Wrestler of the Week goes to Keaton
Long. Keaton is a freshman with a 11-4
record. Keaton has been on a role this
season turning corner after corner. He
has wrestled well against some very stiff competition. Keaton is no stranger to the wrestling mat, he
was a powerhouse in elementary wrestling.
This last dual proved how Keaton is willing to go the distance in a
match. He was down in the final seconds
of the match when he hit a pinch headlock putting his opponent on his back and
won the match. We even bumped Keaton up
a weight class to help the team. Keaton
is maturing physically and mentally. As
long as he is will to continue working hard and dedicating himself to the
sport; Keaton has a bright future ahead of him.
With his talent he has been showing us so far this season and the
experience he has behind him Keaton will have one of the top seeds in the
section. Good Job Keaton. There is no easy way…keep doing the
work!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Wrestler’s Improve to 5-2 in Duals By: Kevin Fick
Thursday, Jan. 2nd
Due to a conflict of double
scheduling in the Barrett gym the wrestling dual with New York Mills was moved
to the Elbow Lake Elementary School.
Anytime a team takes on a conference or section opponent there is a
heightened sense in the air, when that team happens to be a conference and a
section foe then it turns into a rivalry.
It is safe to say that there is a rivalry between these two teams. Watching athletes, coaches and fans it is
obvious there is more at stake in a match such as this. Although the venue changed there was no lack
of action in the Elbow Lake gym and the teams put on a fantastic display of wrestling
and coaching. The prize at stake was a
possible berth of the three seed in the section. The WCAAE Knights put on a
commanding display and dispatched the Eagles 46-24 improving the team to a 5-2
record.
The evening opened with junior
varsity competition and the Knights went 4-10.
Following was recognition of the elementary program as Coach Troy Lohse
had 70 young wrestlers on the mat going through an opening warm-up exercise
then a simulated match where 35 pairs of kids squared off all at once. The young Knights put on a great show! Junior varsity wrestler Chris Onstad sang the
Star Spangled Banner and varsity action commenced.
Coach Gruchow said this about the
night…”I feel like we stepped out on the mat tonight ready to wrestle. We were prepared both physically and
mentally; we were ready to take down a great team like New York Mills. This was the challenge that we faced going
into this match. We knew that we needed
to be prepared and have confidence in every match we wrestled. Jake Nohre got us going at the beginning of
the match with a pin. Keaton Long really
helped motivated the team with his 6-5 comeback win in the final second of his
match. We had a job for each one of our
wrestlers tonight; some had to get the pin… while others had to prevent giving
up the pin and there were others who had to finish somewhere inbetween. Most of them went out and did their job and
the others went a little above and beyond.
That’s what it takes to beat good team like New York Mills. We did a lot of great things on the mat
tonight. Now the goal is to keep it consistent…being prepared, mentally and
physically ready, having that winner mentality in every match we wrestle from
now until the end of the season. I have
a lot of respect for this group of wrestlers.
They are a hardworking and talented team it is sure fun to be a part of!”
WCAAE 46, New York Mills 23
106 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated
Nick Hendrickxs per fall 5:16
113 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) won per
forfeit
120 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) defeated
by Jeremiah Harper per fall 4:49
126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated
Austin Haman per dec. 6-5
132 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) defeated
by Tyler Ehnert per dec. 2-9
138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated
Johhny Flynn per fall :44
145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE)
defeated Taylor Ericksrud per dec. 5-3
152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAE) defeated
Maison Friedrichs per fall 3:51
160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated
Brian Pyle per major dec. 9-1
170 lb. Koel Seifort (WCAAE) defeated
by Gunner Flynn per dec. 0-4
182 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) defeated
by Sam Erckenbrack per fall 1:29
195 lb. Tyler Patron (NYM) won per
forfeit
220 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per
forfeit
285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated
Cole Graybow per fall 4:09
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Wrestler of the Week
This week I would like to point out Jake Nohre as out Wrestler of the week! Jake wrestled through a pool of great wrestlers. He wrestled extremely well! He was able to adapt and change as the two day tournament went on. He turned a lot of heads from everyone in the building when he nearly defeated the #3 and #4 ranked wrestlers at 106 pound class losing to one in the final seconds of the match and the other in overtime. Jake did beat a wrestler who is currently ranked #9 in the state, Brady Tweeton of Barnesville. If you remember or have been following us this season you know that Tweeton beat Jake a couple weeks ago after catching Jake in bad position and pinning him while Jake had been controlling and winning the whole match before the pin. There is a quote that says, "Great accomplishments require great sacrifices." Jake sacrificed time last spring and summer to wrestle. While hard at work his friends enjoyed fishing the spring crappie bite/late spring walleye bite. Jake is a huge outdoorsman and I know he would have loved being out there catching fish with his buddies but he sacrificed! He gave up hundreds of hours traveling, practicing, and wrestling in tournaments to make himself better this season. That’s what it takes to be great, that what it takes to improve, that what it takes to place in the top four in a tournament like this. Congrats Jake…keep up the great work bud!”
“Battle at the Big Bear” By: Kevin Fick
Friday & Saturday, December 20th
& 21st
The week of the 20th found
the West Central Area/Ashby/Evansville wrestlers smack dab in the middle of
northern Minnesota in one of the largest tournaments the state has to
offer. Cass Lake-Bena high school hosted
33 teams that competed for bragging rights.
The talent at such a venue is tremendous as a pool of triple, double and
single A schools squared off for two days on eight mats. The schools range a broad area that covered
metro schools such as Robbinsdale Cooper north to Roseau and most in between.
Having become a ‘mat rat’, one who
spends a large amount of time around the wrestler’s and their domain, it has
become very clear that there are two kinds of grapplers. The first is a dual or triangular
wrestler. This is a fast paced athlete
who is able to find life in the quick activity of a match. This grappler has his entire team and
coaching staff near him at all times, he is able to warm up and compete in a
relatively short amount of time. There may be just one or two matches a
night. The second is a tournament wrestler;
he is different from a dual wrestler in that he is patient. He can warm up and relax himself while
waiting for his match which sometimes takes hours. This athlete can put life on hold and focus
on the long-term task at hand. The
tournament wrestler does not have the support of his team as they may be off in
their own matches and the coaches are split up between mats and sometimes
different gyms. This athlete may have many matches in a couple days, sometimes
up to six or seven. With the state tournament
being the goal of most competitors the ability to compete well at a tournament
is where the end focus is held. The
WCAAE Knights are still a relatively young team. There was a vast improvement as a group at
this year’s ‘Big Bear’, in fact from dead last a year ago to the middle of the
pack. There was also great improvement
in single athletes as WCAAE placed four athletes in the medal rounds compared
to none a year ago. There were a handful
of athletes that ended just one round short of the medal rounds. Hard work and growth are the motto of this
team. Some of the losses left a bitter
taste in mouths even from those that medaled.
This should be an interesting season by the end. If the hard work produces the growth intended
our dual wrestlers will be successful tournament wrestlers by the time
conference and sections roll around.
About the week Coach Gruchow states…”We
were able to focus in on the Big Bear Wrestling Tournament this week. We didn’t have to focus on any duals, tri or
weigh-ins other than Friday and Saturday.
We had four solid practices to prepare both physically and mentally for
the 2 day tournament. This tournament is
no ordinary tournament, 33 teams show up at this event. It’s a brutal 2 days of fierce battling, an
emotional series of ups and downs, and a whole lot of ecstasy of winning and
agony of defeat. But it is expected when
33 teams get together and it is what we go there for. It’s a great experience for our guys!
We set our goals to place in the top
10 at the tournament. We knew we had to
place at least 6 guys to get to 10th place.
We landed at 17th after the two day tournament was over and 4
individuals placed in the top 8. We fell
short of our expectations but that’s okay.
The individuals on this team are smart enough to figure out where we
went wrong; they know what matches we should have won. Some have already identified the things that
went wrong in their matches. Most
importantly, these young men are willing to work to improve and learn from
their mistakes.
We were dead last with this same
bunch of athletes last year at this tournament.
We are going to use this as a learning tool…just like we have with every
other match and tournament so far this year and last. Our guys wrestled well and I am proud of
their efforts, we still have a lot of room for improvement and improve is what
we intend to do! There is no easy way…we
just have to keep doing the work!”
The top ten teams from the tournament
include the following….1. Hutchinson 199 pts, 2. Willmar 170.5 pts, 3. Black
Duck/Cass Lake-Bena 132.5 pts, 4. Bemidji 124.5 pts, 5. Barnesville 119 pts, 6.
Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus 117 pts, 7. Detroit Lakes 113.5 pts, 8. Badger/
Greenbush/Middle River 109.5 pts, 9. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 105 pts, 10. Fergus
Falls 104 pts. 17. West Central
Area/Ashby/Evansville 73 pts.
All wrestlers competing finished as
follows….
106 lb. 4th place Jake Nohre defeated
Riley Eidesmoe (Roseau) per dec. 5-0, defeated by Andrew Nissen (Blackduck/Cass
Lake-Bena) per dec. 3-4, defeated Heath Foster (Big Lake) per fall :44,
defeated Austin Bitker (Dilworth/Glyndon/Felton) per major dec. 16-3, defeated
Isaac Isane (Badger/Greenbush/Middle River) per dec. 3-2, defeated Brock Luthens
(Hutchinson) per major dec. 9-0, defeated Brady Tweeton (Barnesville) per dec.
4-3, defeated by Anthony Kern (Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale) per dec. 4-6 in OT
113 lb. Levi Larkin defeated Kevin
Blazek (Crosby/Ironton) per fall 5:02, defeated by Aj. Bethea (Hibbing) per
major dec. 2-15, defeated Mike Bisek (Mahnomen/Waubun) per dec. 10-4, defeated
Nash Sovde (BGM) per dec. 7-2, defeated by Lucas Reiplinger (BCB) per dec. 8-11
120 lb. Keaton Long defeated Patrick
Libel (BL) per dec. 9-8, defeated by Ian Frenzel (BCB) per major dec. 4-13, defeated
Zach Champagne (CI) per fall 1:02, defeated by Jared Sunram (Park Rapids) per
dec. 6-10
126 lb. Tyler Onstad defeated by
Derek Helgoe (BL) per dec. 0-7, defeated by Marcus Jasken (Detroit Lakes) per
dec. 5-9
132 lb. Wyatt Odegaard defeated by
Ben Schindler (Fergus Falls) per fall 1:48, defeated by Trent Rosing (United
Clay/Becker) per fall 3:48
138 lb. 6th place Jake
Larkin defeated Ethan Croatt (Aitkin) per dec. 4-1, defeated by Tristan Rubner
(Pequot Lakes/Pine River/Backus) per dec. 1-6, defeated Hunter Gullikson (BGM)
per dec. 8-3,defeated Luke Payne (DL) per fall 3:39, defeated by Tryston
Kostelecky (Hutch) per dec. 0-7, defeated by Tristan Rubner (PPB) per dec. 1-9
145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen defeated Kyle
Gagner (Red Lake County) per fall 1:11, defeated by Cory Hasbrouck (BGM) per
dec. 6-8, defeated Kyle Caputo (Crookston) per dec. 1-0, defeated by Laine
Jensen (PR) per dec. 6-10
152 lb. 5th place Royal
Crow defeated Jake Magnell (RLC) per dec. 3-1 OT, defeated Justin Dravis (PR)
per dec. 4-1, defeated by Parker Jackson (DL) per dec. 3-9, defeated by Travis
Deegan (Willmar) per dec. 4-7, defeated Justin Dravis (PR) 5-0
160 lb. Braedon Long defeated by
Gannon Strain (Bemidji) per fall 3:51, defeated by Blake Skogstad (ROS) per
fall 3:35
170 lb. Koel Seifort defeated by
Cameron Lundeen (RLC) per fall 5:00, defeated by Dakota Gullickson (BGM) per
fall 4:41
182 lb Sid Kamrath defeated by
Charlie Nienaber (BHV) per fall 4:43, defeated by Chris Foster (PPB) per dec.
1-7
195 lb Hunter Fick defeated by John
French (BHV) per dec. 6-7, defeated Kyle Lynn (AIT) per fall 1:09, defeated
Colton Millner (ROS) per fall :52, defeated by Tanner Templin (BCB) per dec.
1-3 OT
220 lb. 8th place Buzz
Miller defeated Sergey Lemeshevsky (Robbinsdale Cooper) per dec. 8-3, defeated
by Dillon Card (BHV) per fall 1:21, defeated Adam Lorenson (BGM) per fall 1:43,
defeated by Wyatt Yoemans (BEM) per dec. 0-5, defeated by Luke Juve
(Fosston/Bagley) per fall 1:25
285 lb. TJ Waskosky defeated by Owen
Philbrink (HIB) per fall 5:07, defeated by Great Ogboru (RLC) per fall 5:47
Coach Gruchow on ‘Wrestler of the
Week’….”This week I would like to point out Jake Nohre as out Wrestler of the
week! Jake wrestled through a pool of
great wrestlers. He wrestled extremely
well! He was able to adapt and change as
the two day tournament went on. He
turned a lot of heads from everyone in the building when he nearly defeated the
#3 and #4 ranked wrestlers at 106 pound class losing to one in the final
seconds of the match and the other in overtime.
Jake did beat a wrestler who is currently ranked #9 in the state, Brady
Tweeton of Barnesville. If you remember
or have been following us this season you know that Tweeton beat Jake a couple
weeks ago after catching Jake in bad position and pinning him while Jake had
been controlling and winning the whole match before the pin. There is a quote that says, "Great
accomplishments require great sacrifices."
Jake sacrificed time last spring and summer to wrestle. While hard at work his friends enjoyed fishing
the spring crappie bite/late spring walleye bite. Jake is a huge outdoorsman and I know he
would have loved being out there catching fish with his buddies but he
sacrificed! He gave up hundreds of
hours traveling, practicing, and wrestling in tournaments to make himself
better this season. That’s what it takes
to be great, that what it takes to improve, that what it takes to place in the
top four in a tournament like this.
Congrats Jake…keep up the great work bud!”
The wrestlers open up competition
following the Christmas break with conference and section rival New York
Mills. The Knights will host the Eagles
on Thursday, January 2nd. Wrestling will begin at 6 pm. The WCAAE grapplers will travel to Benson
Saturday, January 4th for a 10 school tournament. Action begins at 9 am. Best of luck Knights!
Monday, December 16, 2013
WCAAE Wrestling Schedule for the Big Bear 2013
Thursday
3:35
Leave WCA for Ashby
4:00 Pick Up Wrestlers in Ashby
5:45 Practice in Park Rapids
7:30
Pick up Subway in Park Rapids
8:00
Head to Bemidji Super 8
10:30
Bed Checks and Lights Out
Friday
7:00 Wake Up call
7:30 Leave for Cass
Lake
8:00 Get in a short
workout
9:00 Big Bear-Weigh
Ins – MS Gym
10:00
Coaches Meeting
11:00
33 Team “Battle at Big Bear”
Saturday
Battle at Big Bear-Day 2”
7:00 Wake Up call
7:30 Leave for Cass
Lake
8:00 Get in a short
workout
9:00
Big Bear-Weigh Ins – MS Gym
10:00 Coaches
Meeting
11:00
33 Team “Battle at Big Bear”
3:00
PARADE of CHAMPIONS
Wrestler of the Week #2
This
week I would like to Appoint Anthony "Buzz" Miller as this week’s Wrestler
of the Week’. Buzz had a great week on
the mat. He won both his matches in our
Triangular on Tuesday, plus he took first place in today's tournament. Buzz was injured two years ago, which prevented
him from wrestling last season. It was
hard for him to watch and be around the sport because he wanted to participate
so badly. This year he can compete and
competing is exactly what he is doing.
Buzz has had a winner attitude from the get go and excited to be back on
the mat. He does not back down to tough competition and has asked more than once to wrestle
the opposing teams best guys. Keep up
the great work Buzz it has been a pleasure coaching you so far this season.
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