Monday, March 3, 2014

5 WCAAE Wrestlers Advance to State


By: Kevin Fick

“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is willpower that is most important.”                                      Junko Tabei 1975 after climbing Mount Everest
Friday, Feb. 21st and Saturday, Feb. 22nd
With the conclusion of team wrestling last week all that was left of the season was the Section 6A Individual Tournament.  This tournament is a bit different than others throughout the year as only the section champions and runners-up advance and the rest stay home.  It is a very final moment for most seniors who have put in years of hard work.  The action is intense, emotions run high and competitors leave it all out on the mat as the prize for the final two is a trip to the Minnesota State Tournament.
The WCAAE team wrestled a fantastic 2014 campaign and had high hopes of sending multiple individuals to state.  The grapplers were true to form and at the end of the tournament five wrestlers fought, clawed and scratched, used technique and ability, but in the end willed their way to a trip to state.  The following is a list of the weight classes and wrestlers followed by their win/loss record who earned a state berth…  106 lb. Jake Nohre  36-6, 113 lb. Levi Larkin  27-13, 138 lb. Jake Larkin  22-10, 152 lb. Royal Crow  34-5, 195 lb. Hunter Fick  33-7.  These young men will compete Friday, Feb. 28th at the XCEL Energy Center in St. Paul along with the other 15 wrestlers left in their respective weight classes.  Action will begin at 9 am.  Congratulations wrestlers and good luck at ‘State’!
Section 6A is composed of ten teams.  The teams are listed below and the number behind represents the number of wrestlers each team is sending to the next level.
Barnesville                                                       (2)
Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale                              (5)
Border West                                                    (5)
Breckenridge/Campbell-Tintah                   (1)
New York Mills                                                (1)
Pelican Rapids                                                 (3)
Prairie Valley                                                   (3)
Staples/Motley                                               (2)
West Central Area/Ashby/Evansville         (5)
Wadena-Deer Creek                                       (1)
Coach Brandon Gruchow, who was earlier named Park Region Conference ‘Coach of the Year’, picked up another accolade being voted in by his peers as Section 6A ‘Coach of the Year’.  Congratualtions Coach Gruchow, you have put together a fantastic season!  About the weekend Coach Gruchow states….”All the hard work and dedication these boys and families have put towards the wrestling program has really paid off.  Overall, all the guys wrestled well and wrestled with heart.  It would have been nice to have a few section champs but runner- up provides a trip to the state tournament as well.  Just like sections, I like to think of the state tournament as a new season and a fresh start.    Not only am I proud of the 5 guys who took second I am also proud of the 9 other guys who threw it all out on the mat and wrestled with heart and intensity the last 2 days.  There were a lot of emotions; some real highs and some lows.  Some guys finished happy and others not so much.  One thing is for sure….we have a great group of kids who work hard, are dedicated, take care of their classroom duties.  They make coaching fun and are a pleasure to work with.”
106 lb. Jake Nohre (9)  2nd place
Defeated Nick Hendrickx (NYM) per fall 1:47, defeated Brady Tweeton (BRNL) per dec. 7-1, defeated by Anthony Kern per fall 5:55
113 lb. Levi Larkin (8)  2nd place
1st round bye, defeated Brady Martz (BRNL) 6-0, defeated by Danny Franco (PR) per dec. 4-3
120 lb. Keaton Long (9)  3rd place
1st round bye, defeated by Conrad Kondos (BRK) per fall 2:37, defeated James Riley (BRNL) per fall 2:20, defeated Gage Brown (SM) per fall 5:29
126 lb. Tyler Onstad (9)
Defeated by Justin Gordon (BHV) per fall 4:50, defeated by Lee Hotakainen (WDC) per dec. 9-2
132 lb. Aiden Winter (8)
Defeated by Kyler Votova (BRNL) per fall :43, defeated by Dakota Pixley (PR) per fall 2:15
138 lb. Jake Larkin (10)  2nd place
Defeated Johnny Flynn (NYM) per fall 2:57, defeated Holten Truax (BHV) per dec. 4-0, defeated by Rylee Anderson (BRNL) per dec. 4-0
145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (11)
Defeated by Eric Schwagel (BW) per injury default
152 lb. Royal Crow (11)  2nd place
1st round bye, defeated Alex Diaz (PR) per major dec. 14-4, defeated by Dylan Pullis (BW) per dec. 6-4, defeated Andrew Cihlar (BHV) per dec. 5-0 true 2nd match
160 lb. Braedon Long (12)
Defeated by Hobet Diaz (PR) per fall 1:20, defeated Blaine Snyder (WDC) 11-0, defeated by Hayden Truax (BHV) per fall 3:55
170 lb. Koel Seifort (11)
Defeated by Nick Bennett (BHV) per fall, defeated by Nathan Johnson per major dec. 14-5
182 lb. Sid Kamrath (10)
Defeated by Maverick Brady (BRNL) per dec. 3-2, defeated by Cormick Combellick (BW) per fall 3:42
195 lb. Hunter Fick (11)  2nd place
Defeated Zach Hasse (BRK) per fall :56, defeated Andy Bounds (BHV) per fall 5:47, defeated by Tyler Patron (NYM) per fall 3:14
220 lb. Buzz Miller (10) 4th place
Defeated Cole Graybow (NYM) per major dec. 11-0, defeated by Dillon Card (BHV) per dec. 7-0, defeated Caleb Monson (WDC) per fall 3:16, defeated by Dana Berg (BRNL) per fall 5:56
285 lb. T.J.Waskosky (10)  5th place
Defeated by Brandon Monson (WDC) per major dec. 10-0, defeated by Alex Settlemeyer (BRNL) per fall :55, defeated Jesse Roberts (NYM) per fall 3:31

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