Minot’s Brody Armstrong makes history with three-peat

Minot Daily News

FARGO — Staring at the list of state champions in the Minot High School wrestling room, Brody Armstrong would picture himself being among those greats. Once a dream is now a finalized reality. With a 5-0 victory over Bismarck High’s Adam DeBoer in the 132-pound finals match Saturday evening at the Fargodome, senior Armstrong etched his name in permanent ink as one of those greats. Armstrong joins Tom Lowe (1967-69), Josh Krebs (1994-96) and Derek Bischof (1996-97, 1999) in the exclusive Minot High three-time state champions club. “It’s hard to put words to a kid like that,” MHS coach Justin Racine said. “He is almost irreplaceable. He put in more work than anybody I have ever coached, so to see him finalize it is awesome.”

Known for his untiring work ethic, Armstrong still wanted a better performance from himself following the impressive triumph. “It wasn’t my best match,” Armstrong said. “But, I have worked hard and trained hard to the point that even on my worst day, I’m still the best guy in the state of North Dakota.” Armstrong didn’t allow DeBoer to get a point – getting the same 5-0 result the two wrestled to a day prior in the team dual championship – but he fought to the very end trying to conclude his high school career with a pin. “I felt like at times I wasn’t really getting my offense,” Armstrong said. “He has good coaches and game plans well. I felt like I struggled at times, but obviously I had success at the end.” His worries didn’t go unnoticed by Racine either. “Had a little scare there in the finals,” Racine said. “He almost got rolled, but he is a tough kid. It just goes to show how tough he is because he battled through that.” Before his match, Armstrong was right by his younger brother’s side to share a hug with Kelby Armstrong after he won his first state title at 106 pounds. “It’s pretty cool,” Brody Armstrong said. “To see all the hard work that both of us have done, a lot of it together, and for it to pay off in a big way here, it means a lot. I don’t know what else to say. That’s an understatement.”

Brody Armstrong takes his wrestling talents to Navy upon graduation, but leaves behind accolades to always be remembered as a Magi. “There are a lot of moments I’m going to remember,” Armstrong said. “Being with my teammates, my coaches and my brother. It’s been an awesome ride. Wrestling has really changed my life.”