Lake Andes will be watching as Trezen Doren goes for first state title...
By Rich Winter
On Wednesday afternoon, after getting the paper out at my other job, decided to attend this event in Mission that was advertised as a 'get your health-care questions answered' informational gathering. Sat down with a young lady from Lake Preston...."Diver's" I asked in reference to wanting to flex my sports mascot muscle knowledge with her...Another young lady joined the conversation and informed me she was from Lake Andes.
Do you know Tre Doran I asked.
"You men Trezen Doren, she replied. "Do I know him, I babysat him."
And then we visited for a few minutes about Doren, where she told me about Doren's having a tough time to find someone to wrestle with in the L.A. wrestling room and how she and a lot of people back in Lake Andes will be rooting for Doren Friday when his Winner Warriors take on Groton in the dome.
I don't know if it was just me, but the Winner kids seemed a little matter-of-fact about their semi-final win over Bridgewater-Ethan/Emery. They had just beaten a very good team, and lined up for the hand-shakes with none of the celebratory going nuts that usually accompanies such a feat. On the way home as I'm listening to the Coach Aaker interview on the radio and hearing about the injury to Krockett Krolikowski and the play of his team I sensed a certain weariness to the whole process, which immediately made me want to ask some very real questions...
* How much pressure has been on this Winner football team with the bulls-eye squarely on their backs for all of last season and especially this season with everyone talking about them, pointing at them, looking at them and waiting for them to stumble.
* How hard has it been on this football team to withstand the very public loss of a loved one, classmate and teammate just prior to the playoffs getting started.
I also wanted to pull Tre Doren aside and ask him about what this first-time trip to the Dakota Dome in Vermillion feels like and how much he wants to get his FIRST state title?
This young guy first came into the periphery of the Panic Button last February at the Class B state wrestling tournament. Saw the seeds knew he had a good chance to get to the finals....He did, and after beating a Wagner wrestler in the region final, the same pair hooked up in the state finals with Truman Ashes of Wagner being the opponent. Doren gave up late points and finished 2nd, just missing a state title in wrestling.
And then one day during track season he showed up in Winner.
So, as Winner lines it up today to get to the finish line of what I'm guessing has been a long, draining and tougher than scores would suggest season, I'll be watching the trenches and keeping an eye on Doren and how he performs on this biggest of football stages.
Those first state titles have got to feel pretty sweet!!
I realize wrestling season doesn't start until tomorrow (ish) but with Ashes and Doren both returning in the B field, along with Chamberlain freshman, Nash Hutmacher being just up the road, I seriously in chomping at the bit for some man sized wrestling on the mat.
Business before pleasure, that's Monday's blog!
