Little Knight Wrestlers Place 5 AT NYWA State…Sykora Takes First!

Alex Butcher started the Knights State competition out on Thursday evening.  Alex went 1-1, losing by fall in the first match and winning but a fall in 4 minutes and 10 seconds. Winning his second match allowed him to wrestle on Friday as well.  On Friday, in a close 2-4 match, Alex lost and was eliminated from the 160 pound 7^th and 8^th grade bracket.  Alex was short of placing but he felt good about his wrestling and really enjoyed the experience.

Jaden Norby took third place in the 5^th and 6^th grade 140 pound weight class and wrestled all 5 matches on Friday.  Jaden went 4-1, with his only loss coming in his semifinals match.  In the semis Jaden was up 5-0 and got a little too aggressive and was thrown to his back and pinned with only 2 seconds left in the period.  Jaden had a great tournament and was very dominating during Friday’s competition.

Saturday brought on more competition for the kindergarten through fourth grade wrestlers.  Ashlyn Lohse and Caleb Fronning both competed in the 45 pound kindergarten bracket.  Call it bad luck our whatever you would like; they drew each other in the first round.  Caleb ended up winning that match against Ashlyn.  Ashlyn rebounded with a pair of wins before losing again in the wrestle backs.  Caleb also went 2-2 in the bracket.

Owen Gruchow took third place in the tournament at the 55 pound Kindergarten division.  Owen earned a pair of wins before losing in the semi-finals in a close overtime match.  Owen kept his head high Sunday morning and responded to the loss from Saturday the way he needed to and won two more matches to take third place honors.

Colbe Tappe took third place in the 54 pound 1^st and 2^nd grade division.  He pinned his first two opponents in a total of 38 seconds wrestled.  Colbe lost in his semi-finals match 0-1.  Colbe wrestled hard but just couldn’t find a way to open up his opponent.  Colbe came back ready to wrestle on Sunday and won two more matches.  In his first match he had another quick pin and in his third place match he won 2-0.

Hunter Gruchow earned second place honors in the 80 pound 1^st and 2^nd grade brackets.  On Saturday Hunter won his three matches in dominating fashion before coming up short on Sunday.  Hunter struggled to get a takedown in the first period, was unable to get away in the second, and was reversed to his back in the third period.  Hunter enjoyed the opportunity to wrestle in the finals but was disappointed with another second place finish.

Jake Norby went 1-2 in the 3^rd and 4^th grade 90 pound weight division.  Jake lost 0-6, won 7-2, and was pinned in his third match.  Jake is only a third grader so it was a great experience for him to make it, compete, and get a win in such a tough tournament.  We will be looking for Jake to do big things next year at this tournament.

Anthony Sykora added another first place finish to his accolades.  This is the second state championship Anthony has won.  Anthony competed in the 3^rd and 4^th grade 80 pound division.  Anthony dominated his way through the tournament, only giving up 2 points through the whole tournament.  Anthony earned two first period pins, a major decision, and a 4-0 decision in the finals.  After the tournament Anthony had this to say, “It really didn’t seem like the state tournament.”  This is largely due to the fact of competing at high caliber tournaments throughout the season and practicing with older wrestlers in the room like Jordan Lohse.  Anthony’s dad Lee Sykora had this to say, “Anthony would not be where he is at if it weren’t for practicing with Jordan Lohse at every practice.” 

The nice thing about this tournament is that they also have the invite portion of the tournament for those wrestlers who took 3^rd through 6^th place at their regions.  It is also a very tough tournament, often loaded with great wrestlers from the younger year class.  This year Will Rustan took third place and Adam and Jordan Lohse each went 1 and 2.  It is just another good experience for our wrestlers choosing to get some more great matches.

I am very proud of the effort given from all 12 of our wrestlers who competed in the NYWA State and NYWA Invite tournament.  They laid it all out there and left it all on the mat.  They wrestled with heart and determination.  It was a great way to end the folkstyle wrestling season!  Each one of these wrestlers and their put in so much extra time, money, and sacrifice so much.  It is great to see it paying off!

Little Knight Wrestlers Have Another Great Weekend!!

Rumble on the Red - Youth Results for WCA
6U 40 - Cooper Tappe's place is 6th and has scored 0.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Cooper Tappe (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Liamliam Collins (Minnesota Elite) won by fall over Cooper Tappe (WCA) (Fall 0:20)
Cons. Semi - Ashton Charmoli (St. Francis Gladiators) won by fall over Cooper Tappe (WCA) (Fall 0:11)
5th Place Match - Jackson Thorn (STMA / Hi Flyers) won by fall over Cooper Tappe (WCA) (Fall 0:33)

6U 45 - Ashlyn Lohse's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Ashlyn Lohse (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Brodie Pachan (Prairie Valley) won by fall over Ashlyn Lohse (WCA) (Fall 0:54)
Cons. Round 2 - Ashlyn Lohse (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Gavin Broden (fertile beltrami falcons) won by fall over Ashlyn Lohse (WCA) (Fall 1:48)

6U 50 - Evan Dingwall's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Berkley Bishman (Milaca) won by fall over Evan Dingwall (WCA) (Fall 1:22)
Cons. Round 1 - Evan Dingwall (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Evan Dingwall (WCA) won by decision over Hunter Olson (Gorilla Wrestling Club, Inc) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 3 - Clayton Charmoli (St. Francis Gladiators) won by decision over Evan Dingwall (WCA) (Dec 2-0)

6U 65 - Jon Dingwall's place is 1st and has scored 0.00 team points.
Round 1 - Jon Dingwall (WCA) won by fall over Ethan Mattison (MAWA) (Fall 1:38)
Round 2 - Jon Dingwall (WCA) won by fall over TJ Fuller (Tech Team Wrestling, ND) (Fall 0:41)
Round 3 - Jon Dingwall (WCA) won by fall over Grady Isaacs (Apple Valley) (Fall 0:34)

8U 55 - Adam Lohse's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Gavin Isaacs (Apple Valley) won by decision over Adam Lohse (WCA) (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Adam Lohse (WCA) won by fall over Cameron Bowden (Dickinson Wrestling Club) (Fall 0:19)
Cons. Round 2 - Adam Lohse (WCA) won by decision over Clark Thompson (Matpac Wrestling Club) (Dec 5-1)
Cons. Round 3 - Adam Lohse (WCA) won by decision over Ridley Waldo (Aberdeen Wrestling Club) (Dec 4-2)
Cons. Round 4 - Kaden Nicolas (Becker) won by fall over Adam Lohse (WCA) (Fall 2:55)

8U 55 - Colbe Tappe's place is 1st and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Colbe Tappe (WCA) won by fall over Eli Thompson (matpac) (Fall 0:28)
Champ. Round 2 - Colbe Tappe (WCA) won by decision over Clark Thompson (Matpac Wrestling Club) (Dec 6-0)
Quarterfinal - Colbe Tappe (WCA) won by major decision over Preston Reed (deer river) (Maj 9-0)
Semifinal - Colbe Tappe (WCA) won by fall over Tyson Charmoli (St. Francis Gladiators) (Fall 1:00)
1st Place Match - Colbe Tappe (WCA) won by fall over Caleb Tracy (Scott West Panther Cubs) (Fall 0:43)

10U 90 - Jake Norby's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Jake Norby (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Nathan Romo (Sidney Wrestling Club) won by fall over Jake Norby (WCA) (Fall 2:14)
Cons. Round 2 - Kaden Sanford (Fosston-Bagley Brawlers) won by fall over Jake Norby (WCA) (Fall 0:21)

10U 90 - Hunter Norby's place is 2nd and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Norby (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Hunter Norby (WCA) won by fall over Landyn Steichen (Legacy) (Fall 3:14)
Semifinal - Hunter Norby (WCA) won by fall over Rogen Smidt (Pipestone Arrows) (Fall 4:28)
1st Place Match - Garrett Hebl (LaMoure Loboes) won by fall over Hunter Norby (WCA) (Fall 0:18)

12U 85 - Jordan Lohse's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Darren Roth (Bemidji Wrestling) won by decision over Jordan Lohse (WCA) (Dec 5-0)
Cons. Round 1 - Jordan Lohse (WCA) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Jordan Lohse (WCA) won in sudden victory - 1 over Dalton Anderson (St. Francis Gladiators) (SV-1 2-0)
Cons. Round 3 - Jordan Lohse (WCA) won by decision over Cole Ackerman (Sauk Rapids) (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Round 4 - Brock Fettig (Gorilla Wrestling Club, Inc) won by fall over Jordan Lohse (WCA) (Fall 1:08)

12U 140 - Jaden Norby's place is 1st and has scored 0.00 team points.
Round 1 - Jaden Norby (WCA) won by fall over Carston Hamre (Lake Park Audbon) (Fall 0:12)
Round 3 - Jaden Norby (WCA) won by fall over Comstock Krenz (Coyote Wrestling Club) (Fall 0:46)

Badgerland Nationals- Midwest Tour Results for West Central Area
Pre K & K 55 - Owen Gruchow's place is 1st and has scored 21.00 team points.
Round 1 - Owen Gruchow (West Central Area) won by major decision over Tyson Knutson (STMA) (Maj 19-6)
Round 2 - Owen Gruchow (West Central Area) won by decision over Colin Griffin (Holmen Viking Wrestling Club) (Dec 9-3)
Round 3 - Owen Gruchow (West Central Area) won by fall over Kaden Sanders (PINnacle) (Fall 0:28)
Round 4 - Owen Gruchow (West Central Area) won by decision over Taylon Little Soldier (Hastings) (Dec 9-4)
Round 5 - Owen Gruchow (West Central Area) won by fall over Tanner McDonald (Rhinos Wrestling) (Fall 0:46)

1st & 2nd Grade 80 - Hunter Gruchow's place is 2nd and has scored 20.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Hunter Gruchow (West Central Area) won by fall over Jacob Gau (Eden Prairie Wrestling Club) (Fall 0:19)
Semifinal - Hunter Gruchow (West Central Area) won by injury default over Keegan Kuball (WEM grizzley) (Inj. 0:00)
1st Place Match - Ben Schultz (Osseo Maple Grove) won by decision over Hunter Gruchow (West Central Area) (Dec 7-5)

3rd & 4th Grade 85 - Anthony Sykora's place is 4th and has scored 15.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Anthony Sykora (West Central Area) won by decision over Michael Alexander (De Pere) (Dec 9-2)
Quarterfinal - Anthony Sykora (West Central Area) won by fall over Donovan Vigue (Shawano Wrestling Club) (Fall 2:25)
Semifinal - Ryder Rogotzke (East Ridge) won by fall over Anthony Sykora (West Central Area) (Fall 0:40)
Cons. Semi - Anthony Sykora (West Central Area) won by major decision over Michael Alexander (De Pere) (Maj 12-0)
3rd Place Match - Konner Stuttgen (World Gold Wrestling) won by decision over Anthony Sykora (West Central Area) (Dec 5-0)

 

Knight Wrestlers are Reaching Milestones

Tyler Onstad and Buzz Miller 50th Wins!

Jake Larkin 50th Pin

Hunter Fick 75th Win

Jake Larkin 50th Pin

Knight Wrestlers Place 2nd at Big Bear

By Craig Olson - Cass Lake, MN

The second place Knights!  PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY

The West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville wrestling team placed second at the Big Bear Invitational in Cass Lake over the weekend, scoring 152.5 points.  Hutchinson won the team title with 168.5 points and Lakeville North was third with 141.4 points.
“Going into this tournament we knew we had a chance to win this tournament,” said Head Coach Brandon Gruchow of the Knights.  “We knew we needed to make a change from last weekend and do a better job in embracing the grind of a tournament and wrestling as a team even though it is an individual tournament. The boys wrestled well and fought hard during their matches on Friday and Saturday.  They pushed themselves to the next level not only for themselves but for their team.  This was exactly the response we were hoping for after last weekends home tournament, where we ended up taking third place.  We knew it was going to be a grind of a tournament and we focused on embracing the grind.  We also made it a goal and as coaches tried to help the wrestlers take the focus out of winning and losing and more focus on going out and wrestling the best we possibly could.  We didn't quite get to the top of the list of teams but we ended up with second place.  We had a lot of great performances by individuals throughout the weekend and I am proud of these boys for their accomplishments.  However, we know we had a chance at number one and that will help give us a little extra push during our practices before our next competition which is a Quad in Staples January 2.”
WCA/A/BE crowned two champions at Big Bear.  They were Jake Nohre (113) and Hunter Fick (195).  Nohre won by fall (1:58) over Bo Knudson of Virginia in his first round match; won a major decision (9-1) over Darion Anderson of Pequot Lakes/Pine River/Backus in the second round; won by technical fall (16-0) over Evan Carr of Zimmerman in the quarterfinals; recorded a fall (3:30) over Lucas Womack of Albany in his semifinal match; and won by major decision (12-3) over Dasin Mateski of Hutchinson in the finals.
Fick started the tournament with a fall (0:39) over Hunter Wilcowski of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena; won by injury default (5:19) over Garrett Pemelton of DGF in the quarterfinals; won by decision (3-1) over Jackson Dunnell of Lakeville North in the semifinals; and won by decision (7-4) over Tristan Palmer of United North Central in the championship match.
Royal Crow (160) wrestled to a third place finish, winning a 7-3 decision over Jake Knettel of Holdingford in round one, beating Blake Skogstad of Roseau 11-6 in round two, winning a 5-0 decision over Nate Francis of Detroit Lakes in his quarterfinal match, losing in the semifinals 11-3 to Ethan Kimber of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale and bouncing back to claim third place with a 16-4 win over Derek Helgoe of Big Lake.
Anthony Miller (220) also finished third in his match, recording a fall (0:24) over Joseph Baker of Wadena-Deer Creek in the first round; beating Jacob Bittmann of Park Rapids Area by fall (0:52) in the second round; losing to Tanner Templin of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena in the quarterfinals; winning by injury default over Jacob Sperr of Morris Area, recording a 3-2 decision over Matt Hennes of Willmar, beating Dana Berg of Barnesville 3-1 and then taking his third place match with a 3-1 overtime decision over Alan Blast of Aitkin.
Drake Swanson claimed fourth place at 106, scoring 18 points for the Knights and Jake Larkin (145) came in seventh, scoring ten points.
Gruchow concluded, “Two years ago we were in last place.  We had no one make it to the second day.  I remember we woke the kids up extra early went to the tournament and had a two hour practice before the tournament even started....this is the same group of kids that were at the bottom and worked their way up to the top.  Their willingness to work hard, sacrifice, and doing the extra is definitely paying off.”

Knights Ranked Ninth in Class A Wrestling Poll

By Craig Olson

The West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville wrestling team is ranked ninth in the latest Minnesota Class A poll.
Minneota, Adrian and Frazee are the top three teams in the poll, followed by Kenyon-Wanamingo, Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial Area, Jackson County Central, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Chatfield, WCA/A/BE, Pierz, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River and Zumbrota-Mazeppa. Barnesville is among the teams listed in the Lean and Mean category as receiving votes.
Individually, the Knights have three wrestlers in the top ten in their respective weight classes.  Hunter Fick is ranked number one at 195, Jake Nohre is third at 106 and Royal Crow is sixth at 152.
Barnesville has Zac Anderson ranked seventh at 138, Rylee Anderson eighth at 145 and Dan Berg sixth at 220.
Pelican Rapids senior Danny Franco is ranked tenth at 113 pounds.
Frazee has several ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Garrett Malstrom (285), fourth-ranked Jonah Lange (182), sixth-ranked Tanner Reetz (120), seventh ranked Austin Skillings (145), eighth ranked Tanner Schermerhorn (106), Ethan Byer (126) and Byron Byer (132) and tenth-ranked Grant Jepson (138).
New York Mills has two ranked wrestlers, Jeremiah Harper is eighth at 120 and Sam Erkenbrack is ninth at 195.
From Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, Dillon Card (220) is ranked first, Ethan Kimber (160) fifth and Anthony Kern (120) seventh.
Border West has Cameron Sykora (120) ranked number one and Tracer Lee (126) ranked third.

Knight Wrestlers Compete at Staples Quadrangular

Knight Wrestlers Compete at Staples Quadrangular
By Craig Olson - Staples, MN

The West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville Knights wrestled in the Staples Quadrangular on Friday night going 2-1 in their three duals.
Coach Brandon Gruchow commented, “As an unknown source once said, ‘There are no losers in wrestling, just winners and learners.’ Today we were put to the test against three solid teams. In our first dual against St. Cloud Tech we came up short losing 42-24. The team handled the loss well. We learned from it and responded in a positive way. We wrestled well against Section 6A opponent Staples/Motely and won in a dominating fashion 55-15. This boosted the confidence of the boys and they wrestled even better to get another win over Section 7A Blackduck-Cass Lake-Bena (ranked as a lean and mean team). It was great to see them learn from their mistakes and use the loss in a positive manner; it shows they have a desire to be winners.”
Gruchow continued, “Just a few highlights of the day included: #3 ranked Jake Nohre beating #2 ranked Andrew Nissen of BCLB 9-3. Nohre wrestled extremely smart and dominated the match. Drake Swanson had a great day going 3-0. Levi Larkin’s big win in our first dual against St. Cloud Tech winning a tough and close battle 3-1. His takedown in overtime sealed the deal. Keaton Long wrestled extremely well today earning two pins. It’s great having him back in the line-up as Keaton is a very dangerous wrestler. He wrestles from whistle to whistle and you never count him out of any match. Tyler Onstad had a huge confidence boosting win over Jake Swensrud of Staples/Motely. Tyler took him down to his back early in the first period and hung on for the victory with a 7-5 win. Jake Larkin went 3-0 today. Jake had one forfeit and wrestled well winning by fall and by decision. Jake hit a milestone today earning his 50th career pin! Kyle Mickelsen continues to prove that he is a top contender at his weight class by winning all three of his matches today. Kyle wrestled hard, confident, and smart to get all three win. Koel Seifert earned a second period win against Staples/Motley opponent; Koel started the match out strong taking his opponent down to his back right away in the first period. Blake Amundson had a big win to help out the team by pinning his BCLB opponent. Blake is another one of our wrestlers who just keep improving week after week. Hunter Fick dominated in both his matches he wrestled today, earning his 75th career win in his second match of the day. Buzz Miller had a great throw at the end of his first match of the day to secure a win. Buzz kept working to make something happen and with 12 seconds left he lateralled his opponent to his back! Sid Kamrath won twice today. He pinned his BLCB opponent and won in the last 5 seconds of his Staples/Motley match scoring with a defensive go behind. Today was all about getting better…that’s why we added this quad to our schedule. It was a great test to see where we are at. We have a tough schedule ahead of us, starting with a conference opponent Royalton/Upsala on Tuesday night starting at 6:00pm.”
106 – Drake Swanson (WCA) pin over Jack Latterell (SCT)
113 – Alex Kern (SCT) 6-5 dec. over Jake Nohre (WCA)
120 – Dallas Hooper (SCT) pin over Aiden Winter (WCA)
126 – Levi Larkin (WCA) 3-1 dec. over Graham Nistler (SCT)
132 – Luke Dorn (SCT) 11-2 maj. dec. over Keaton Long (WCA)
138 – Austin Brenner (SCT) pin over Tyler Onstad (WCA)
145 – Jake Larkin (WCA) 2-1 dec. over Henry Nistler (SCT)
152 – Kyle Mickelsen (WCA) 4-3 dec. over Joe Klontz (SCT)
160 – Lucas Grams (SCT) pin over Alex Butcher (WCA)
170 – Cole Schreder (SCT) 16-1 Tech. Fall over Koel Seifert (WCA)
182 – Jacob Johnson (SCT) pin over Blake Amundson (WCA)
195 – Hunter Fick (WCA) pin over Jeremy Nothom (SCT)
220 – Buzz Miller (WCA) 4-2 dec. over Tyler Hugg (SCT)
285 – Micah Mangel (SCT) pin over TJ Waskosky (WCA)

WCA 55, Staples- Motley 15                                                   
106 – Drake Swanson (WCA) pin over Spencer Miller (SM)
113 – Jake Nohre (WCA) pin over Blayne Dumprope (SM)
120 – Blake Gerard (SM) pin over Aiden Winter (WCA)
126 – Eric Lisson (SM) 5-3 OT dec. over Levi Larken (WCA)
132 – Keaton Long (WCA) pin over Jasiah Paskewitz (SM)
138 – Tyler Onstad (WCA) 7-5 dec. over Jake Swendsrud (SM)
           Loss of 1 team point for Unsportsmanlike conduct against WCA
145 – Jake Larkin (WCA) winner by FF
152 – Kyle Mickelsen (WCA) 2-1 dec. over Jeremy Miller (SM)
160 – Alex Erpelding (SM) pin over Alex Butcher (WCA)
170 – Koel Seifert (WCA) pin over Braden Tyrell (SM)
182 – Blake Amundson (WCA) winner by FF
195 – Hunter Fick (WCA) winner by FF
220 – Buzz Miller (WCA) winner by TF over Dillon Massey (SM)
285 – Sid Kamrath (WCA) 2-0 dec. over Kyle Serich (SM)

WCA 39, BLCB 28
106 – Drake Swanson (WCA) pin over Trenton Juelson (BCLB)
113 – Jake Nohre (WCA) 9-3 dec. over Andrew Nissen (BCLB)
120 – David Foster (BCLB) pin over Aiden Winter (WCA)
126 – Levi Larkin (WCA) 4-2 dec. over Lucas Reiplinger (BCLB)
132 – Keaton Long (WCA) pin over Ian Frenzel (BCLB)
138 – Kyle Michalek (BCLB) 8-0 maj. dec. over Tyler Onstad (WCA)
145 – Jake Larkin (WCA) pin over Tanner George (BCLB)
152 – Mason Frenzel (BCLB) pin over Kode Seifert (WCA)
160 – Kyle Mickelsen (WCA) 9-2 dec. over Jonathan (BLCB)
170 – Trevor Smith (BCLB) pin over Koel Seifert (WCA)
182 – Blake Amundson (WCA) 8-5 dec. over Hunter Wilcowski (BCLB)
195 – Hunter Fick (WCA) 2-0 dec. over Cooper Jedlicka (BCLB)
220 – Sid Kamarath (WCA) pin over Nate Yeats (BCLB)
285 – Tanner Templin (BCLB) pin over Buzz Miller (WCA)

JV Results Kaleb Getz 2-0 Chase Veldhouse 0-2 Bret Duncan 1-1 Jannis Knothe 1-1 Hunter Hanson 0-2 Cody Nadgwick 0-1 Austin Aufdenkamp 0-1

Five Little Knight Wrestlers compete at the Hawkeye National Tournament…Four Place!

Anthony Sykora, Hunter Gruchow, Colbe Tappe, Cooper Tappe, and Owen Gruchow who all wrestle with the Little Knight program in Barrett, participated in the Hawkeye National Tournament in Waterloo Iowa this past weekend.  There were over 640 registered wrestlers from 9 different states entered into the tournament.  This tournament was the first of a series of three tournaments.  This tour of tournaments will go into February with wrestling action taking place in Minnesota (Gogher State Nationals) and Wisconsin (Badger Land Nationals).  If a wrestler is able to place in the top six they are awarded a championship belt for their efforts.

Anthony Sykora competed in the 3rd and 4th grade 85 pound division. Sykora advanced with a bye in the round of sixteen, he then pinned his next opponent in his quarter finals match. He ran into an East Ridge opponent who is currently ranked #1 in the country by USA wrestling in the semifinals. Sykora was tech falled by this gifted wrestler. Sykora then beat his next opponent 6-0 to get into the 3rd place match. Sykora wrestled another dominating match in the third place match winning 7-2. 

Anthony Sykora Places 3rd

Four year-old Cooper Tappe wrestled in the Pk-K 40 pound weight division. Cooper gained some great exerience after going 0-2. Cooper will have another 2 years to wrestle in this division. Going into this tournament, it was all about the experience for him.

Owen Gruchow, who is a Kindergartner, took second place in the 55 pound PK-K division. Owen went 4-1. Owen's loss came in the first round. His opponent from Iowa beat him 8-4.  He wrestled his way back through the bracket winning his next four matches, one of which was won in overtime.

Owen Gruchow Places 2nd

First Grader, Colbe Tappe entered the tournament at the 54 pound 1st-2nd grade division. Colbe wrestled well against his opponents who were mostly second graders. Colbe went 3-2 and took 4th place. He wrestled hard and had this to say about his match, "I wrestled with one of the best wrestlers in the nation...he was a two time National champion and I only lost 3-7."

Colbe Tappe Places 4th

  

Second grader Hunter Gruchow went 4-1 on the day, earning second place. Hunter lost by fall in the second period to his Iowa opponent. Hunter was winning in the match, but was headlocked, and tried to roll through it. He ended up not getting off his back and was pinned.

Hunter Gruchow Places 2nd

 It was a great experience for all 5 of our Little Knight Wrestlers, competing against some of the best wrestlers in the Midwest.  This tournament will definitely give these young wrestlers a marking point of where they are at and what they need to work on going into the new season.  It was a great learning experience.