By Rob Everingham
After a busy few weeks, the MSU-Northern Lights wrestling team gets to quiet down this weekend.
The Lights are still on the road, but have just one dual this weekend as they travel to Powell, Wyo., to dual with Northwest College.
Both teams were on the road at tournaments last weekend, with the Lights in Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational.
Northwest was in Iowa last weekend for a tournament. The only difference was Northern drove and Northwest College flew.
Northern head coach David Ray said Northwest College is down with some injuries, but the Lights have lost Nate Laslovich, who just returned from an ankle injury, but broke ribs in practice this week.
As for being on the road so much, Ray said, they do this every year and the team is used to it, so it should not affect them at all.
The Lights have squared off against Northwest already this season in a tournament.
Ray said Northwest has an outstanding wrestler at 125 pounds, and, the first time around, Northern lost this weight category by just one point in a decision. Ray also said Northwest is returning its top 133 pound wrestler this weekend and he is also very tough and won in the first go-round.
The Lights won every other match except at the 165 pound weight class in the first meeting.
Ray said the team's goal this time is to win all three of those weight classes, which it lost the first time.
Laslovich will be the only wrestler that Northern is missing this weekend, so, Ray said, his teams' chances are pretty good.
Ray said this is just a little trip down and back.
"They have finals, so we want to get it out of the way and get back, so they can start studying," Ray said.
This meet does it for the Lights until after Christmas. The next time they will wrestle after this weekend is in the Midlands Tournament on Dec. 28-29.
