Hammonds wins state tournament by taking third

Former Aitkin High School colleague Dan Stifter told me that often the third and fifth-place matches at the state wrestling tournament are more exciting than the championship matches. He would know since he was the head wrestling coach at Aitkin for many years before moving on to become an assistant principal at Pierz.

He was correct as one of the most impressive and exciting matches of the tournament was for third place at 195 pounds in Class AAA. Sure, there were the usual noteworthy stories about wrestlers in search of multiple state championships along with family dynasties continuing on the tradition, but none of those had anything on Anoka’s Richie Hammonds.

Richie Hammonds was the most entertaining match
of the 2018 Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament.
(Photo stolen from The Guillotine)

Hammonds is an unassuming wrestler who probably doesn’t strike terror in the hearts of his opponents. He is 5-foot-4 with a shock of black hair and a bit of a paunch on a physique that does not seem like a typical state tournament wrestler’s. In fact, I may have raised my eyebrows when I saw him enter the mat to take on his opponent from Bemidji, who was at least a head taller.

Then the magic happened.

Hammonds’ opponent tried a throw, but Hammonds slipped it and scored two. After going off the mat, he presented the universal symbol that he was going to let his opponent escape: Thumbs and forefingers of both hands making the shape of a diamond. It would show up again and again as Hammonds continued to take his opponent down and let him go, only to do it all over again.

He took his opponent down on the edge of the mat, but managed to keep his toes in bounds to score the takedown. That’s not an easy feat when you are 5-foot-4. He kept his opponent off balance by relentlessly hand checking him, snapping his head down and constantly moving and attacking him until the Bemidji wrestler didn’t know what to do. Hammonds continued to take his opponent down, only to let him up and do it all over again.

As the match wore on, it became clear that more and more people in the XCel Energy Center were watching until finally, in the third period after a takedown and a stoppage of action, fans all across the arena held up the diamond symbol Hammonds had shown several times before. When Hammonds gave the fans what they were waiting for and showed he was going to let his opponent go, nearly all of the 10,000 people in attendance roared their approval. Hammonds did not disappoint and gave the crowd another chance to call for him to let his opponent go. Of course they did and, of course, he did. Nine times he took his opponent down en route to a 24-11 win, but it wasn’t even that close. The Bemidji kid didn’t have a chance.

There were grins on everyone’s faces, but not because some kid from Anoka took third in state. Something else was going on there. Maybe it was because he didn’t look like the typica l wrestler. Maybe it was the fact that he relentlessly and fearlessly attacked his opponent, throwing him off-guard in a weight class where wrestlers sometimes lean on each other more than attack. Maybe it was because he won through sheer willpower.

Whatever it was, when Hammonds’ hand was raised he received a standing ovation from 10,000 grinning spectators who had been won over by his tenacious approach to high school wrestling that was some of the most exciting I have seen in a long time. He responded by blowing kisses to his 10,000 fans.

Hammonds is aware that others don’t often take him seriously.

“I’ve been underestimated all my life,” Hammonds said in a Star Tribune interview. “One kid said to his dad, ‘Hold my milkshake while I go pin this kid.’ I’ve had dads and sons look at me and laugh, like this is gonna be easy. But I get the last laugh.

“It’s all a mind-set. I’m going out there and I’m going to win.”

If anyone didn’t believe it before he stepped out onto the mat for that match, they do now. My only regret is that Hammonds is a senior so I won’t be able to watch him at the state tournament next year.