Havlik joins elite group with win

ABERDEEN — On Saturday, Mitchell’s Brent Havlik became only the second wrestler in school history to win three individual state championships.

Havlik defeated Dell Rapids’ junior Jackson Entringer in the 170-pound championship to join Doyle Everson on the list of three-time state champs for the Kernels.

Everson won titles in 1980, 1982 and 1983 at 98, 119 and 126 pounds. Havlik took the 160-pound championship in the previous two state tournaments.

In the championship match, Havlik held a 7-2 advantage, but in an effort to earn a major decision, he got thrown to his back at the end of the third period, avoiding the pin but sending the match to overtime.

“We were trying to secure fifth (place), and I was going for the major,” Havlik said, referring to win by eight or more points. “I got stopped on my knees, and he did what any other guy would have done and headlocked me.

“I was a little shaky (in overtime). It was one of the scarier feelings I’ve ever had.”

Havlik admitted his biggest match of the weekend was in the semifinals when he met up with Aero Amo, a junior from Rapid City Central who is the only wrestler to defeated Havlik all season. Havlik said it was like a championship match in itself.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match, and I was going to have to be ready,” he said. “That was the match for me to win the tourney. He was the guy to beat.”

The semifinal match between Havlik and Amo looked like it could go either way.

The first period saw both wrestlers feeling each other out but neither gave anything, and the period ended scoreless.

Amo won the coin flip to decide how the second period would start. He deferred the option to Havlik, who chose to go on bottom.

Havlik worked quickly, and 12 seconds in to the period recorded a reversal to take the first lead of the match at 2-0. With 1:20 left in the period, Amo was able to escape and bring the match to 2-1. The two would again battle for positioning, but no takedowns occured and the match went in to the third period with Havlik leading 2-1.

Amo choose to be on bottom in the third period. He escaped Havlik’s grasp 18 seconds in, and the match was knotted at 2. Amo came close to a few takedowns, but Havlik fended off the Rapid City Central wrestler, sending the match to overtime.

The overtime period continued to be a standstill, until Havlik made his move and with 8 seconds left to record the winning takedown. His 4-2 decision sent him to the state championship match.

“I knew I was going to have to dig down deep,” Havlik said. “They’re always 1- or 2-points matches (against Amo).”

Havlik was glad he finished as a state champion for the third time, but admits that his performance throughout the tournament was not his best.

“It’s probably not going to be my most memorable state tournament,” he said. “It is what it is, and I got it done. Not the way I would have liked to do it, but it worked out.”

Tags: sports, updates, kernels, wrestling