BROOKINGS – Normally, the thought of a tie score doesn’t generate much enthusiasm, but on Friday night at the BHS Auxiliary Gymnasium, Tucker Christie’s win by fall in the final bout tied the match score at 39-39 – and the Bobcats earned the tie-breaking point on criteria for a 40-39 Eastern South Dakota Conference win over Huron.

Trailing 39-33 with just the 285-pound match left, Christie went on the offensive early as Sebastian Cardona was cautioned for stalling. Christie received a stalling caution a minute into the period, and then, took Cardona down and pinned him with 43 seconds left in the first period to tie the team scores at 39-39.

“We went down to the seventh criteria and it’s first points; we had 10 first points and they only had six – (Huron) had a dual like this last week against Yankton and it turned out in their favor – tonight, it turned out in our favor,” said BHS head coach Scott Miller. “Everybody did what they were supposed to do, except for 160 – the dual goes to Logan Bowes tonight. (He was facing) a returning state finalist in his first match of the year; probably going to be wrestling 152 by the end of the year – Logan is top 3 in the state at 160, so it’s a big matchup.

“We knew whichever way that went was going to say which way the dual was going to go, but when we get six points out of the deal, that’s about a 9-point swing, which is huge in wrestling.”

At the time of Bowes’ match, Huron led 30-18 – courtesy of four forfeits and Chipper Shillingstad’s win by fall in 3 minutes, 33 seconds over Jaxon Bowes – while Connor Klinkhammer and Nolan Archer posted pins for Brookings and Koby Bartels won by forfeit.

Klinkhammer needed just 93 seconds to pin Will Radke at 120 pounds, and then, Archer built a 7-0 lead before winning by fall in 2:18 over Cole Oschner at 126.

In the 160-pound match, TahJae Jenkins Harris led 4-1 after a period against Bowes as he sandwiched two takedowns around a Bowes escape.

Bowes maintained control of Jenkins Harris in the scoreless second period, and then, chose bottom to start the third. He escaped, and then, took Jenkins Harris down to tie the score at 4-4 before pinning him with 46 seconds left in the match to pull the Bobcats within 30-24.

The Tigers extended their lead to nine points when Matthew Katz won 4-3 over Luke Rasmussen at 170, but Jacob Schoon turned in a dominating performance at 182 against Gabriel Rieger as he won by fall in 2:36 after building a 14-0 lead after a period to get the ‘Cats within 33-30.

Brookings gave away six more points with an open at 195 to make it 39-30, Huron.

At 220, Gus Miller led 2-1 after a period and then added another point when he escaped in the third as he won by a 3-1 decision over Parker Broer to set up Christie’s heroics with Huron leading 39-33.

BROOKINGS 40, HURON 39

106 – Colt Dunkelberger, H, won by forfeit. [H 6-0]

113 – Jeran Sammons, H, won by forfeit. [H 12-0]

120 – Connor Klinkhammer, B, wbf over Will Radke, 1:13. [H 12-6]

126 – Nolan Archer, B, wbf over Cole Ochsner, 2:18. [12-12]

132 – Koby Bartels, B, won by forfeit. [B 18-12]

138 – Chipper Shillingstad, H, wbf over Jaxon Bowes, 3:33. [18-18]

145 – Daynon Huber, H, won by forfeit. [H 24-18]

152 – Tyson Lien, H, won by forfeit. [H 30-18]

160 – Logan Bowes, B, wbf over TahJae Jenkins Harris, 5:14. [H 30-24]

170 – Matthew Katz, H, dec. Luke Rasmussen, 4-3. [H 33-24]

182 – Jacob Schoon, B, wbf over Gabriel Rieger, 2:36. [H 33-30]

195 – Devyn Balster, H, won by forfeit. [H 39-30]

220 – Gus Miller, B, dec. Parker Broer, 3-1. [H 39-33]

285 – Tucker Christie, B, wbf over Sebestian Cardona, 1:17. [39-39]

** Brookings wins tie-breaking criteria [B 40-39]