Knight Wrestlers Improve to 15-3 By: Kevin Fick

The past week found the WCAAE Knights on the road on three consecutive nights.   The Knights wrestled a section match in Breckenridge dismantling the Cowboys with ease.  The following evening the boys in red traveled to Osakis to dual the Silverstreaks and stay in the hunt for a conference championship.  After a gutsy display the Knights found themselves down by one point with one match to go when Buzz Miller pulled out a decision giving the Knights a victory and putting them in a three way tie for the title with Osakis and Royalton.  By 6:30 am the boys were back on the bus in route to Osakis for the Park Region Conference Individual Tournament. 

This is the time of year when athletes in any sport feel the mental and physical strain after two months of hard competition.  Wrestling is no different.  Coach Brandon Gruchow has consistently put together a team that is ready to compete in the duals and in doing so was recognized by his peers as the Park Region Conference ‘Coach of the Year’.  Congratulations Coach Gruchow!  During last week several other career milestones were reached.  Jake Larkin secured his 75^th career victory in Breckenridge.  Hunter Fick and Kyle Mickelsen both reached their 50^th career victories during the PRC tournament.  Congratulations Jake, Hunter and Kyle!

Thursday, Jan. 30^th  Breckenridge

WCAAE 69, Breckenridge 11

Coach Gruchow…”On paper with the size of the team Breckenridge has been wrestling with the dual was in our favor.  We also knew Breckenridge had some good individuals and it was important that our individuals that had matches were focused and ready.  This can be difficult when there are so many forfeits; it’s hard to keep the momentum going.  I was happy with the performance of our wrestlers who had a match.  Keaton Long bumped up a weight class to wrestle Conrad Kondos, and even though he lost he managed to save a team point by not giving up the pin.  Doing these kinds of things is what makes a person a better wrestler.  Tyler Onstad has been wrestling with much more confidence, it showed in his dominant win by fall in the second period.  Larkin, Mickelsen, and Fick all completed their duties on the mat with wins as well tonight.  Braeden Long was winning until he got a nagging injury while wrestling that prevented him from wrestling like he could have.  We hope it heals soon and he can get back into action.”

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) won per forfeit

113 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) won per forfeit

120 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) won per forfeit

126 lb. Conrad Kondos (BRECK) defeated Keaton Long per tech fall 20-3

132 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) defeated Tony Emerfoll per fall 3:34

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Mark Erickson per fall 1:11

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Devin Larson per dec. 13-6

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) won per forfeit

160 lb. Travis Miranowski (BRECK) defeated Braedon Long per fall 5:19

170 lb. Blake Amundson (WCAAE) won per forfeit

182 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) won per forfeit

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) defeated Zach Hasse per fall :49

220 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) won per forfeit

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

Friday, Jan. 31^st   Osakis

WCAAE 32, Osakis 30

Coach Gruchow…”Going into this dual tonight we knew it was going to be a barn burner.  If things went our way we were going to win.  To beat Osakis we had to wrestle with confidence and attitude.  We needed to want it!  The boys wanted it tonight and they wrestled like they wanted it.  They wrestled for the team all the way through the line-up.  There were some great matches throughout the dual, some went our way, and some didn’t.  It was a great atmosphere in the Osakis gym; both teams were good, the benches on both sides were into the dual, the crowd was into it and it was intense.  It was fun to be a part of and even made it just that much better that we came out on top.  It was a big dual to get tonight, I think we have worked our way out of the little slump we had last week!”

106 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Devyn Johnson per major dec. 16-8

113 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Darrin Stoetzel per major dec. 11-0

120 lb. Trenton Coyer (O) defeated Keaton Long per dec. 11-8

126 lb. Brendan Coyer (O) defeated Tyler Onstad per fall 2:52

132 lb. Colton Waldvogel (O) defeated Wyatt Olson per fall :22

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Ryan Engfer per dec. 3-1

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsesn (WCAAE) defeated Garret Sunder per dec. 9-3

152 lb. Kode Seifort (WCAAE) won per forfeit

160 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) won per forfeit

170 lb. Blake Amundson (WCAAE) defeated Austin Sunder per dec. 14-8

182 lb. Nils Hagen (O) defeated Sid Kamrath per fall 1:28

195 lb. Tyler Spanswick (O) won per forfeit

220 lb. Peter Hagen (O) defeated Hunter Fick per dec. 3-1

285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated Mitch Sunder per dec. 6-4

Saturday, Feb. 1^st    Osakis

Gruchow…”We were a little banged up going into today’s Conference Tournament.  We had some of our big point getters out due to injuries.  We finished in 6th place…. which I know we are better than but just not today.  In general we wrestled well, we did have one round that took the wind out of us a little.  I thought Levi Larkin wrestled very well today.  Jake Nohre also wrestled well.  He fell a little short of his goal to be conference champ, but wrestled a great match in the finals against state ranked Noah Becker.  Royal Crow also had a fantastic day; he wrestled a smart match in the finals and brought home his second gold medal for the season.  It would have been interesting to see how we would have finished with Jake Larkin, Braeden Long, and T.J. Waskosky in the line-up.  We hope to have them all back this upcoming week as we have another action packed week ahead of us!”

1. Osakis 158.5

2. United North Central 156

3. New York Mills 155

4. Royalton/Upsula 147

5. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 121

6. West Central Area/Ashby/Evansville 111

7. Long Prairie/Grey Eagle 83

8. Ottertail Central 75

9. Browerville 46

10. Prairie Valley 42

106 lb. Jake Nohre  2^nd place

Defeated Cole Scofield (R/U) per fall 4:40, defeated Ben Johnson (UNC) per major dec. 17-5, defeated by Noah Becker (BROW) per dec. 4-2

113 lb. Levi Larkin 3^rd place

Defeated Brayden Bertram (BHV) per fall 1:14, defeated by Jeremiah Harper (NYM) per dec. 4-0, defeated Levi Cochran (UNC) per injury default, defeated Jose Funes (LPGE) per dec. 5-4

120 lb. Keaton Long

Defeated by James Holen (OTC) per dec. 1-0, defeated Toby Hintzman (UNC) per dec. 3-2, defeated by Justin Gordon (BHV) per dec. 4-1, defeated by James Holen per major dec. 13-3

126 lb. Tyler Onstad 5^th place

Defeated by Sam Naddy (OTC) per major dec. 8-0, defeated by Nicholas Middendorf per major dec. 12-5, defeated Darrin Stoetzel (O) 11-0

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen 4^th place

Defeated by Taylor Ericksrud (NYM) per dec. 3-0, defeated Garrett Sunder (O) per dec. 5-2, defeated by Wyatt Puttonen (UNC) per dec. 4-0

152 lb. Royal Crow 1^st place

Defeated Shawn Urbanski (R/U) per dec. 3-1, defeated Sam Tellers (UNC) per dec. 3-2

170 lb. Blake Amundson

Defeated by Nick Bennett (BHV) per major dec. 10-1, defeated by Brian Pyle (NYM) per fall 2:41

182 lb. Sid Kamrath 5^th place

Defeated by Nils Hagen (O) per fall 1:11, defeated John French (BHV) per dec. 2-1, defeated by Sam Erckenbrack (NYM) per fall 2:11, defeated Gavin Brendefur per injury default

195 lb. Hunter Fick 3^rd place

Defeated Keegan Cavellero (LPGE) per fall :23, defeated by Tyler Spanswick (O) per fall 3:43, defeated Tyler Ukkelberg (OTC) per dec. 7-1, defeated Charlie Neinaber (BHV) per fall 5:20

220 lb. Buzz Miller 3^rd place

Defeated by Taylor Carlson (UNC) per fall 3:19, defeated Mitch Sunder (O) per fall 2:59, defeated Cole Graybow (NYM) per fall 1:15

Gruchow will lead his team to its last regular season dual when Long Prairie/Grey Eagle Thunder comes to Barrett Monday, Feb. 3rd for the final conference dual.  The Knights find themselves in control of their destiny and will be wrestling for the conference championship.  Saturday, Feb 8^th the wrestlers will travel to Morris for the Morris Invitational Tournament.  This is the last competition before section wrestling starts.

Wrestler of the Week

Drake earned my vote for Wrestler of the Week. Although he did not wrestle Varsity on Thursday he did a great job on Friday. It is nice to see a kid so eager to help the team out when and wherever he can. Thursday he wrestled JV and wrestled as hard as he could.... Friday he did the same thing on Varsity pulling in three big wins for his team. Drake has finally grown a bit and that has given him that extra strength and power which helps him out a lot at the 106 pound weight class. Drake is a very considerate teammate who pushes himself in the practice room and is always eager to learn and improve his techniques and abilities. Drake has been a very good practice partner for Jake Nohre who has been the starting 106 pounder. Thanks Drake for pushing even when the going has been tough and thanks for never being satisfied. Keep up the great work!

Wrestlers Go 4-1 By: Kevin Fick

The week of the 20^th found the WCAAE Knight wrestlers in the thick of plenty of action.  Five duals in two nights tested the team and its conviction.  There is always a point in any campaign, athletics are no different, when a season or career is met with decisions.  Having dispatched the previous seven squads the Knights ran into a gritty and scrappy team in Royalton-Upsula.  In fact after the smoke cleared Thursday night in Barrett the Royals packed their gear and took home a two point victory leaving behind a bewildered and disgruntled WCAAE squad.  The Knights did not have long to contemplate a response to the loss as Park Rapids was awaiting their turn to ‘get it on’ with the reeling Knights.  The home squad did make a decision and came out swinging!  Defeating the Panthers by a margin of 15 points the boys in red marched into Browerville the following evening and continued their quest by thrashing the BBE Jaguars, Prairie Valley Knighthawks and Holdingford Huskers by a combined score of 104 points.  The Knights are now 13-3 in team duals.

Thursday, 1/23/14  Barrett, MN

WCAAE 34, Royalton/Upsula 36

106 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Lyle Zimmerman per fall 4:35

113 lb. Michael Petron (ROY) defeated Levi Larkin per decision 6-2

120 lb. Jackson Held (ROY) defeated Keaton Long per fall 4:57

126 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) defeated Joe Jensen per major dec. 10-2

132 lb. Matt Neu (ROY) defeated Wyatt Olson per fall 1:47

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) won per forfeit

145 lb. Brady Moulzolf (ROY) defeated Kyle Mickelsen per dec. 7-1

152 lb. Brad Kroll (ROY) defeated Royal Crow per dec. 9-3

160 lb. Shawn Urbanski (ROY) defeated Braedon Long per dec. 3-1

170 lb. Mitch Lange (ROY) won per forfeit

182 lb. Kyle Lange (ROY) defeated Koel Seifort per fall 4:40

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per forfeit

220 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) won per forfeit

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

WCAAE 45, Park Rapids 30

106 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Dawson Roth per fall :23

113 lb. Jared Sunram (PR) defeated Levi Larkin per fall 1:12

120 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Andrew Goltz per fall :24

126 lb. Tyler Onstad (WCAAE) won per forfeit

132 lb. Nolan Booge (PR) defeated Wyatt Olson per fall 1:13

138 lb. Logan Johnson (PR) defeated Jake Larkin per dec. 9-7 OT

145 lb. Cody Dravis (PR) defeated Kyle Mickelsen per dec. 9-8

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Justin Dravis per dec. 5-4

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Zach Nelson per fall 5:47

170 lb. Zack Tretbar (PR) defeated Blake Amundson per fall :50

182 lb. John Kyllonen (PR) defeated Sid Kamrath per fall 3:32

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) defeated Keith McDaniel per fall :40

220 lb. T.j.Waskosky (WCAAE) defeated Logan Veo per fall 1:48

285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated Chris Baxter per fall 3:19

Friday, 1/24/14  Browerville, MN

Coach Gruchow on Friday night…”I was pleased to see the boys answered back tonight with some fire and we  were able to secure three dual wins after Thursdays performance. We looked much better but we still have much room for improvement. I was a little disappointed Fick didn't get a match this evening. His weight class was plagued with forfeits. Jake Nohre was really moving well on the mat tonight...man he was he quick and aggressive. Drake Swanson stepped up and did a nice job tonight as well. It is so nice to be able to bring up a JV wrestler and win 3 of the 3 matches at the Varsity level. That allowed us to push up from 106 which helps fill our 132 weight class. I really appreciate the fact that the boys are willing to bump up for the team and do what it takes to win.”

WCAAE 53, Brooten/Belgrade/Elrosa 17

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) defeated Tyler Bents per fall 4:45

113 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Kaleb Voss per dec. 10-4

120 lb. Josey Tensen (BBE) defeated Levi Larkin per tech. Fall 17-2

126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Adam Jaeger per fall 3:09

132 lb. Tyler Onstad  (WCAAE) defeated Isiah Gilbert per tech. fall 16-0

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Jonah Voss per fall 3:20

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Treven Quade per fall 1:30

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Alex Schramel per dec. 9-6

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Trustin Ziemer per dec. 6-2

170 lb. Ben Thompson (BBE) defeated Blake Amundson per fall 3:07

182 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) defeated Joe Reller per dec. 6-1

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per forfeit

220 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) won per forfeit

285 lb. Ben Feuerhake (BBE) defeated T.J.Waskosky per fall 1:02

WCAAE 60, Prairie Valley 15

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCCAE) defeated Trevor Arceneau per fall 2:30

113 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) won per forfeit

120 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Will Dodds per dec. 2-1

126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Nolan Hart per fall 1:02

132 lb. Tom Leesberg (PV) defeated Tyler Onstad per dec. 7-3

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Mason Nibbe per fall 1:20

145 lb. Kyle Mickelsen (WCAAE) defeated Zach Ward per fall 5:36

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAE) defeated Nic Shircliff per fall 2:19

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated C.J.Marotto per fall 1:32

170 lb. Blake Amundson (WCAAE) defeated Dillon Borchet per dec. 2-1

182 lb. Josh McKeown (PV) defeated Sid Kamrath per fall 1:12

195 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per forfeit

220 lb. T.J. Waskosky (WCAAE) defeated Eric Brauch per fall :10

285 lb. Logan Nibbe (PV) defeated Buzz Miller per dec. 3-1 OT

WCAAE 49, Holdingford 26

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) defeated Alex Lange per fall 1:27

113 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Jamey Koetter per major dec. 12-4

120 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE defeated Ryan Skroch per dec. 7-5 OT

126 lb. Zach Scott (HOL) defeated Keaton Long per tech. fall 17-1

132 lb. Tazz Taflinger (HOL) defeated Tyler Onstad per fall 1:24

138 lb. Clem Gerads (HOL) defeated Jake Larkin per fall 1:45

145 lb. Jake Knettel (HOL) defeated Kyle Mickelsen per dec. 4-0

152 lb. Kyle Gerads (HOL) defeated Kode Seifort per fall 1:15

160 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) won per forfeit

170 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) won per forfeit

182 lb. Blake Amundson (WCAAE) won per forfeit

195 lb. Sid Kamrath (WCAAE) won per forfeit

220 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) won per forfeit

285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) won per forfeit

The WCAAE grapplers will open the coming week with the last regular season home dual Tuesday the 28^th against the Long Prairie/Grey Eagle Thunder.  This is parents night and the wrestling begins at 6 pm.  The Knights will travel Thursday the 30^th to Breckenridge to face off with the Cowboys.  Wrestling begins at 6 pm.  Friday the 31^st will find the Knights in Osakis making up a conference dual with the Osakis Silverstreaks.  Wrestling will begin at 6 pm.  Saturday the 1^st the wrestlers will return to Osakis for a ten team conference individual tournament.  Action will begin at 10 am.

Little Knights Win Home Tournament

Wrestler of the Week Braeden Long

Braeden Long is this week's wrestler of the week.  He proved that he can fight to the end and win big no matter what the match score might be during the match.  I am proud of Braeden as he is the only senior that has been able to stick with this program.  He has been with us through thick and through thin; which I am sure has been a struggle at times, especially during the low points that almost every wrestler/team goes through.  He has done this without anyone else from his grade to help him out.  He has a high level of perseverance, a great work ethic, and has great leadership skills.  Braeden is a captain of the Knights wrestling team for these reasons.  Keep up the great work Braeden!  And congratulations on being this week's wrestler of the week!”

WCAAE Wrestlers Improve to 9-2 By: Kevin Fick

The Knight wrestlers had another roller coaster of a week that included a Gophers match, a win over MAHACA and a postponed dual  with Osakis due to weather.  Sunday, Jan. 12^th found the team traveling to the University of MN for a dual that showed the #2 ranked Gophers dispatching the Wisconsin Badgers with relative ease.  Tuesday, Jan. 14^th brought the Morris Area/Hancock/Chokio-Alberta Tigers to town.  The ever improving Knights showed a great amount of poise and patience when facing the AA opponent and put up a score of 44-27 on the Tigers.  Due to weather the dual with Osakis that was scheduled for Jan. 16^th has been moved to Jan. 31^st.  The team has also cracked the ‘Mean and Lean’ list, which are the teams getting votes for state rankings.

”We added this dual to our schedule to get another match against a good team.”…said Coach Gruchow.   “MAHACA has and up and coming team just as we do and we knew it was going to be a fun and action filled dual.  It was great to see a team with a full varsity line-up and a good number of JV/JH wrestlers.  The Knights went 5-7 in the JV/JH matches.  Chase Veldhouse, Hunter Mickelsen, Aiden Winter and Austin Clavin all won by fall; Kode Seifort  won by major decision.  It was nice to see the JV getting the big wins, we like to see all the pins!

The Varsity came out strong and set the tempo and expectation after capturing the first four matches of the dual.  We knew we had to come out strong to make it through the middle of MAHACA’s line-up.  They are a solid team….with a team like that you cannot afford to give them any breaks.  We had five pins on the evening; Drake Swanson, Jake Larkin, Braedon Long, Hunter Fick and Buzz Miller all earned those big points which help so much in tight duals.

Our plan is to keep on keeping on.  We are going to push it in the practice room, on the mat, and hopefully the boys are pushing themselves where it matters most….when no one is watching.  It was another fun night and I feel we improved as a team.  Hopefully that continues to be the trend.”

Tuesday. Jan. 12^th  Barrett, MN    Star Spangled Banner was sang by Marrissa Heyward

WCAAE 44, MAHACA 27

106 lb. Drake Swanson (WCAAE) defeated Christian Athey per fall 1:11

113 lb. Jake Nohre (WCAAE) defeated Matt Munsterman per major dec. 14-2

120 lb. Levi Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Jared Rohloff per dec. 2-0

126 lb. Keaton Long (WCAAE) defeated Mitchell Ascheman per dec. 15-10

132 lb. Travis Ostby (MAHACA) defeated Tyler Onstad per fall 2:37

138 lb. Jake Larkin (WCAAE) defeated Trenton Nelson per fall 2:30

145 lb. Myles Smith (MAHACA) defeated Kyle Mickelsen per major dec. 13-3

152 lb. Royal Crow (WCAAE) defeated Jerid Berning per major dec. 9-1

160 lb. Braedon Long (WCAAE) defeated Steven Koel per fall 5:19

170 lb. Danny Trac (MAHACA) defeated Zach Salo per fall 1:37

182 lb. Jordan Thooft (MAHACA) defeated Koel Seifort per tech. fall 16-1

195 lb. Aaron Nelson (MAHACA) defeated Sid Kamrath per fall 1:05

220 lb. Hunter Fick (WCAAE) defeated Alec Gausman per fall 2:25

285 lb. Buzz Miller (WCAAE) defeated Jacob Sperr per fall 1:30

KKOK ‘Wrestler of the Match’ was awarded to Braedon Long

An extra thanks goes to Orvin “Buggs” Erickson.  If there was a greatest fan award from a school it should be given to ‘Buggs’ from WCA.  It is a rare home event that the Elbow Lake native is not cheering from the stands.  Upon chatting with him at most of those contests it is evident that he is not just proud of his hometown but all the kids that participate in it, a pleasure to talk with about sports history.  We’ll see you at the next meet ‘Buggs’!