What a Week!

The Crowd

Gruchow vs Zdrazil AWF

Gopher Day Sunday

Little Guys With Tony Denucci

Little Knights take 2nd in Minnewaska

Wrestler of the Week

Hunter Fick earns my vote for Wrestler of the Week.  Hunter is only a second year wrestler.  His strength and natural God given talent has allowed him to accomplish things that wrestlers who have wrestled their whole life want to accomplish.  Hunter is an extremely hard worker, very self-disciplined, and loves competition.  This is a great recipe for success on the wrestling mat.  Hunter shined this week with a great triple overtime win over state ranked Brad Jacobs of Minnewaska and a pin over his Browerville opponent.  Hunter has so much potential to continue to grow and improve as a wrestler.  His knowledge content that he has for wrestling is limited due to his inexperience; however his willingness to learn and train hard makes up for it!  What a super athlete and a pleasure to coach…keep up the great work Hunter!

Trojans Trampled, Lakers Sunk, Tigers Destriped By: Kevin Fick

Dominant: Exercising controlling power or influence

The 5^th week of the wrestling season found the Knight Wrestlers shredding through their competition.  With convincing road victories in Glenwood and Browerville the boys in red looked more like raging bulls than high school students.  The funny part of success is that it is infectious.  Coach Gruchow and his staff may have these athletes conditioned and ready to wrestle but the team seems to feed on itself and when the winning starts the victories begin to pile up.  The Knights are now 8-2 in team duals.

The grapplers are growing in skill and confidence by the week.  One of the most noted accomplishments witnessed lately is a presence of mat awareness.  If the reader can imagine what this means the wrestlers are beginning to use the mat as a tool instead of just a work bench.  To further explain this a wrestler needs to score points to win.  The athlete that can score points without endangering themself is typically the one with a hand raised at the end of a match.  A month ago many of the wrestlers were blowing in hard on an opponent anywhere on the mat, this week it was clear most of the Knights positioned themselves near the edge of the mat which equates to safety if the move is not successful.  This team is no longer frustrated when a move does not work but instead works to frustrate an opponent with a move.  From the fast paced antics of the light weights to the brute force of the heavier weights there has been growth in every athlete…most enjoyable to watch.

“It was great to get back into some well needed wrestling action”…stated Gruchow.  “We missed out on the Benson Tournament this past weekend due to the weather and a few of our wrestlers haven’t had any live competition since the week before Winter Break. Due to the long break of competiton and practice I was a little skeptical on how the wrestlers would perform.   We went into the triangular with high expectations for our Team.  We pulled the boys into the Minnewaska practice room before the tri to get a quick but intense workout in.  We didn’t want them to be overconfident but we wanted them to be physically and mentally prepared…we wanted to make sure they were ready to be dominant in both the Ortonville and Minnewaska duals.  They came out ready and prepared.  The boys were on a mission and it was fun watching them throughout the two duals.  There were a lot of great things that went on during the triangular.  Some of the highlights included Braeden Long earning his first pin of the season, Tyler Onstad really opened it up on his feet, and Hunter Fick beat the 6th ranked guy in the state at 195 pounds in the third and final overtime.  It was a good night; however there are definitely techniques and positions we need to improve on and tune up before the end of the season.  That’s what the boy’s will be doing at 6:30 tomorrow morning!”   

Tuesday, Jan 7^th   Glenwood, MN

WCAAE 74, Ortonville 6

106 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Ben Eustice per fall 4:50

113 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Tristan Eastman per fall 4:40

120 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Jordan Karasch per fall 4:47

126 lb. Wyatt Odegaard (WCAAE) won per forfeit

132 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) defeated Elijah Cloos per fall 4:16

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) won per forfeit

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Joseph Eustice per fall :45

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Dylan Pillatzki per fall 2:46

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Cody Bedore per tech. fall 16-0

170 lb. Isaac Cloos (ORT) defeated Koel Seifort per fall 4:45

182 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) defeated Robert Wood per fall 3:06

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per forfeit

220 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated Kyle Rockensock per fall :44

285 lb. T.J. Waskosky (WCAAE) defeated Hayden Knip per dec. 7-0

KKOK ‘Wrestler of the Match’ T.J. Waskosky

WCAAE 57, Minnewaska 14

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) won per forfeit

113 lb. Joseph Weaver (MINN) defeated Levi Larkin per dec. 11-4

120 lb. Aiden Winter (WCAAE) won per forteit

126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Spencer Winter per dec. 4-3 in OT

132 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) defeated Garret Kelling per fall 1:56

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) won per forfeit

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Weston Lardy per dec. 2-0

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Marcelo Arredondo per fall 2:14

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Andrew Troen per fall 1:50

170 lb. Caleb Blaisdell (MINN) defeated Koel Seifort per tech. fall 19-4

182 lb. Ryan Stottler (MINN) defeated Sid Kamrath per fall 1:49

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) defeated Brad Jacobs per dec. 2-1 triple OT

220 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) won per forfeit

285 lb. T.J. Waskosky (WCAAE) won per forfeit

KKOK ‘Wrestler of the Match’ Hunter Fick

About the night in Browerville Gruchow states…”It is said that 90% of wrestling matches are won before they are even wrestled….this is the big message we are trying to push onto our wrestlers.  They are in a much different place than they were last year…they are better, more experienced, have bigger goals and we are seeing a different mindset.  These wrestlers want to be better, they want to learn techniques, and they are willing to push themselves to the next level.  In our last three duals including our dual tonight, they boys knew they could win, they knew they had to win, and they got the win.  Browerville had some open spots so we knew we were sitting in a good spot to win the dual but we wanted to be dominant.  This desire to win was shown during Kyle Mickelsen’s win in the last 3 second of the match when he scored a takedown with a nice whip-over which won him the match.  He wasn’t satisfied with loosing, he wanted the win, and he made it happen.  These types of things are happening more and more, the boys are finding the ways to win, or score the points that they need to help out the team and themselves.  The mind is a powerful tool in the sport of wrestling and a key to success.  I think the wrestlers are catching on to it!   Hopefully they can lock it in in our next two duals against Morris and Osakis.”

Thursday, Jan. 9^th    Browerville, MN

WCAAE 69, Browerville 6

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) won per forfeit

113 lb. Noah Becker (BROW) defeated Jake Nohre per dec. 3-0

120 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) won per forfeit

126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) won per forfeit

132 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) won per forfeit

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Dalton Butler per fall :50

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Jackson Wollenburg per dec. 3-2

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Nic Becker per fall 1:46

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Austin Twardowski per fall 1:46

170 lb. Koel Seifort (WCAAE) defeated Devin Lange per fall :56

182 lb. Jake Gaida (BROW) defeated Blake Amundson per dec. 6-5

195 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) defeated Bo Olson per fall 3:14

220 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) defeated Damion Lange per fall 5:55

285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated James Gaida per fall 2:26

The Knights find themselves back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 15^th in a home dual against Morris Area/Hancock/Chokio-Alberta.  Wrestling begins at 6 pm in the Barrett gymnasium.  Thursday, Jan. 17^th the wresters travel to Osakis.  The dual is scheduled to start at 6 pm.

Wrestler of the Week

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!  

Wrestler’s Improve to 5-2 in Duals By: Kevin Fick

Thursday, Jan. 2^nd

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

Saturday the 4^th the Knights were scheduled for a tournament in Benson.  Weather put an end to all area athletics over the weekend.  Competition resumes Tuesday, Jan. 7^th when the Knights travel to Glenwood for a tri against the hometown Lakers and the Ortonville Trojans.  Action begins at 5 pm.  Thursday, Jan. 9^th the wrestlers travel to Browerville for a dual.  Wrestling begins at 6 pm.