On Feb. 9, Westonka hosted the annual Leopold/Haglund Invitational. The White Hawks had several wrestlers win matches and finished fifth in a tough 11-team field. Placing for the White Hawks were: sophomore Daniel Wechter, seventh place; senior Rafiqullah Tauhid, sixth place; junior Eric von Holtz, third place; senior Jack Nelson, second place; and champions Cooper Rowe and Cole Munsterteiger, who picked up his 150th career win in the process.

“It was a tough tourney and we battled hard," said assistant coach Eric Rodelius. "This should help us get ready for sections."

On Feb. 10, the JV squad ended its season at the Dassel-Cokato JV Jam, with Wechter, sophomore Phill Pisarchuk and Tauhid earning first-place honors. “It was a great way for many of them to end their season, and some of them will vie for spots on the section team and individual rosters,” said freshman coach John Wardlow.

While the boys were finishing up the regular season in Dassel-Cokato, the girls were already getting the postseason underway, as sophomore Delaney Parker competed in girls sections at Redwood Valley High School. Parker made school history by placing second and becoming the first Mound Westonka wrestler to qualify for the girls state wrestling tournament.

Parker cruised to the finals with two pins, and after losing in the championship, earned another pin in the true second match to earn a trip to state. “Delaney wrestled awesome and came through big when she needed to,” said assistant coach Eric Hensel. 

Parker will compete at the state meet on Saturday, March 2, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. More information can be found on the MSHSL website.

The White Hawks will host the first round of team sections on Thursday, Feb. 15, taking on the winner of the Rockford vs. Maple River/USC dual. First-round action begins at 6 p.m., and the quarterfinals are slated for 7:15.