By Oran Sorenson, Coach
Tuesday February the 4th our wrestlers, coaches, statisticians, and cheerleaders loaded a bus for the far southern tip of our state for a date on the mat with Marion-Freeman, Elk Point-Jefferson, and Beresford-Alcester Hudson in a quadrangular.
“The outing may have been our best of the year,” said head coach Francis Ruml. “We had wrestled the much-improved team of Marion-Freeman two weeks ago in a match we coaches thought we could have won. That made it much easier to get in our boys’ ears and let them know we felt they could win this dual,” said volunteer coach Oran Sorenson.
This time we won in our first dual of the night by a score of 44-33. Three things made the difference. First, the four lower weights, Preston Bohl, Jayse Miller, Braxton Rozeboom and Hunter Abraham set the tempo. All got first or second period pins setting the stage for the rest of the team. Second, we had Hayden Stotereau with us, who picked up 6 team points earning a forfeit at 182, and most important we had two boys defeat opponents we had lost to last time.
“It is very gratifying to see an athlete step it up a notch and avenge a defeat from earlier in the season,” said assistant coach Jason Bohl whose team gave him a birthday present with the win over Marion-Freeman. Tayson Swatek at 138 lbs. and Parker Schlenker at 160 lbs. deserve special recognition for accomplishing that feat. Our final victor in the first dual of the night was Gabe Johnson at heavyweight.
The fired-up team continued their strong performances into the second dual of the night with perennial powerhouse Beresford- Alcester Hudson. Again, the lower weights got us rolling with three pins by Bohl, Miller, and Rozeboom. Our team would now enter the toughest part of our opponents’ lineup where wins could be quite scarce. We lost at 132 by decision in a well fought match by Hunter Abraham. At 138 we lost by fall.
“By far the biggest turn around of this dual was when Dominic Abraham at 145 lbs. rose to the task when his Class A ranked opponent tried to launch him with a throw, but Dom returned the favor pinning his opponent’s shoulders to the mat midway through the second period,” said Coach Ruml.
“That victory was huge for us,” said volunteer coach Tyler Sorenson, who used to be the head coach for BAH just a few years ago when he coached that team to a state championship. Our opponents, still in the strength of their lineup, would pick up 12 points in the next two weight classes, but that would not be enough. The Blue Dragons would close strong, picking up points in four of the five final weight classes with Parker Schlenker winning by decision, Jaden Richter with a come from behind pin, and Stotereau and Johnson both by forfeit. Final score, Garretson 46, Beresford-Alcester Hudson 28.
The final opponent of the night for the Blue Dragons would be host and another fine team from Elk Point Jefferson.
“We did not match up well with them,” said Coach Ruml. The visitors won quick pins in the lower two classes with Bohl and Miller, but after that were able to win only one more match. That victory was a quick pin by 182 lber Hayden Stotereau in just 33 seconds.
“It was fun to see the big smile on Hayden’s face,” said coach Sorenson. “Despite only being out for the sport a couple of years, Stotereau works hard and deserved the victory. You hope each athlete is able to experience their ‘brief, shining moment’ in life. We never know in life when that may come, but it is sure gratifying to be there when it happens for these kids.”
The Huskies’ strength in their middle and upper weights would propel them to a final score of 57-18.
