For the past half-century, the building blocks have been steadily
stacked for Cambridge-Isanti Wrestling to create an elite sports
program in Minnesota. The athletes who wore the Bluejacket singlet,
along with the coaches who spent time teaching and the parents who
supported the program, can all be proud of their contributions to 50
years of accomplishments. Wrestling is a supreme test of mental and
physical durability in the sporting world. When a wrestler enters the
mat, he alone is out there in the spotlight fighting for team points.
That warrior spirit is hardened through tough practices and inter-squad
competition. Because of the nature of the sport, strong family ties are
built in successful programs. A person needs to attend only one State
Wrestling Tourney to understand how deep that relationship is seated
across Minnesota.
"I think our program is founded in a 'family tradition' concept. Just
look at all the wrestlers who have come back to help in coaching roles.
Some were former JV wrestlers which says we took care of all our kids
and we found a way to have fun with this sport," said present
Bluejacket head coach Neil Jennissen. "We view wrestling as a team
sport and pushing that team philosophy."
Golden anniversary celebration January 4-6
The Cambridge-Isanti Wrestling family will come together for a 50th
anniversary celebration which will be held over the January 4-6, 2008
weekend. Plenty of good mat action will be part of the weekend when the
Bluejackets host old rival Totino-Grace for a dual meet Friday, Jan. 4,
then the annual Bluejacket Individual Invitational will be held
Saturday, Jan. 5.
Many tales can be told over that gathering. The Bluejackets reached the
State Team Tournament 11 times, finishing as State runners-up twice
(2000 and 2004) and winning five consolation championships.
Cambridge-Isanti's first trip to State came in 1978 which began a
four-year run of the team advancing out of Section 7AA to reach the
Civic Center. The Jackets had two three-year strings of making State in
the 1998-2000 and 2002-2004 seasons.
Over the 50 years while competing in grueling conferences, the team
also has won six conference championships and finished as runners-up 12
times. On the individual side of Bluejacket Wrestling, the program has
produced 111 State entrants who have combined for seven championships,
seven runners-up and 13 third-place finishes. The C-I State champions
are Chris Peterson (1982), Walter Binger (1991 and 1992), Luke Becker
(1996, 1997, 1998) and Travis Fuhol (2001).
Becker is the all-time leader in C-I mat victories (210) and pins (90).
Luke went on to be a four-time All-American for the University of
Minnesota, winning a national individual title in 2002 while helping
the Golden Gophers win two national team championships.
"We are fortunate to have a national champion being a big part of our
history and to help us grow," said Coach Jennissen. "Luke is still very
involved with high school wrestling. He teaches at our annual summer
camp, one of many wrestling camps he helps with. We consider it a very
good fortune to have an athlete such as Luke come through our program."
Wrestling reflections from the past coaches:
Dick Zalusky was the fourth head coach of the Bluejacket program,
leading through the 1966-1970 seasons. "I came out of John Grygelko's
Robbinsdale program who I considered was my inspiration for wrestling.
His philosophies were what I wanted to instill at Cambridge and later
when I coached at Ellendale. During my time at Cambridge, we had to
battle an attitude which kept some athletes from going out for
wrestling. But overall, it was a great experience, and we had fine kids
representing the school."
Dean Wilson coached at various wrestling levels at Cambridge from
1968-1982, including one year as head coach. "I had the pleasure to
work with numerous young people who were dedicated and fun to work
with. To be associated with great coaches like Steve DeVries, Bob
Wendel, Dick Zalusky, Gordy Hillstad, Al Boesche, Bob Boone and Arnie
Reinhard was another highlight. More highlight memories are winning the
Rum River Conference in 1975, dominating Region 7AA in succession from
1978-81, and seeing Chris Peterson winning Cambridge's first State
title in 1982. It's a privilege to be part of a program that has
progressively gotten better ove the years to the point where it is now
one of the elite in the state. Thanks to Neil Jennissen and his staff
for continuing to make this a program the community can be proud of."
Bob Wendel was the Bluejacket head coach from 1972-78, leading the team
to its first State appearance that final season. "Cambridge was still
pretty rural at that time, so a lot of our wrestlers worked on the
farm. We didn't have wrestling camps for off-season training; pretty
much the start of the season was when we got the guys on the mat for
the first time. Back then, determining the State Team and Individual
entrants was all one tournament. St. Francis was our arch-rival. Anoka
was a real powerhouse, too. On their way to winning State in '78, Anoka
got an early lead on us in the first round, but we lost to them only
27-17. Dan Klitzke, Don Guthrie, Bill Dahlquist, Buzz Erickson and
Scott Livingstone were some of the leaders I remember from our team."
(In the 1978 State consolations, the Jackets beat Minneapolis Edison
27-26 before taking 6th with a 23-17 loss to Worthington).
Steve DeVries was the Bluejacket head coach from 1979-1982, as the
Jacket State streak continued. Steve went on to coach wrestling 20
years at Cornell College in Iowa while getting his PhD in Kinesiology.
"We really had terrific parental support, along with a wonderful
relationship with the community and the school. When we got to the
Civic Center for State, our section was filled with blue which was a
real positive force for our kids. St. Francis and Grand Rapids were
always the tough teams we had to get through to get to State. My
philosophy was we would wrestle a tough regular-season schedule. While
we got beat up sometimes, our guys were battle-hardened when it came
time for Regions. Assistants Dean Wilson and Bob Boone were the heart
and soul of our program, and Bob Wendel laid the groundwork for me. We
had wrestlers who were pretty darn responsive to our coaching. They
were tough, hard-working kids."
Note: Alumni and Former coaches and parents of wrestlers are
invited to this Golden anniversary celebration on January 5th at the
Bluejacket Invitational. Alumni will be recognized just prior to the
finals. A social gathering will take place that evening following the
tournament.