Vikings’ Pauley wins title at I-35 Tourney

 TRURO (Jan. 23) -- Denver Pauley won a championship at 170 pounds last Saturday to highlight AHSTW’s ninth-place showing at the Rich Gray Wrestling Invitational hosted by Interstate 35.
 Four Viking place-winners combined to score 80 points in the meet, placing them ninth out of 17 schools.
 Pauley (25-6) led the way with an impressive 4-0 day at 170. He pinned his first three opponents in less than 50 seconds each, then won his title match by fall in 3:04 over West Marshall’s Austin Pfantz.
 AHSTW 160-pounder Garrison Gettler, meanwhile, placed second in his bracket, going 3-1 with two pins. Gettler (26-4) reached the finals with a 6-4 decision over Dustin Harney of Woodward-Granger before being pinned by 7th-ranked (2A) Gabriel Christensen of Ballard.
 Also placing for AHSTW were 152-pounder Aidan Martin and 220-pounder Quintin Martin, who both took fifth. Aidan followed up a quarterfinal loss with three straight wins (two by fall) and Quintin went 3-1 with three pins.
 Logan Heller (182) and Nate Jorgensen (195) also competed for the Vikings but did not place.
 The race for the team title was tightly contested, with Interstate 35 coming out on top by one point (169.5-168.5) over Woodward-Granger. Albia (157.5) placed third and Van Meter (147.5) took fourth.