5 days ago
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MULBERRY ― It was one thing for Austin Frauenfeld's freshman season to be cut short due to a concussion. It was an entirely different scenario for any nagging injury to forestall McKeel from winning the Class 1A, District 7 duals tournament Thursday night at Mulberry High School.
Frauenfeld (144) headed into the tournament with a ton of momentum, including a victory at the Davenport duals a couple weeks back — his third time ever — but with a hyperextended arm he suffered at a recent practice over the holiday break, it was a challenge to maintain normalcy. Still, thanks to treatment and taping it up, he sucked it up and was able to deliver a victory thanks to his ankle pick and armbar that led to a pin, which lifted the Wildcats to a 17-11 score and an eventual 53-29 win over Mulberry in the district duals championship. Both teams, though, will advance to regionals next week.
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"I've just been doing good this season — a lot of wins, not that many losses," Frauenfeld said.
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With the win, this is McKeel's fifth time winning the district duals in eight years and the sixth time advancing overall. And in four out of eight years, McKeel has went to the state duals.
McKeel head wrestling coach Frank Olinger said despite some setbacks — including their 165-pound starter having knee surgery and him being out for the season — he feels good about the where the duals campaign can go.
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"It feels good but I know we have to really get some more work in. We're not really getting basics that we want to, so we're going back to the drawing board tomorrow, and we are going to try and get it again this weekend," Olinger said. "I think overall, we have a pretty decent rivalry with Mulberry, and we are constantly pushing ourselves and it seems like our team is actually building a family atmosphere and allowing others to bloom. And I think that's what's showing in my younger core."
Mulberry had a run in the district duals as well. And with losing to McKeel in a competitive district title match, Mulberry head wrestling coach Chris Dangle said there are teachable moments heading forward for sure despite still advancing to regionals for the third time since the FHSAA sanctioned the duals.
"We came out the best we could. We have a bunch of young guys. They're still making beginner mistakes. We clean those up, we come out differently...," Dangle said.
The Class 1A regional duals are set for Thursday, Jan. 15, at McKeel.
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This article originally appeared on The Ledger: McKeel earns district duals; McKeel, Mulberry advance to regionals
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