MINOT, N.D. – Minot State wrestling head coach Robin Ersland was pondering how to fill holes in his lineup before his dual with Minnesota State University-Moorhead in the MSU Dome.

Injuries and a thin roster have made things difficult for Ersland and the Beavers this season. Those difficulties continued Thursday night, as the MSUM Dragons beat the Beavers 41-6 in a Northern Sun dual.

“It's just tough for us to be competitive when we give away 12 points,” said Ersland. “We talked about maybe bumping Polak to 165, O'Neill to 174, and Devon (Flores) at 184. Then we could have put Ricard (Avakovs) in at 157. Maybe we should have done that, looking back, but I just hate doing that to guys who make the weight. I don't want to tell guys to make a weight then bump them up; it's just not fair to do that to the guys.”

Minnesota State-Moorhead (7-3 overall 2-1 NSIC) control most matches from the beginning. The Dragons proved to be the aggressor throughout the dual, as they had 15 take downs compared to just four for MISU.

After a 20-0 start to the dual, Marcus Polak (So., 157, Minot, N.D.) stepped on the mat for his 157 pound match. Polak put Minot State on the board with a nice 4-2 decision.

At 165 pounds, Eric O'Neill (Fr., 165, Winter Springs, Fla.) wrestled a very good match, and led most of the way before losing it in the third period. A reversal and takedown by MSUM's Kerron Williams was the difference in the match, as O'Neill fell 7-6.

In the 285 pound match, Bobby Bartz (So., 285, Harvey, N.D.) continued his solid season with another win. Bartz won by decision over Gerald Fugleberg, 7-2.

“Bobby did a nice job tonight,” said Ersland. “It was pretty neat to see two former North Dakota State Champions out there. It was a good match and a really nice win because Fugleberg has beat some good people.”

Minot State (1-12 overall 0-5 NSIC) will look to snap their 12 match losing streak as they travel to Aberdeen, S.D. on Feb. 1 to take on the Northern State Wolves at 7 p.m.

Minnesota State Moorhead 41, Minot State 6
 
125 – Mitchell Dunlap, MSUM, wins by forfeit
133 – Philippe Walker, MSUM, def. Joshua Douglas 9-3
141 – Angel Vega, MSUM, pinned Matt Ruby, 6:30
149 – Casey Williams, MSUM, wins by Tech. Fall over Donovan Williams, 16-1
157 – Marcus Polak, MISU, def. Mariano Portillo 4-2
165 – Kerron Williams, MSUM, def. Eric O'Neill 7-6
174 – Jesse Puncochar, MSUM, pinned Devon Flores 1:37
184 – Lucas Moderow, MSUM, wins by forfeit
197 – Matt Lewellen, MSUM, pinned Joe Johnson 2:01
285 – Bobby Bartz, MISU, def. Gerald Fugleberg 7-2