Knight Wrestlers Win Section Headed to State
The West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville Knight wrestlers entered the week with several items hanging at large. The first was, this was the week of team sections. There is pressure with that alone. The second was that this team had a perfect 7-0 record against all section opponents over the season. To be sure, several other teams had improved and moved lineups attempting to maneuver just enough to topple the Knights. Thirdly, the Knights were last years Section 6A champs and having medaled at the state tournament there was indeed a bullseye on the WCAABE boys backs, it has been there all year. Finally, the Knights would be hosting the team portion of the section tournament which adds some pressure in front of a home crowd.
This season began with the highest of expectations. The Knights took on all comers and some of the results did not always go according to plan, but they kept wrestling top levels of talent and were always grinding. Chatter began in forums and circles around the state that questioned the power that the current WCAABE wrestling team has. The question of even getting out of Section 6A began to surface. Head Coach Brandon Gruchow and his staff kept the team working. Always improving lineups and working on mat, emotional and physical skills. The grapplers kept due diligence on themselves and parents stayed supportive of their sometimes less than happy and almost always hungry wrestlers. I myself work with 16 of the Knight wrestlers in the weight room and am well aware of who they are and what they are capable of, but as I walked into the Barrett gym last Friday I kept thinking of a song by David Bowie and Queen...’Under Pressure’.
Action began with the top seeded Knights taking on the bottom seeded Ottertail Central Bulldogs. The Knights shot off to a fast 18-0 lead. OTC managed to gather a pair of back to back wins at 126 and 132 lbs but the good times for the Dawgs ended after that as the Knights flexed hard and won the remaining 9 matches. WCAABE took the bark out of the Dawgs with a final score of 66-10.
The semi-final dual pitted the Knights against the #4 seed New York Mills Eagles. The Eagles looked good against Osakis in their previous dual but could not match up firepower with the Knights. When the dual ended the Eagles were able to secure just 4 victories vs the Knights 10. WCAABE sent the Eagles back to New York Mills with a 54-15 loss.
#13 WCAABE 54 New York Mills (NYM) 15
106: Carlyle Tumberg (NYM) over Evan Dingwall per decision 2-0.
113: #4 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over Finn Wallgren per fall 0:32.
120: Creed Mursu (NYM) over Tucker McGee per fall 1:09.
126: Carter Lohse (WCAABE) over Isaac Geiser per fall 0:26.
132: Sam Olson (WCAABE) over Austin Geiser per decision 7-4.
138: Adam Lohse (WCAABE) over Elijah Geiser per fall 1:06.
145: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Brant Malone per technical fall 17-1.
152: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Joe Mann per fall 0:16.
160: #10 Simon Snyder (NYM) over Ezekiel Sieckert per decision 8-2.
170: Jon Rinerson (NYM) over Jeremy Blascyk per decision 7-2.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Blake Unger per fall 1:27.
195: Beau Robinson (WCAABE) over Mason Unger per fall 0:58.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) over Grady Roberts per major decision 8-0.
285: #8 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) won per forfeit.
While the Knights were taking care of NYM, the Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie Raiders were in a tight match with the Border West Bucs. Their contest came down to the wire where it was decided at 220 lbs. The section championship would pit the #2 seeded Raiders vs the #1 Knights. Action began with a major decision for the Raiders at 106 lb. The Knights answered with a decision at 113 when Owen Gruchow bumped up and took out a #7 ranked opponent. BHVPP gained a fall at 120 lb but just as quickly Carter Lohse gathered a pin for the Knights at 126. The dual was very close with a 10-9 score in favor of the Raiders. BHVPP blew open the score as they gathered falls at 132, 138 and 145 lbs. This put the Raiders up 28-9. The Knights had serious work to do, thankfully they have a cast of serious wrestlers. Solomon Wales had bumped up two weight classes from his normal position and gained a fall at 152 lb. Hunter Gruchow also had made a large weight shift and gained a decision over a quality opponent at 160. This closed the gap a bit to 28-18 but from that point on the Knights dropped the hammer as Zeke Seickert, Anthony Sykora, Beau Robinson, Will Rustan and Justin Blascyk gained 5 falls in a row and secured the win giving the Knights the section championship and their second straight trip to the state tournament. The Knights performed ‘Under Pressure’ when it counted most.
The Knights will wrestle as a team in St. Paul on March 2nd. Their quest for hardware at the big show will be joined by the other 7 section champs. A list of those and current respective rankings includes: Section 1 (#2) Caledonia-Houston, Section 2 (#18) Medford, Section 3 (#1) Jackson County, Section 4 (#11) Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Section 5 (#5) Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Section 6 (#13) WCAABE, Section 7 (#7) Royalton-Upsala, and Section 8 (#20) United North Central. Congratulations to all teams and best of luck at State!
PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
#13 WCAABE 66 Ottertail Central Bulldogs (OTC) 10
106: Evan Dingwall (WCAABE over Lanston Barry per fall 1:51.
113: #4 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over Dylan Geihsler per fall 0:09.
120: Tucker McGee (WCAABE) over Brock Resch per fall 3:11.
126: Mason Christianson (OTC) over Carter Lohse per major decision 9-1.
132: Tayden Soma (OTC) over Sam Olson per fall 1:49.
138: Adam Lohse (WCAABE) over Carson Roehl per decision 7-0.
145: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Conner Nelson per fall 1:51.
152: Kolby Peters (WCAABE) over Xavier Lewis per fall 2:26.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Gaiden Hoeper per fall 1:21.
170: Ezekiel Sieckert (WCAABE) over Will Schwartz per fall 1:15.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) won per forfeit.
195: Beau Robinson (WCAABE) won per forfeit.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) won per forfeit.
285: #8 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) over Kale Rich per decision 5-3.
Hunter Gruchow Returns Cayden Kimber to the Mat. PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
#13 WCAABE 48 #17 Bertha-Hewitt- Verndale -Parkers Prairie (BHVP) 28
106: #6 Hudson Truax (BHVP) over Evan Dingwall per major decision 11-1.
113: #4 Owen Gruchow (WCAABE) over #7 Orran Hart per decision 4-3.
120: Justin Olson (BHVP) over Tucker McGee per fall 1:36.
126: Carter Lohse (WCAABE) over Preston Captain per fall 3:44.\
132: #5 Bennet Arceneau (BHVP) over Sam Olson per fall 3:56.
138: Deagen Captain (BHVP) over Adam Lohse per fall 1:51.
145: #8 David Revering (BHVP) over Kolby Peters per fall 3:04.
152: #8 Solomon Wales (WCAABE) over Blake Sumstad per fall 2:00.
160: #4 Hunter Gruchow (WCAABE) over Cayden Kimber per decision
5-3.
170: Ezekiel Sieckert (WCAABE) over Justin Koehn per fall 2:00.
182: #1 Anthony Sykora (WCAABE) over Kade Nobles per fall 0:20.
195: Beau Robinson (WCAABE) over Carson Sanford per fall 0:16.
220: Will Rustan (WCAABE) over Braden Shamp per fall 5:23.
285: #8 Justin Blascyk (WCAABE) over Hunter Strom per fall 3:41.
PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Coach Gruchow said it all to his athletes this week when he sent out this memo, it deserves to be read:
“Knight Wrestlers-We started the season with high expectations. Most of us believed that a team state title was a realistic goal. We started with a target on our back. It’s tough to start with that target on your back. Opposing teams want to beat you, people get excited and seem to almost enjoy the times when great teams like ours lose, and the expectations of being great can be wearing and daunting in itself. We faced a higher-than-normal level of adversity this season with the death of a teammate, injuries, the weather cancellations, and competition backing out of scheduled events. Through all the adversity, we fell into a minor “slump.” However, we didn’t give up, we were thankful for what we did have and the moments that we were allowed to practice and compete. We made the best of all the situations we faced. Sometimes we were on the winning side and sometimes we were on the losing side of things. Most importantly, we learned how to work through difficult times. There is no doubt in my mind that we got better and better… day by day, week by week, and month by month. This group is extremely gifted: you are talented, hard-working, kind, caring, and smart. You have accomplished what many teams can only dream of. I hope you remember all these things and use them to your advantage as you go into the section tournaments, state tournaments, and to be completely honest... the rest of your life! This team is special so make the best of it. Keep Believing in yourself, Keep Believing in your Team and Teammates, Enjoy these Upcoming Moments, and Make the Best of Them! Soon they will all be memories that we will all get to hold and cherish forever. I appreciate all of you and all of your efforts, your dedication, your perseverance, all your hard work, and your belief in our program and systems! I am very blessed to work with such a fine group of athletes! I look forward to watching those of you that get the opportunity to compete this week in the section 6A team tournament, at the section 6A individual tournament next week, and the state tournament the following week.
I am thankful for the opportunity to work with great athletes. I am excited to watch you compete being aggressive and relentless in your matches. I know you will not be afraid to lose or make mistakes. And training like a Knight… I know that giving up will not be an option!”
Milestones achieved this week included: Sr. Justin Blascyk gathering his 50th career pin, Jr. Carter Lohse earned his 50th career win, and Sr. Beau Robinson secured his 50th career pin.
‘Fastest Fall of the Week’ was very fast. It took Owen Gruchow just 9 seconds to put his OTC man to the mat and gain the fall!
‘Wrestler of the Week’ goes to a most colorful character. Those of you who know Beau Robinson will confirm that! Beau most definitely adds life to any room he is in but he is also a dedicated and hard worker. When he transfers his talents to the mat Robinson is a devastating wrestler. Beau, a senior, is one of the cogs that makes up the formidable top end for the Knights.
Section 6A Team Champs! PHOTO by TAMMIE OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY
