Knight Wrestlers Improve to 11-3 Wales Claims Championship in Bemidji
The West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville Knight wrestlers were in action twice over the last week.
Tuesday, the team traveled to Sauk Centre to take on a pair of AA teams in the hometown Mainstreeters and the United Clay/Becker Badgers. The Knights were able to steam roll both opponents with relative ease scoring 63 on the Mainstreeters and 70 on the Badgers while giving up 12 and 9 respectively. The Knights won 23 of those matches and lost 5.
Thursday found the squad at home with a pair of opponents in the #18 ranked AA Dawson Boyd/Lac Qui Parle/Montevideo United team and the Section 6A Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines. The first dual was a slobber knocker. Both the United and Knight teams boast a strong cast of grapplers. The two teams traded blows like heavy weight boxers, punch for punch. When the final match ended both teams were tied 34-34. Of course, there has to be a victor as there are no ties in wrestling. When two teams are tied there is a list of 17 criteria points that are used to determine the winner based on what happened on the mat. The official of the match was reading his criteria sheet and declared United the winner based on criteria 5 which reads, ”The team having accumulated the greater total number of falls, defaults, forfeits and disqualifications shall be declared the winner.” The official had given his ruling and both coaches accepted the decision and returned to the bench. This would seem very cut and dried other than the fact that after looking closer at the criteria Coach Brandon Gruchow realized that the teams were still tied after criteria 5. United had one more fall but WCAABE had received a forfeit….that is a tie. Criteria 6 reads...”The team giving up the least forfeits is declared the winner.” A complaint was filed but it was too late. The record will read that United won the dual. Tough loss in a match that was not exactly a loss.
About the loss Coach Gruchow had this to say, ”I want to publicly apologize to the Knights wrestling community and mostly our athletes. Las night I could have been more diligent in handling our tie. After looking into it more carefully, I realized that we should have won the dual. Unfortunately, it was too late to go back and change the results. United didn’t win on the criteria of having more pins but rather because of a lack of knowledge and diligence on my part. Forfeits should have been accounted for with the pins. Since they forfeited one match we should have won on that criteria. I will learn from my mistake and will now always take my own rule book up to the head table in the circumstance as a tie. I am sorry.”
The Knights took their loss from the first dual on Thursday and extracted a bit of revenge on the Wolverines from WDC. The dual was a landslide that resulted in a 70-6 drubbing.
Tucker McGee covers his DBLM opponent for a fall. PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Undefeated wrestlers for the week included Owen Gruchow, Solomon Wales, Kolby Peters, Hunter Gruchow, and Anthony Sykora.
Milestones achieved on Tuesday included: Owen Gruchow earning his 50th career win and Adam Lohse gathering his 100th career victory. On Thursday Hunter Gruchow hit the 100 career win mark and Anthony Sykora secured his 200th career victory. Congratulations men!
‘Fastest Fall of the Week’ honors go to Anthony Sykora. It took 25 seconds for Sykora to turn his WDC opponent upside down.
‘Wrestler of the Week’ is a bit different than normal. Typically, the column lists off one of the 14 wrestlers from the varsity team. This season the Knights have a new division that we do not hear about all that often. Minnesota is experiencing a fast change in the sport of wrestling. There is a female division and I am here to tell the readers that if they watch some of these young ladies in action, the ability is awesome! They have every capability the boys do when competing against their own gender. Knight nation knows the Wales family name. Solomon has become a staple on the varsity lineup and his father Dan is an assistant coach on the Knight staff, but their importance to this segment is simply association…Lucea Wales a Jr., Solomon’s twin sister, is one of the new Knight Lady Wrestlers. Last Saturday Lucea traveled to Bemidji and participated in the Sanford Arena in the Rick Lee Wrestling Invitational. She was in the Ladies Division competing at 120 lbs. Lucea went 4-0 in the tournament claiming the championship. On the way to First Place she defeated a pair of top ten individuals. Congratulations Lucea, you are paving the path for many young ladies. Knight nation wishes you the best!
Lucea’s box scores:
Round 1-Defeated Brooklyn Neilson (Bemidji) by fall 5:06.
Round 2-Defeated #7 ranked Kiera Hagman (Bemidji) by fall: 51.
Round 3-Defeated Izzy MacDonald (Bemidji) by decision 7-1.
Round 4-Defeated #8 Alicia Szydel (Blackduck-Cass Lake-Bena) by major decision 17-6.
The Knight wrestling team will resume action twice this week. On Tuesday, the team will travel to Minnewaska to face a scrappy 3-3 Lakers team. WCAABE will also wrestle the 7-2, #13 Paynesville Bulldogs. Thursday, the squad will host their final home dual which will also be Parents Night. The team will host the 5-3 AA Morris Area/Hancock/Chokio-Alberta Tigers. These two teams always have great duals, show up and help cheer on the Knights!
#18 AA Dawson-Boyd - Lac Qui Parle - Montevideo United (DBLQ) 35 #11 WCAABE 34
106: #9 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over Eli Olson by major decision 12-4.
113: #7 Ben Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Nicholas Dulas by fall :16.
120: Tucker McGee (WCAABE) over Bentleigh Bothun by fall :53.
126: Holland Schacherer (DBLQ) over Logan Schmall by fall :18.
132: #6 Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Sam Olson by fall 3:37.
138: #8 Zander Clausen (DBLQ) over Adam Lohse by decision 5-2.
145: Kolby Peters (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
152: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Ethan Moravetz by decision 5-1.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Noah Meyer by fall 2:24.
170: Holt Larson (DBLQ) over Jeremy Blascyk by major decision 12-2.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Mason Pederson by fall :53.
195: Beau Robinson (WCAABE) over Parker Bothun by decision 6-2.
220: Zach DeBeer (DBLQ) over Will Rustan by decision 3-0.
285: #9 Brady Rhode (DBLQ) over #9 Justin Blascyk by fall 2:42.
#11 WCAABE 70 Wadena-Deer Creek (WDC) 6
106: Evan Dingwall (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
113: #9 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
120: Tucker McGee (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
126: Mason Brauch (WDC) over Logan Schmall by decision 6-0.
132: Sam Olson (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
138: Adam Lohse (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
145: Kolby Peters (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
152: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Eli Benning by major decision 10-0.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
170: Jeremy Blascyk (WCAABE) over Ettore Pinnella by fall 5:56.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Brandon Wheeler by fall :25.
195: #7 Koby Endres (WDC) over Beau Robinson by decision 6-4.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
285: #9 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) over Matthew Wegscheid by fall 4:38.
Jeremy Blascyk pins his WDC opponent. PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
#3 WCAABE 63 Sauk Centre-Melrose (SCM) 12
106: Dominic Kerzman (SCM) over Evan Dingwall by fall 3:10.
113: Ava Lohse (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
120: #9 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over Lanna Walter by fall 4:13.
126: Noah Christen (SCM) over Tucker McGee by fall 2:30.
132: Sam Olson (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
138: Adam Lohse (WCAABE) over Mitchell Christen won by decision 12-5.
145: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Jose de los Santos by decision 3-2.
152: Kolby Peters (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Cesar Avalos by fall :28.
170: Jeremy Blascyk (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Eden Rangel by fall :48.
195: #10 Beau Robinson (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) over Isaac Frericks won by fall 4:26.
285: #9 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) over Will Sjogren by decision 3-2.
#3 WCAABE 70 United Clay Becker Badgers (UCBB) 9
106: Kody Johnson (UCBB) over Evan Dingwall by decision 4-0.
113: Nicholas Dulas (WCAABE) over Tristin Strom by fall 1:19.
120: #9 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over Jared Ohm-Mehrer by fall 3:49.
126: #9 Taylor Johnson (UCBB) over Tucker McGee by fall 1:11.
132: Logan Schmall (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
138: Sam Olson (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
145: Adam Lohse (WCAABE) over Jackson Mikkelsen by fall 1:53.
152: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Ryan Francis by major decision 17-7.
170: Jeremy Blascyk (WCAABE) over Grady Hines by fall 1:55.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Ezekiel Noel by fall :57.
195: #10 Beau Robinson (WCAABE) over Tyler Geray by fall 2:26.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
285: #9 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) won by forfeit.
Lucea Wales in the first place spot on the winners podium. PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
