2.
113: Micheal Coombs, 0-2.
132: Bridger Hill, 2-2, 3 team points.
138: Troy Christensen, 0-2.
138: Cayson Phillips, 2-2, 3 team points.
144: Luke Sandness, 0-2.
144: Adam Butler, 0-2.
157: Nolan Gregory, 0-2.
165: Owen Evenson, 0-2.
165: Logan Dowdy, 1-2, 3 team points.
175: Gustavo Munoz, 0-2.