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By Roger Mischke
February 12, 2003
Class AA Report
The Bulldogs of Becker completed the dual meet season with a 17-0 mark with wins over Wright County Conference foes Waconia 33-25, Annandale/Maple Lake 55-12 and Delano 51-21. The Bulldogs also topped CLC foe Sauk Rapids 75-9. The Wright County Conference tourney could be one of the toughest tourneys in the state. The Bulldogs claimed third with 167 points; despite having three wrestlers sit out and they were unable to win several close matches thru out the tourney. With ten wrestlers placing in the top four they did have a solid team performance. Winning championships were Jeremy Pederson, Eric O'Brien and Russ Lumley and a pair of seconds by Jon Koranda and Kent Backes. The Bulldogs had one third by Jevon Foley and four fourths by Robert Koranda, Jason Shierts, Josh Saba and Jadian Foley. The Bulldogs closed out the finest regular season ever with a very solid performance at the Albany Purple Pride tourney. The Bulldogs had eleven wrestlers in the top four places and three fifth places for a total of 238.5 points to claim the championship. The Bulldogs had five championships by Kent Backes (Kent won the Fall awards with three in 1:52), Jeremy Pederson, Eric O'Brian, Jon Koranda and Russ Lumley and placing second were Robert Koranda, Jason Shierts, Josh Saba and Jevon Foley. The other place winners were a pair of thirds by Jeremy Adelman and Jon Lavoi and Lex Anderson, Brandon Backes and Mike Hopkins all gain fifth places to help led the Bulldogs.
The Lakers of Minnewaska continue to turn in impressive performances with dual meet wins over WCS foe Benson 52-18, Sauk Centre 44-13 and Alexandria 64-3. The Lakers topped three section foes at the Staples duals with wins over Staples-Motley 50-18, Pequot Lake-Pine River-Backus 56-14 and Sauk Centre 58-20. They claimed the West Central South championship by placing thirteen wrestlers in the top four to score 245.5 points and claim six championships. The champions were Jacob Bryce, Corey Cihlar, Mark Mitchell, Nathan Stoen, Sam Goracke and Joe Swartz and a trio of seconds by Jeremy Fischer, Trevor Larson and Taylor Jorgensen and four thirds by Cody Pahan, Colin Cihlar, Casey Boutain and Orlin Erickson. The Minnewaska Lakers also claimed the West Central Conference dual meet championship by topping Paynesville 36-31. The Lakers continue to roll with a second place finish at the Big Ole tourney in Alexandria with 184 points to finish ahead of section rival Wadena-Deer Creek. Showing great team balance once again with nine wrestlers in the top four and three champions. Jacob Bryce, Nathan Stoen and Joe Swartz all claimed championships and getting seconds were Corey Cihlar and Orlin Erickson. They had a trio of thirds by Sam Goracke, Trevor Larson and Mark Mitchell and one fourth by Jeremy Fischer. The Lakers topped two section foes Perham 37-18 and Staples-Motley 53-17 to complete their regular season unbeaten in dual meets.
The Dragons of Litchfield have been on a roll with dual meet wins over Dassel Cokato 39-15 and STMA 36-27, ACGC 68-3, Glencoe-Silver Lake 40-31, Pierz 39-25, MCCA 45-19 and Braham 59-13. The Dragons claimed second at the Wright County Conference tourney with eleven wrestlers placing in the top four and three championships to score 185 points. The Dragons were six points behind Dassel Cokato; however the Dragons were missing three very good wrestlers as well. Champions were Jake Ziegler, Joe Buschette and A.J. Werner; a pair seconds by David Melepsy and Bryar Johnson. They also had a trio of thirds by Devin Blom, Dan Smith and Louie Riehle and a pair of fourths by Dan Herbst and Aaron Kroman. The Dragons tied Paynesville 30-30, but they did manage to win eight matches from the Bulldogs without three of two of their regulars. The Dragons completed their regular season with a big win over section foe Annadale-Maple Lake 45-18.
The Knights of Saint Michael-Albertville continue to have a very good season with wins over rival Dassel-Cokato 39-15 and Rum River foes Mora 53-10, North Branch 53-9 and Milaca 32-24. The Knights with their win over Milaca claimed the dual meet championship in the Rum River Conference. The Knights did drop a dual to Litchfield 36-27. The Knights took second at the Wabasha-Kellogg duals with wins over Blue Earth 61-11 and Medford 34-30 before dropping the championship to Apple Valley 51-10. Mike Thorn and Chas Betts were both 3-0 to lead the way for the Knights. The Knights topped Rum River foe Big Lake 57-19 and section 4 rival Mound-Westonka 54-7. They completed their regular season with a pair of wins over 3A schools, rival Elk River 34-23 and Blaine 50-12.
The Bulldogs of Paynesville took fourth place at the Eastview duals with a win over Winona 57-13 and they lost to a good Coon Rapids team 37-31 and to section foe Dassel-Cokato 40-20, they had Pat Utsch and Marty Engen for 3-0 on the day to lead the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were missing some of their regular varsity wresters for this tourney. The Bulldogs continue their dominance over section foes Annandale/Maple Lake 41-18 and Rocori 51-14. The Bulldogs had all their wrestlers back for the West Central North tourney with thirteen wrestlers placing in the top four and they won three championships to score 191.5 points. Marty Engen, Adam Christian and Josh Kerzman were all champions and taking seconds were Brad Person, Joel Kerzman, Justin Reeck, Sean Glenz, Pat Noonan and Pat Utsch. They had four thirds by Joey Sheridan, Corey Christensen, Jake Mueller and Ryan Glenz. The Bulldogs dropped the overall dual meet championship to south champion Minnewaska 36-31. The Bulldogs topped the field at the dual meet tourney with wins over Milaca J.V. 75-6, Perham 37-19 and Milaca 45-23. Brad Person, Marty Engen, Josh and Matt Kerzman, Pat Utsch, Justin Reeck, Adam Christian and Pat Noonan were all 3-0 on the day to lead the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs tied Litchfield 30-30 in section action; but dropped the dual on criteria, with Litchfield winning eight matches. The completed their regular season by splitting duals with a win over ACGC 59-16 and dropping a close one to Pierz 34-33.
The Falcons of Foley are on a roll with dual meet wins over Rum River conference foes North Branch 44-20, Pine City 69-10, Big Lake 51-16 and Chisago Lakes 47-24. Big non-conference wins over Alexandria 57-12, St. Cloud Apollo 43-16, a solid Wadena-Deer Creek 35-25, Little Falls 44-18 and over a very good Elk River team 28-26. The Falcons completed the regular season with a big win over a tough 3A Forest Lake 31-30.
The Wolves of Milaca topped a good Pierz team 37-22 and Rum River conference foes Big Lake 59-13 and Pine City 68-9. In a very good dual the Wolves dropped a 32-24 match to STMA. The Wolves took second at the Paynesville duals with wins over Renville County Central 79-0 and New Ulm 52-18 before dropping the final to host Paynesville 45-23. Chuck LaMee, Josh Dehart, John Fradette, Clay Hoeck and Mitch Vedders were 3-0 on the day to lead the Wolves. The Wolves completed their regular season with a couple of impressive wins over Rum River Conference foe Princeton 45-15 and Aitkin 40-20.
The Mainstreeters of Sauk Centre topped two foes at the Staples duals Alexandria 41-28 and Staples-Motley 37-28 and lost a very good dual to Minnewaska 30-20. Zach Winter, Darrin Quistorff and Kurt Haakinson were 3-0 to lead the Mainstreeters. They topped New London-Spicer 35-33 and Alexandria 36-25 and lost to Minnewaska 44-13. The Mainstreeters scored 148 points at the West Central North tourney with eight wrestlers in the top four. They had four championships by Zach Winter, Darrin Quistoff, Cody Olson and Ethan Vogt, a trio of seconds by Kurt Haakinson, Chris Winter and Brian Beilke and one third by Nick Ruegemer. At the Paynesville duals they topped Renville County West 61-25 and lost very close duals to 3A schools New Ulm 34-18 and Hutchinson 35-32. Ethan Vogt, Zach Winter and Cody Olson were all 3-0 to lead the way for the Mainstreeters on the day. The Mainstreeters defeated Morris Area 57-18 and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 45-27 to complete a very successful regular season.
The Thunder of Long Prairie-Grey Eagle topped three foes at the Staples-Motley duals host Staples-Motley 38-27, Ottertail Central 39-37 and Alexandria 43-22. Sam and Grant Schad, Pat and Kurt Jenkins, Scott Twardowski and Travis Pesta were all 3-0 to lead they way for the Thunder. The Thunder tied a good Pierz team 33-33 and lost to a solid Perham team 44-20. The Thunder turned in a very solid performance at the West Central North tourney with ten wrestlers in the top three and they claimed five championships. Scott Twardowski, Kurt Jenkins, Sam Schad, Derek Pesta and Adam Pesta were all champions. They had a trio of seconds by Grant Schad, Travis Pesta and Brad Twardowski and one third by Josh Pesta. The Thunder topped River Valley 37-36 and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 55-15 in a triangular meet in Tracy.
The Sting of Yellow Medicine East took fourth place in the 212 conference with 138.5 points with eight wrestlers placing in the top four. Chad Listul won the lone championship, a pair of seconds by Zach Stock and Scott Jacobson, thirds by Blaine Webber and Tom Jacobson and a trio of fourths by Joe Specht, Nick Schomer and Travis Berg. They topped 212 foes MACCRAY 36-27 and ACGC 40-24 and lost a dual to section 4A power Wabasso 39-23. The Sting claimed fourth at the Plum Creek Tourney with 115.5 points with seven wrestlers placing in the top four. Second by Chad Listul, third by Tom Jacobson and five fourths by Blaine Weber, Scott Jacobson, Jordan Stock, Tyler Santjer and Nick Schommer.
The Vikings of North Branch continue to have a successful season with dual meet wins over Braham 42-27, Virginia 63-12, Princeton 48-12, Big Lake 51-14 and Rush City 52-17. Dropped two duals to the top Rum River teams STMA 53-9 and Foley 44-20. The Vikings took second at the South Saint Paul tourney with 214.5 points and seven wrestlers placing in the top four. Josh Villella won championship and Jeff Holmgren and Joe Holmgren were both second and Jame Kvale was also second. Other place winners were third by John Buchana and a pair of fourths by Sam Suparat and Jeremy Bergerson.
The Spartans of Rocori have made some big strides this season with wins over CLC foes St. Cloud Apollo 36-28, Little Falls 41-29, Sartell 66-14 and section foes Albany 37-32 and Annandale/Maple Lake 36-31. They lost a very close dual to Alexandria 34-33 and to top section foes Dassel Cokato 43-23 and Paynesville 51-14. At the Monticello tourney the Spartans scored 128 points for fourth place they had ten place winners including a championship by Grant Johnson, second by Max Johannes and four thirds by Darrin Nathan, Ben Johnson, Ian Schorn and Justin Heuring. The Spartans had six wrestlers place in the top four at the Big Ole tourney in Alexandria to take fifth place with 107 points. Darren Nathan and Joey Howe were both second and Grant Johnson, Max Johannes and Lee Kollar took third and Ian Schorn was fourth.
The Gobblers of Aitkin have really been turning in some very strong performances as of late with dual meet wins over Morris 40-33, GRC foe Braham 49-19, Little Falls 34-30, Crosby-Ironton 72-7 and they dropped close duals to Staples-Motley 34-29 and MCRA 28-25 and losses to Brainerd 39-21 and New London-Spicer 43-28. The Gobblers had three wrestlers place in the top three at the Bemidji tourney; placing were Jordan Keil 2nd and Adam Landgren and Mike Wagner were both third. The Gobblers turned in what was their strongest performance of the season with nine wrestlers placing in the top four at the Grand Rapids tourney to claim second place. Jordan Keil and Scott Chester were both champions and Adam Langren, Mike Wagner, B. J. Wasserzieher, Josh Setzer were all took second and third by Mikael Arvidson and a pair of fourths by Johnathan Arness and John Lehrke. The Gobblers topped the Mille Lacs Raiders 47-23 for the dual meet championship of the Great River Conference. The Gobblers continued to roll over the Great River Conference by placing thirteen wrestlers in the top four and placing eleven wrestlers into the championship round. The Gobblers claimed seven championships by Jordan Keil, Mike Wagner, B. J. Wasserzieher, Trevor Sterling, Josh Setzer, Johnathon Arness and Scott Chester. Taking second were Adam Landgren, Korey Tibbetts, Jacob Miller and John Lehrke and taking fourths were Mikael Arvidson and Shannon McLean. The Gobblers completed their regular season with a split of duals with a win over Princeton and dropping one to Milaca 45-16.
The Wildcats of New London-Spicer have had another solid season with dual meet wins over Aitkin 43-28, Norwood Young America 39-24 and WCS foe LQPV 43-21 and BBE 37-22. They lost tough duals to Perham 40-28, Barnesville 35-32, section foes DC 39-27, Glencoe-Silver Lake 33-24, and Annandale-Maple Lake 36-31. The Wildcats claimed second with 206 points at the West Central South tourney with ten wrestlers placing in the top four and claiming four championships by Tony Noyes, Adam Westby, Louie Pirrotta and Jake Taylor. Adam Luberts and Steve Westby claimed seconds, Craig Keller took third and the Wildcats had a trio of fourths by Trent Tyke, John Thompson and Brandon Christenson. The Wildcats were a little short handed at the their invitational but they still claimed fourth with 114.5 points. They had eight wrestlers place in the top four with three championships by Jake Taylor, Tony Noyes and Adam Luberts; a pair of seconds by Louie Pirrotta and Adam Westby and one third by Craig Keller and a pair of fouths by John Peterson and Justin Lee. The Wildcats turned in another great tourney performance at the Albany Purple Pride tourney with eight wrestlers placing in the top four and four championships for a total of 175 points and a second place finish. Tony Noyes, Louie Pirotta, Adam Westby and Jake Taylor all won championships and Brandon Keller took second and a pair of thirds by Adam Luberts and John Thompson and one fourth by Cassidy Ammerson led the way for the Wildcats.
The Huskies of Albany topped Sauk Rapids 53-12, Royalton 38-33 and Browerville-Eagle Valley 68-7 and lost to section foe Rocori 37-32. The Huskies took fourth at the West Central North Conference tourney with 94 points with eight wrestlers placing in the top four. Jake Zierden won the championship, Adam Goebel and Aaron Blackmore were both second and five thirds by Kris Doll, Brent Mandel, Scott Schlangen, Alex Plantenberg and Dereck Dirkes were all of the place winners for the Huskies. The Huskies turned in a excellent performance as they always do for their Purple Pride tourney. In the twenty first year of the running of the tourney the Huskies came away with two championships by Adam Goebel and Scott Schlangen and one second by Jake Zierden. The Huskies had a trio of thirds by Brad Maciewjeski, Matt Blackmore and Brent Mergen and a trio of fourths by Matt Meyer, Chris Greely and Derrick Dirkes to lead the Huckies to a third place finish with 151 points. This tourney was one of finest run tourneys of the season as it usually is by the good group of people running this tourney.
Class A Report
The Warriors of BOLD continue to crush their foes with huge wins over section foe Canby 38-17, Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale 74-6, Madelia-Truman 48-9, Austin 66-7, St. Peter 56-8 and at very good St. James team 56-18. The Warriors dominated the 212 conference tourney by crowning eleven champions to roll up 272 points. Shaun Plumley, Matt Jahnke, Bryan Pietig, Nathan Kubesh, Justin Kubesh, Cyle Olson, Clay Olson, Matt Zupke, Jordan Keltgen, Brendan Schmoll and Dan Elfering all won championships and Ryan Erickson took third place. The Warriors closed out their regular season by winnig the Montevideo tourney with wins over Dawson-Boyd 64-8 and Red Rock Central 58-15. Matt Jahnke Bold 130 won his 100 career match.
The Eagles on New York Mills continue to have a strong season with huge wins over Osakis 74-0, Park Rapids 65-9, Pequot Lakes-Pine River-Backus 53-16, Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale 36-21. With the Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale win the Eagles claimed the dual meet championship for the Park Region Conference. They lost a 32-28 dual to Wadena-Deer Creek in a match that both teams won seven matches and it featured four over time matches each also split those over time matches too. The Eagles had twelve wrestlers in the top four at the Park Region Conference tourney, where they scored 187 points. Jacob Malone was the lone champion and four seconds by Jared Hotakainen, Brent Weller, Jeremy Hagen and Jeremy Mursu. They also had one third by Jeramie Weller and six fourths by Tim Wegsheid, Jason Hotakainen, Dustin Geiser, Cody Salo, Devlin Hessig and Dan Schik. The Eagles completed their regular season with a huge win over Walker-Hackensack-Akley-Nevis 68-9.
The Bullets of Wheaton-Herman-Norcross topped Madison, SD 49-24 at the Milbank duals; they dropped three duals to good South Dakota teams Watertown, SD 55-17, Milbank 41-22 and Souix Fall Roosevelt 46-23. Cody Rinke and Brandon Arndt were both 4-0 and T. J. Serverance was 3-1on the day to lead the way. The Bullets topped section rivals West Central 48-28, Ortonville 66-17, Parkers Prairie 60-15 and Breckenridge 51-14. They also defeated Morris Area 69-12, Fargo South, ND 68-6 and Mayville-Portland, ND 51-18. The Bullets had a very solid showing at the Detroit Lakes duals with wins over Moorhead 53-15 and Thief River Falls 43-27 before dropping the championship to a solid Fergus Falls team 41-19. Brandon Arndt, Cody Rinke, Matt Fridgen and T.J. Severance were all 3-0 on the day to lead the way for the Bullets.
The Pioneers of Pierz are finally getting healthy as they have topped Moorhead 55-21 and Minneapolis Edison 70-8 at the Frazee quad; before dropping a dual to number one Frazee 52-9. The Pioneers topped Meadow Creek River Christian 43-18 and Braham 59-13 at their quad; and they lost to a very good Litchfield team 39-25. Nathan Janson, Craig Luberts were 3-0 at the Pioneer quad. They tied a strong Long Prairie-Grey Eagle team 33-33. The Pioneers completed their regulars season with a big win over Paynesville 34-33 and ACGC 59-16.
The Warriors of Menagha-Sebeka continue to have a very good season with dual meet wins over Park Region Conference foes Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale 38-29, Ottertail Central 42-30, Osakis 64-12,Browerville-Eagle Valley and Pequot Lakes-Pine River-Backus 46-18. In this dual Joel Hendrickson and Josh Schindeldecker both won their 100th career match. The Warriors also defeated section rival Mahnomen-Waubun 45-27 and Walker 46-33. The Warriors topped the field at the Lake Park tourney by placing ten wrestlers in the top four and three championships to score 201.5 points. Scott Ahlf, Joel Hendrickson and Josh Schindeldecker all won championships. They had a trio of seconds by Justin Cox, Austin Rife and Jordan Anderson, a pair of thirds by Jacob Braith and Travis Ahlf and a pair of fourths by Caleb Olson and Tyler Ahlf. At the Park Region Conference tourney the Warriors scored 181 points with four champions Scott Ahlf, Travis Ahlf, Justin Cox and Keith Hendrickson and a pair of runner ups Joel Hendrickson and Austin Rife. The Warriors also had one third by Josh Schindeldecker and a pair of fourths by Tyler Ahlf and Jordan Anderson.
The Raiders of Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale have improved a great deal over the season starting with a very young team they have maybe got themselves in postion for a return trip to the state. The Raiders dropped duals to Park Region Conference foes Menagha-Sebeka 37-29 and New York Mills 36-21 and dropped a dual to 3A foe Bemidji 43-15. They did top Browerville-Eagle Valley 68-6, Madelia-Truman 44-26, Austin 46-16 and Osakis 73-6. The Raiders dropped duals to BOLD 74-6 and top rated Frazee 42-20. In their best performance of the season the Raiders placed eleven wrestlers in the top four and they scored 215 points to claim the Park Region conference tourney championship. The Raiders claimed four championships by Casey Finck, Jared Oyster, Cullen Captain and Keith Bowman, a trio of seconds by Josh Denny, Joe Cottrel and Seth Moenkedick. They also had four thirds by Jasper Oyster, Brian Braatin, Tyler Fuller and Bud Willis.
The Raiders of Mille Lacs topped Crosby-Ironton and Pequot Lakes-Pine River-Backus in dual meet action and section foes Royalton 40-27, Hinckley 53-15 and Rush City. The Raiders dropped the Great River Conference dual meet championship to Aitkin 47-23. The Raiders placed thirteen wrestlers in the top four and claimed five championships to take second at the Great River Conference tourney with 210 points. Ryan Lovaas, Justin Jones, Matt Steffenson, Paul Osterman and Nolan Boucher were all champions; Tyler Walters and Jon Odle were both second, Nick Pfaff third and five fourths by Jim thoen, Nick Norberg, Geoff Springer, Kyle Prickett and Dustin Bretzman.
The Fighting Saints of KMS have been on a roll with dual meet wins over Benson 49-21, ACGC 53-2, BBE 37-22 and CACG 70-6 and they dropped a dual to section 4 power Wabasso 38-18. The Saints placed ten wrestlers in the top four and they scored 202 points to claim second behind powerful BOLD in the 212 Conference tourney. The Saints had two champions Kasey VanHeuveln and Nathan Wentzel and four seconds by Gary Kneisl, Tyson Tofte and Kordell Van-Heusen a trio of thirds by Darrin Carlson, Troy Weets and Kole VanHeuveln and one fourth by Tom Rustad. The Fighting Saints advanced seven wrestlers into the finals at the New London-Spicer tourney and placed eleven wrestlers in the top four for 166.5 points and a tournament championship. Kasey VanHeuveln, Tom Rustad, Darrin Carlson, Tyson Tofte and Gary Kneisl were all champions and Ryan Carlson and Tom Paulson were both second. The Fighting Saints other place winners were a pair of thirds by Josh Wentzel and Nathan Wentzel and two fourths by Krodell VanHeuveln and Troy Weets. The Fighting Saints had another great tourney performance to close out the regular season. The Fighting Saints thirteen wrestlers place in the top four to lead them to second place with 198 points behind a powerful section 4 rival Minneota. Ryan Carlson and Kordell Van Heuveln both won championships; six wrestlers claimed second Kasey Van Heuveln, Gary Kneisl, Nathan Wentzel, Ben Van Heuveln, Darrin Carlson and Troy Weets. The also had one third by Josh Wentzel and four fourths by tom Rustad, Tom Paulson, Kole Van Heuvlen and Spencer Almen. The capped off a very good regular season.
The Cubs of Kimball have had a solid season with dual meet wins over Central Minnesota foes Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 66-15, Rockford 71-12, Royalton 39-32 and in non-conference action Rush City 42-22. The Cubs did lose a dual to a good Watertown-Mayer 46-18 and to rival and section foe Eden Valley-Watkins 43-34.
The Knights of West Central Area defeated section foes CACG 48-26 and Ortonville 59-21 and they lost to rival and section foe Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 48-28. The Knights had a very good showing at the Heart of Lakes tourney by placing eight wrestlers in the top four places to claim fourth place with 129.5 points. The Knights had four wrestlers take second; Brady Schneeberger, Phillip Beumia, Tom Lohse and Morgan Taylor, one third by Dustin Schneeberger and a trio of fourths by Dennis Sik, Kenny Montonye and Matt Anderson. The Knights placed ten wrestlers in the top four at the Morris tourney with 142 points. Phillip Beaumia was the lone champion and Brady Schneeberger, Dennis Sik and Matt Anderson all took second. The also got a trio of thirds by Jordan Hammer, Ernie Longorie and Dustin Schneeberger and a trio of fourths by Nick Guttormson, Aaron Fagre and Jared Olson led the way for the Knights to close out the regular season.
The Falcons of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City have struggled a little with injuries they dropped duals to Litchfield 64-3, Glencoe-Silver Lake, KMS 53-21, Eden Valley-Watkins 38-33 and Yellow Medicine East 40-24 and they topped BBE 46-22. The Falcons took third place at the 212 Conference with 143 points they placed eight wrestlers in the top four. They had four seconds Jason Litzau, Jason Losing, Dain Kalkbrenner and Spencer Lund and one third Dan Evenson and Joe Hoeper, Aaron Rouser, Adam Hoeper. The Falcons claimed third at the New London-Spicer with 125 points with ten wrestlers placing in the top four. Dan Evenson and Dain Kalkbrenner won championships and Aaron Rouser, Matt Pearson and A. J. Frederickson all took seconds and a trio of thirds by Jason Losing, Brandon Kragenbring and Spencer Lund and a pair of Joe Hoeper and Gerald Peterson.
The Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins topped Central Minnesota foes Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 60-21, Rockford 60-16, Holdingford 59-27 and Kimball 43-34 and they tied with Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 36-36 and they also defeated 3A Sauk Rapids 58-23. The Eagles lost a very close dual to section rival ACGC. The Eagles scored 112 points at the New London-Spicer tourney to claim fifth place with nine place winners in the top four. Josh Hiltner had a great tourney as he won the 160 champioship and getting second was Eric Sullinger and Jeff Magedanz. The Eagles also had four thirds by Adam Hiltner, Nick Peterson, Ryan Sullivan and Mike Berg and a pair of fourths by Darren Berg and Raymen Rice.
The Bombers of Braham topped Hinckley-Finlayson 37-36 in Great River Conference action and they dropped a Great River Conference dual to Aitkin 49-19. In non-conference action they dropped a dual to section rival Pierz 53-19 and Meadow Creek River Christian Academy 50-30 and powerful Litchfield 59-13 and a good North Branch team 42-27. The Bombers placed eight wrestlers in the top four places at the Minnehaha tourney to take fourth place with 158.5 points. David Shockman, Kory Siltman and Tony Bacon all won championships, Kyle Tesler was second and Matt Morgan third. They also had a trio of fourth places by Omar Buckowa, Ernie Loerzel and Matt LaTourelle. The Bombers had a good tourney with with eleven wrestling placing in the top four to take third place at the Great River Conference with 178 points. Korey Siltman won a championship and Tony Bacon, David Shockman, Matt Morgan and Dan Powell all were second and Omar Buckhowa, Kyle Tasler, Brad Hall, Ernie Loerzel and Jason Neville were all third and getting fourth was Jake LeClair. The Bombers closed out their regular season with win over Chisago Lakes 48-21.
Class AAA Report
The Otters of Fergus Falls have had their most successful season since possibly back in the 70's; yes I do remember those; they had some great teams. The Otters topped section foes St. Cloud Tech 34-33 Monticello 55-16 and Alexandria, and lost to a pair of section foes in excellent matches to Brainerd 34-26 and Bemidji 30-22. The Otters claimed third place at the Lake Park Tourney with 191 points with ten wrestlers placing in the top four and three individual champions. Adam Schlepp, Mitch Gabrielson and Jared Bangs were champions, Tom Good and Travis Halling were both second and four thirds by Andy Krog, Levi Stenerson, Zach Leuthardt and Andy Price plus one fourth by Drew Haatjia were the Otter place winners. The Otters turned in a impressive performance at the Detroit Lakes Duals with wins over section foe Little Falls 38-28, Detroit Lakes 41-25 and for the championship over Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 41-9. Mitch Gabrielson, Jared Bangs, Zach Leuthardt, Andy Price and Travis Halling were all 3-0 on the day lead the Otters. The Otters will live by the luck of the coin flip at the section duals; however if one football player would have returned to the wrestling mat they would be the favorites right now for the section duals.
The Tigers of St. Cloud Tech topped Central Lakes foes Brainerd 36-23, Little Falls 43-21 and Willmar 39-27, section foes Monticello 46-21, Alexandria 43-18 and St. Cloud Apollo 51-20. The Tigers lost to a Class A Pine Island the first round of the White Bear Lake duals 41-25, topped St. Paul Johnson 39-25 and lost White Bear Lake to finish sixth 40-36. Bronson Hatch and Josh Boelz were both 3-0 on the day to lead the way for the Tigers. The Tigers scored 148.5 points at the Bemidji tourney for a third place finish with seven wrestlers placing in the top four. Three championships by Bronson Hatch , Montana Ewers and Josh Boelz and three thirds by Derrick Orth, Jim Weiman and James Ethan and a fourth by Jordan Stracke were the Tiger place winners.
The Cardinals of Willmar topped BBE 55-10 and Central Lakes foes Sauk Rapids 72-0 and Sartell 68-8 and they lost the Central Lakes Conference dual meet championship by the luck of the coin flip to CLC rival St. Cloud Tech 39-27. The Cardinals scored 135.5 points at the Eden Prairie tourney to take fourth place with six wrestlers placing in the top four. Luke Cruze and Matt Wetterling both won championships and Brady Gilb and Peter Johnson were both second and Ben Monson third and Vernon McCray finished fourth. The Cardinals had nine wrestlers place in the top four at the Big Ole tourney in Alexandria with 132.5 points. The Cardinals had a trio of seconds by Ryan Reickman, Brady Gilb and Matt Wetterling a trio of thirds by Peter Johnson, Kyle Nelson and Luke Cruze and a trio of fourths by Brandon Gilb, Lance Hauser and Ben Monson in a solid performance by the Cardinals in a tough field of teams.
The Warriors of Brainerd topped Central Lakes Conference foes Sartell 70-9 and Sauk Rapids 51-25 and section foe Fergus Falls 34-26. They did drop a Central Lakes Dual to St. Cloud Tech 36-23 and to section rival Bemidji 48-15. The Warriors turned in a great perfomance at the St. Croix Falls, WI tourney by placing eight wrestlers in the top four in this sixteen man bracket tourney. With 173 points the Warriors took the championship with three wrestlers taking championships Andy Pickar, Konrad Abramo and Tom Zelinske, a pair of seconds by Chad Weiss and Jake Smith, one third by Dan Fleischhacker and a pair of fourths by Kyle Dukowitz and Greg Strand. The completed a very successful regular season.
The Flyers on Little Falls have struggled as of late with injuries as they have dropped duals to Rocori 41-29, St. Cloud Tech 43-21, Aitkin 34-30, Meadow Creek/River Christian Academy 28-25. At the Detroit Lakes duals they dropped a dual to section foe Fergus Falls 38-28 and Detroit Lakes 51-24 and they topped section foe Moorhead 45-30 for a fifth place finish. They dropped a pair of duals a section foe Elk River 57-14 and Foley 44-18. The Flyers scored 108 points for a sixth place finish at the Bemidji Tourney with six wrestlers placing in the top four. Adam Gosiak won a championship, Mike Ashby took second and a pair of thirds by Ted Wilczek and Chris Roach and a pair of fourths by Josh Bue and Troy Biemaier were the Flyers place winner.
The Cardinals of Alexandria have wrestled twelve duals in the past three weeks against some pretty tough competition they dropped duals to Perham 66-5, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 43-22, Sauk Centre 41-28, Bemidji 65-9, Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale 43-22, Foley 57-12, Wadena-Deer Creek 63-13, Sauk Centre 36-25, Minnewaska 64-3 and Morris-Area 40-30. The Cardinals topped St. Cloud Apollo 39-27 and Rocori 34-33. The Cardinals socre 96.5 points at their invite to take sixth place with three wrestlers placing in the top four with Ryan Logan winning the championship and Chris Hobbs and Luke Wevely taking fourth.
The Bison of Buffalo topped Spring Lake Park 42-34; Dan Ruter won his 100th career match in this dual; and topped Montgomery-Lonsdale 42-34. The Bison took third place at the Park Center duals meet invitational in the second tier with wins over Fridley 68-6 and Chaska 42-32 and Robinsdale Cooper 33- 21. Dan Ruter and Tyler Reiss were the Bison leaders on the day and they lost to Blaine 65-18. The Bison lost duals to Totino Grace 62-1, Cambridge, Maple Grove 38-30. The Bison split duals in their final regular season event, they defeated Tartan 46-22 and lost to Centennial 58-17.
The Eagles of Apollo went 1-3 at the Cambridge duals with a win over Woodbury 42-35 and losses to Anoka 52-24 and Princeton 45-20. They did top Sartell 58-19, Melrose 62-10, Holdingford 61-18 and Sauk Rapids. They took on some real tough completion when they dropped duals to Foley 43-16, Wadena-Deer Creek 54-15, Alexandria in a very good Central Lakes Conference dual 39-27 and to St. Cloud Tech 51-20 The Eagles took sixth place with 88 points minus three very good wrestlers that all may have been in the top four thus they may easily finish in the top four. The Eagles place winners were Justin Pulliam and William Cooper-Kelly both were second and a trio of thirds by Matt Rowan, Ken Blakely and Blake Schwegel led the way for the Eagles. The Eagles topped CLC rival Sauk Rapids 41-34 to close out their regulars season.
The Magic of Monticello have struggled this season with a young team with dual losses to Cambrdidge 53-15, Spring Lake Park 52-20, St. Cloud Tech 46-21, Fergus Falls 55-16, St. Frances 60-20, Centennial 69-9 and Irondale 66-12.
The Storm of Sauk Rapids have really struggled with their young team this year; this is the team of the future with a pair of seniors showing great leader ship in Kyle Peterson. The Storm dropped duals to Becker 74-9, Elk River 53-15, Osseo 46-3, Eden Valley 59-27, Willmar 72-0, Albany 53-15 Brainerd 51-25 and St. Cloud Apollo 41-34. The Storm scored 86.5 points for seventh place in the nine team field. The Storm had seven place winners a pair of thirds by Chris Rauch and Tom Maurer; four fourths by Mitch Stanger, Spencer Braun, Kyle Peterson and Chris Allen and fifth by Nick Keller.
Coaches, I would like to thank your for sending your team's results so I could follow your team's success throughout the season. With each edition I shared their success in the Mat Rat Reports. Look for a section and State tournament summary, as well as a season summary. Send those season summaries when you are done with your season. Please either fax (1-320-363-4192) or email (matrat@astound.net) those tournament brackets and your dual meet results. Thanks, The Mat Rat Roger Mischke