Jacks seek to reclaim section wrestling title

The Bemidji Lumberjacks wrestling team seeks to reclaim its Section 8AA team title today when it competes at the section team meet at Elk River.

Bemidji drew the top seed and will receive a first round bye.

Opening matches pit No. 8 Elk River against No. 9 Moorhead at 12:30 while No. 10 St. Cloud Tech faces No. 7 Apollo.

At 12:30, Bemidji gets the Elk River-Moorhead winner in the upper bracket while fourth seeded Sauk Rapids takes on fifth ranked Brainerd.

In the lower bracket, third ranked Monticello faces sixth ranked Alexandria while the Tech-Apollo winner goes against second ranked Grand Rapids.

Despite its season-long battles at the lower weights, Bemidji rated the top seed and stands a good chance of regaining the title it surrendered to Sauk Rapids last year.

It was the first in history for the Storm and ended a two-year Bemidji run. Bemidji had won five of the six previous crowns after never taking the section since the team event was started in1976.

Bemidji has defeated all five section foes it wrestled this season, Grand Rapids, Alexandria, Moorhead, Brainerd and Sauk Rapids with margins ranging from 10-26 points.

It did not face Elk River which shaded Moorhead 33-32 and Monticello 33-31 and lost to Alexandria 37-34 in its only bouts against section rivals.

Still, Coach Rob Whelan fears the Elks, a team he feels the Jacks match up the worst against of any team in the section.

Of the other openers, Apollo beat Tech 53-18; Sauk Rapids beat Brainerd on criteria after the pair tied 32-32 while Monticello and Alexandria have not met. Monticello did beat Tech, Apollo and Sauk Rapids this winter.

Bemidji ended 10-3 in duals, coming from behind in every match to win in the upper seven weights.

Its lone setbacks came to Forest Lake and Simley at the Forest Lake triangular and BGMR at home, all three state rated.

The Jacks will take 19 wrestlers to the meet leaving Whelan with some flexibility to maneuver to match his opponents' strengths and weaknesses.

Leading the way will be Joe Andersen (29-0), Steve Masterson (16-0) and Kaleb Young (17-0) who has been sidelined for the past five weeks with broken hand but returned to workouts this week and appears to be in good shape.

But its only wrestler in the lower seven weights with a winning record is freshman Dale Norton (18-13).

But starting with Corey Huber at 145, every wrestler is over .500 with most capable of pins every time out.

A bright sidelight, however, has only three seniors among the tournament cast, Anderson, Aaron Olson and Young.

Listed on the team roster today are:

103-Luke Bruns (8-15) and Colton Doty (2-1)

112-Dale Davy (8-19)

119-Rob Mason (4-8)

125-Seth Dremmel (4-22) and Norton (18-13)

130-Norton or Dremmel

135-Trevor Lyseng (4-15)

140-Lance Richter (12-16)

145-Huber (16-7) and Travis Utley (3-11)

152-Andersen (29-0)

160-Olson (21-11)

171-Brandon Bahr (21-6) and Evan Olson (8-3)

189-Steve Masterson (16-0), Young (17-0) and Alex Willard (2-2)

215-Jake Sorby (24-6)

Hwt.-Kyle Mason (10-9)

The individual tournament will take place Friday and Saturday at Alexandria with Bemidji hoping to get 4-6 wrestlers to the state meet.

Young placed third and Andersen fifth last year along with Greg Skerik (3rd), Travis Beighley and Dan Sorby who graduated.

Since the split into three class wrestling, Bemidji has won five titles, Elk River four and Little Falls and Sauk Rapids one.

In the old two class system, Rocori won 10 titles, Moorhead five and Little Falls and Brainerd two.

The initial Section 8 team champ under the single class system was Fertile.

A sidelight of today's meet will be Andersen who will win his 200th career victory with his first win, joining Skerik as the only Bemidji wrestlers to achieve that total.

SECTION 8

MAT CHAMPIONS

Section 8

1976 Fertile

Section 8AA

1977 Moorhead

1978 Moorhead

1979 Moorhead

1980 Moorhead

1981 Moorhead

1982 Brainerd

1983 Rocori

1884 Rocori

1985 Rocori

1986 Rocori

1987 Rocori

1988 Little Falls

1889 Brainerd

1990 Rocori

1991 Rocori

1992 Little Falls

1993 Rocori

1994 Rocori

1995 Rocori

Class 8-3A

1996 Elk River

1997 Elk River

1998 Elk River

1999 Little Falls

2000 Bemidji

2001 Bemidji

2002 Bemidji

2003 Elk River

2004 Bemidij

2005 Bemidji

2006 Sauk Rapids