BEMIDJI -- The Big Bear Tournament returns to Cass Lake-Bena High School this weekend, where the Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena wrestling team will host 39 other teams from around Minnesota.
Teams weigh in at 9 a.m. Friday at the CLB Middle School gym, with the wrestling itself starting at 10:45.
The tournament features teams from all wrestling classes and all regions of the state, from southern teams such as Coon Rapids out of Section 7-3A to northern teams like Roseau out of Section 8A.
The Bears, ranked No. 9 in Class A, have several wrestlers who are ranked individually and will look to compete with the best in the state.
Sophomore Trevor Jansson comes in as the No. 2 wrestler in the 106-pound weight class, while junior Ian Frenzel is No. 3 in the 160.
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Seniors Hunter Wilcowski (195) and Chase Johnson (285) come in ranked Nos. 4 and 5 at their respective weights, while their classmate, Lucas Reiplinger, is No. 8 among 138-pounders.
The lone visiting area school at the Big Bear this season is Fosston/Bagley. The Greyhounds received votes in the Dec. 8 edition of the rankings on theguillotine.com, led by senior Jake Ubert and freshman Carter Sorenson. Ubert earned a spot at No. 4 at 182 pounds, while Sorenson is ranked eighth at 126.
Teams other than B/CLB ranked in the top 10 in their respective classes include Class A No. 3 West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville and No. 11 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville, Class AA No. 7 Hutchinson and Class 3A No. 11 Cambridge-Isanti.
The tournament will pause after the round three of the consolation bracket Friday evening, where it will pick back up again Saturday morning at 10:45 with consolation round four, five and six, the championship semifinals and the placement matches.
