BISMARCK – A pair of Aberdeen Central wrestlers will be competing for championships at the Bismarck Rotary Wrestling Tournament.

Rayden Zens and Madyson Gillen both advanced to the finals with a strong opening day on Friday.

The Golden Eagles are currently in fourth place in boys’ team points among the 30-team field.

“It was good as a whole what we were able to get done,” said Central coach Donnie Bowden.

Central will have nine individuals on the boys’ side competing when action resumes today.

“This is the most we’ve placed in a couple of years,” Bowden said.

Zens improved to 23-1 on the season with four wins on Friday in advancing to the championship at 126 pounds. He racked up double digits in points in each one of his victories.

“He found some bonus points and he found bonus points in different ways,” Bowden said. “He had a couple of different kind of bonus-point victories.”

Zens will meet Watertown’s Weston Everson in the finals today. The two wrestled earlier this season in a tourney in Rapid City where Zens won in overtime.

Gillen had three straight pins on her way to the final, two in less than a minute and the other in just over a minute.

“She made pretty quick work of what she had to do,” Bowden said. “That just goes to show, she’s getting more decisive with what she’s doing.”

Central had a trio of wrestlers that came up just short of making the finals, falling in the semifinals. That group included Mason Schrempp, Logan Opitz and Ula Martin.

Bowden pointed out the efforts of his senior Opitz.

“We finally got him down to 160 pounds, kind of where he belongs,” Bowden said. “He had two really good wins and beat some solid people to get into the semis.”

The Golden Eagles will have plenty of individuals competing when action continues today in a tournament that features some stiff competition.

“If you make it into that second day,” Bowden said, “you’re worth your salt.”

Bowden would like to see his wrestlers have another strong performance to cap off the tournament.

“We’re just excited to see how it plays out (Saturday),” he said. “We want to finish as high as we can. We want the kids to take another step in the right direction.”

Aberdeen Central results

106 Pounds

WILL ALLEN: pinned by Jack Schauer, Jamestown, 1:23; pinned Rylan Samuelson, Devils Lake, 4:37; pinned Rhys Safratowich, Grand Forks Central, 2:23; pinned by Will Mosbrucker, New Salem-Almont, :55.

113 Pounds

PORTER LOZENSKI: bye; pinned Walker Sabot, Bismarck Legacy, 5:26; pinned by Koltyn Grebel, Valley City, :47; def. David Llamas, Minot, 1-0.

120 Pounds

RIDLEY WALDO: def. Aiden Keilman, Minot, 7-0; pinned Landon Huck, Bismarck St Mary`s, 1:19; pinned by Ben DeForest, Bismarck, 3:22); pinned Tucker Bennett, Devils Lake, :38.

126 Pounds

RAYDEN ZENS: def. Dalton Humeniuk, Moorhead, 10-2; technical fall over Carson Lardy, Bismarck, 15-0; def. Trenton Klatt, New Salem-Almont, 12-4; def. Jesse Thompson, Bismarck Legacy, 14-10.

132 Pounds

TATE HUFF: lost to Brody Ferderer, Bismarck Century, 8-2; bye; def. Kane Mathiason, Fargo Davies, 13-8; def. Sam Schlepuetz, Jamestown, 12-5; def. Braden Le, Watertown, 10-9.

138 Pounds

BRODY AESOPH: pinned by Colton King, Dickinson, 1:07; bye; pinned Aaron See, Sidney/Fairview, :57; lost to Khye Gamas, Glasgow, 6-0.

145 Pounds

MASON SCHREMPP: technical fall over Riley Doll, New Salem-Almont, 26-11; pinned Weston Jensen, Breckenridge/Wahpeton, 5:23; def. Kaleb Minton, Williston, 14-8; lost to Wyatt Kosidowski, Fargo Davies, 4-2.

NOAH KRAMER: pinned by Zander Dean, Sidney/Fairview, 3:50; pinned Max McCarthy, Grand Forks Red River, 2:54; def. Weston Jensen, Breckenridge/Wahpeton, 9-4; pinned by Dylan  Kostelecky, Bismarck, 1:20.
152 Pounds

ELIAS BIEGLER: lost to Tyler Porter, West Fargo, 11-1; bye; pinned Noah Morkve, Grand Forks Central, 2:12; technical fall Alex Rogelstad, Valley City, 17-2; pinned Tyson Rice, Williston, :37.

CORDELL RYCHLIK: lost to Noah Morkve, Grand Forks Central, 8-6; bye; pinned Sean Peterschick, Bismarck Legacy, :35; pinned Teagen Smith, Rapid City Stevens, 1:36; pinned
Max Martens, Grand Forks Red River, :35.

160 Pounds

LOGAN OPITZ: bye; def. Cade Harm, Beulah-Hazen, 3-2; def. Kadin Wise, Sidney/Fairview, 5-3; lost to Zack Soderlin, Rapid City Central, 13-4.

170 Pounds

AYDEN GISI: pinned by Jaxyn Richter, Bismarck St Mary`s, 1:40; bye; lost to James Marks, Bismarck St Mary`s, 2-1.

182 Pounds

COLE DUNLAVY: pinned Jack Olstad, Moorhead, 1:19; def. Grant Carlson, Bismarck Century, 4-1; lost to Kaleb Porter, West Fargo 8-3; pinned by Tanner VanScoy, Rapid City Stevens, 1:49.

RYKER MEISTER: pinned Aiden Pelayo, Grand Forks Red River, 3:39; lost to Jayden Haake, Grand Forks Central, 5-2; def. Jack Olstad, Moorhead, 6-4; pinned Myles Hinkley, Breckenridge/Wahpeton, 1:49; lost to Lincoln Lemar, Bismarck Legacy, 5-4.

195 Pounds

SAMSON FLAKUS: lost to Bridger Owens, Bismarck, 11-2; bye; def. Kaden Manske, West Fargo Sheyenne, 5-1; pinned Tim Lipp, Rapid City Central, 2:02; pinned by Ayden Kellogg, Rapid City Stevens, 3:35.
220 Pounds

BRYCE BEITELSPACHER: lost to Ayden Schlafman, Bismarck, 10-3; bye; pinned Carter Johnson, Bismarck Legacy, 1:52; lost to Logan Moore, West Fargo, 12-11.

285 Pounds

JACOB KRENZ: bye; pinned Alex Schmitz, Bismarck St Mary`s, 1:30; pinned by Micah Hach, Watertown, 3:49; pinned Sam Larson, Bismarck, :40.

GIRLS

105 Pounds

AVERY BENDEWALD: bye, bye; pinned by Trinity Duran, Rapid City Stevens, 4:15; pinned by
Taya Lura, Carrington, 2:49.

110 Pounds

MADYSON GILLEN: bye; pinned Anna Henstein, Rapid City Central, :51; pinned Bailey Leintz (Bismarck Century, :42; pinned Maggie Thielges Bismarck, 1:07.

KALYN ROHRBACH: bye; pinned by Keisha Tomac, New Salem – Almont, 3:19; bye; bye; pinned by Zakai Freidig, West Fargo Sheyenne, 2:59.

120 Pounds

ALLISON NEITZEL: pinned by Kassidi Monroe, Bismarck, 1:21; bye; pinned Jaslyn Akewanzie, Turtle Mountain Community High School, :28; pinned by Elizabeth Hook, Mandan, 1:52.

125 Pounds

ULA MARTIN: def. Cailey Williams, Moorhead, 8-2; pinned Avery Pedersen, Glasgow, :14; pinned Riley Hanson, Minot, 5:12; pinned by Brynlee Hartsoch, West Fargo Sheyenne, 1:24.

135 Pounds

JASMINE MAAS: bye; pinned by Allyssa Johnson, Grand Forks Knightriders, :36; bye; pinned by Cadence Cook, Bismarck Century, 3:35.

140 Pounds

LIN PAW JONE: bye; pinned by Paige Baumgartner, Bismarck, 1:17; bye; pinned by Madelyn  Roth, Minot, 3:48.

155 Pounds

KATRINA GIBSON: bye; pinned Alexis Erickson, Jamestown, 1:55; pinned by Jasmine Schaeffer, Fargo, 5:01; pinned Gabby Romans, Jamestown, 4:46.