WRESTLING: Crosby's 100th victory highlights lopsided Bemidji victory over N-K
BEMIDJI – Entering the season Bemidji senior wrestler Logan Crosby believed he was on track to win his 100th career match.What was considered inevitable in November became less certain in January, however, as Crosby was felled by tonsillitis and missed two weeks of the season.
Crosby returned to the mat Thursday at home against Nashwauk-Keewatin needing one more victory to reach triple figures. He found himself in a battle against Nick Bruss in the 138-pound division but a third-period reversal was enough to cement a 4-3 victory.
A handful of individual bouts provided the only suspense Thursday as N-K forfeited eight of the 14 matches and those free points enabled the Lumberjacks to coast to a 66-6 victory.
Among the more suspenseful of the evening was Crosby’s battle with Bruss.
“It was good that I had to work for the win,” Crosby said. “Going into the match I thought the score would be a little better for me but the win is something I’ll always remember.”
Crosby entered the campaign with 78 victories and he has been nibbling at that gap all season.
“Getting this win was a hump that I had to get over,” Crosby said. “It’s nice to get No. 100, especially because my brother Jake (who graduated in 2011) only had 78. This is something I’ll always have over him.”
Because of all of the forfeits, BHS could have lost all six of the contested matches and still won the meet.
“It’s frustrating to be given all the forfeits but two years ago we were doing the same thing as Nashwauk did,” said Lumberjacks coach Rance Bahr. “Sometimes circumstances do not allow you to send kids onto the mat.
“But I thought we wrestled very well,” the coach continued. “The two matches we lost were by freshmen who went the full six minutes against two very tough kids.”
Tyler Maas gave BHS a 3-0 lead after posting a 13-7 victory at 106 pounds. Nashwauk-Keewatin forfeited the next four matches and Crosby upped the lead to 30-0 with his 4-3 win at 138.
Gannon Strain dropped a 9-3 decision to Orrin Holmbeck at 152 but Drew Peterson answered for Bemidji with a first-period pin at 160.
The teams split the only other two contested matches. Bemidji’s Brody Wilander fell 13-8 at 195 but Wyatt Yoemans pinned his 220-pound opponent in 25 seconds.
The Lumberjacks (9-8) will be busy during the final week of the regular season. On Saturday they will travel to the Fertile-Beltrami Invitational and on Tuesday they will compete at a triangular hosted by Brainerd.
The week will close with a dual at Pine River on Thursday and the Bemidji Quadrangular on Feb. 8.
Prior to Bemidji’s win Blackduck-Cass Lake-Bena stopped Nashwauk-Keewatin 55-22.
The Bears were awarded six forfeit wins but posting individual victories were Michael Juelson at 113, Daven Staples at 160, Nate Jablonski at 170 and Tanner Templin at 195.
Bemidji 66, Nashwauk-Keewatin 6
106: T. Maas (B) dec. J.Bruss 13-7
113-O’Beirne (B) won by forfeit
120: B.Maas (B) won by forfeit
126: Azure (B) won by forfeit
132: C.Maas (B) won by forfeit
138-Crosby (B) dec. N.Bruss 4-3
145: Treuer (B) won by forfeit
152: Holmbeck (NK) dec. Strain 9-3
160: Peterson (B) pin Bonderson 1:52
170: Dreyer (B) won by forfeit
195: Erkkila (NK) dec. Wilander 13-8
220: Yoemans (B) pin Bouche 0:25
Hwt: A.Johnson (B) won by forfeit
BCLB 55, Nashwauk-Keewatin 22
106: Nissen (BCLB) won by forfeit
113: Juelson (BCLB) pin J.Bruss 0:56
120: Michalek (BCLB) won by forfeit
126: Preston (BCLB) won by forfeit
132: Trunt (NK) pin Yates 1:53
138: N.Bruss (NK) won by forfeit
145: Patch (BCLB) won by forfeit
152: Holmbeck (NK) dec. Jedlicka 10-2
160: Staples (BCLB) pin Bender 0:48
170: Jablonski (BCLB) dec. Bonderson 18-4
182: Gross (BCLB) won by forfeit
195: Templin (BCLB) dec. Erkkila 10-2
220: Bouche (NK) won by forfeit
Hwt; Cheney (BCLB) won by forfeit
