Wrestlers notch SCC win

Daniel Eckhardt

After 13 matches, the Blue Earth Area wrestling team clung to a two-point lead over Waseca going into the final match Thursday night in Blue Earth.

The Bucs chipped away at a 12-point deficit to take the lead at 215 pounds with Taylor Andrews 4-1 decision win.

Now, the winner of the conference matchup was going to be decided by the “Big Boys” at heavyweight.

For Buc sophomore Josh Johnson it would be his fifth match of the season, having missed the start of the season due to illness.

Johnson admits he felt a little pressure of having the outcome in his hands.

“I tried not to think about it. Coach said to ignore the scoreboard and to do the best I could. I just wanted to win for the team,” he says.

Johnson took a 2-0 lead 50 seconds into the match and went on to decision Jacob Claybaugh, 9-2.

Head coach Randy Wirtjes says the win was a real team effort.

“I knew on paper it was going to be a close meet. The kids wrestled hard and stuck together as a team when things got tough,” he says.

The Bucs got off to a 3-0 lead with Travis Hagedorn’s 8-4 win at 103 pounds.

The Bluejays countered with a decision and pin in the next two matches to go ahead 9-3.

Buc senior D.J. Gronewald answered with a pin in 1:32 at 125 pounds to tie the score, but two Waseca pins put the Bluejays ahead 21-9.

A Matt Dulas pin at 140 and Joe Franta’s tech fall at 145 trimmed Waseca’s lead to 21-20.

The Bluejays added six points to their lead with a pin at 152 pounds, but that set up the match that may have turned the meet around.

The Bucs Carter Hanson was bumped up to 160 pounds.

Waseca’s Connor Oelke took a 2-0 lead into the second period and added a reversal and three back points with 43 seconds left to make the score 7-0.

However, Hanson was not about to quit. The Buc freshman scored a takedown eight seconds into the final period and the let Oelke go to trail 8-2.

With a minute left in the match, Hanson got another takedown and then added three back points, to make the score 8-7.

Oelke again was let go for one point, but Hanson got another two points with a takedown to tie the match at 9-9.

Hanson then put his opponent to his back and pinned him with seven seconds left in the match.

Waseca’s lead was cut to 27-26, with four matches left.

BEA would win three, the only loss coming at 171 pounds.

Senior Daniel Eckhardt, rated No. 10 in Class A, faced Brandon Pederson, ranked No. 2 in Class AA.

With 14 seconds left in the match, Pederson got a takedown for a 5-2 win.

103: Travis Hagedorn (BEA) dec. Triston Hoy, 8-4.

112: Jake Nelson (Waseca) dec. Jesse Alleven, 11-10.

119: Tanner Pehrson (Waseca) pinned Jake Wirtjes, 3:30.

125: D.J. Gronewald (BEA) pinned Alec Dwyer, 1:32.

130: Hunter Pehrson (Waseca) pinned David Franta, :50.

135: Zach Gehloff (waseca) pinned Mitch Heronimus, 1:32.

140: Matt Dulas (BEA) pinned Jacob Delling, 1:52.

145: Joe Franta (BEA) tech. fall Makal McDaniel, 20-5, 4:15.

152: Bruce Harguth (Waseca) pinned Abi Vasquez, 1:16.

160: Carter Hanson (BEA) pinned Connor Oelke, 5:53.

171: Brandon Pederson (Waseca) dec. Daniel Eckhardt, 5-2.

189: Cody Eckhardt (BEA) dec. Jamal McDonald, 4-3.

215: Taylor Andrews (BEA) dec. Michael Hayes, 4-1.

275: Josh Johnson (BEA) dec. Jacob Claybaugh, 9-2.