ST. PAUL -- The Bemidji High School wrestling team is bringing home some hardware.
Dane Jorgensen and Seth Newby both medaled for the Lumberjacks in the Class 3A individual state tournament, respectively placing fifth and sixth on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Jorgensen had reached the state semifinals at 145 pounds on Friday, but his bid for a championship ended early Saturday against St. Michael-Albertville’s Cole Becker by a 5-2 decision. Jorgensen then lost a 3-2 decision in the consolation bracket, but he rebounded in the fifth-place match by defeating Elk River’s Daunte Sasse-Doering by a 5-2 decision. Jorgensen caps his season with a 34-7 record.
In the 170-pound wrestlebacks, Newby opened his day with a 5-1 victory over Eastview’s Ezra Formaneck, guaranteeing him a medal, but he lost his final two matches to finish sixth. He ends 37-6 on the year.
Also wrestling for BHS was Nate Schwinghammer in the 220-pound wrestleback field. Schwinghammer lost his first and only matchup of the day, a tight 2-1 decision against Andover’s Nate Beberg, and didn’t place.
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Schwinghammer went 2-2 at state and wraps up the year with a 42-2 record. His 42 victories place him in a tie with Joe Andersen (2004-05) and Chance Hinrichs (2018-19) for the fourth-most single-season wins in program history.
Bemidji will send off four graduating seniors from the program in Dylan Headbird, Thade Osborn, Logan Willard and Schwinghammer.
