BEA hits the mat for two more wins
Victories over Westfield and LCWM improve team record to 5-0

BEA’s Kean Hicks works for a takedowns in his match against Westfield. Hicks would go on to win by a 9-4 decision and the Bucs defeated the Razorbacks 44-27. BEA downed LCWM 64-15 to remain unbeaten.
The Blue Earth Area wrestling team improved their record to 5-0 with two wins on Tuesday, Jan. 26, when they played host to the Westfield Razorbacks and the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area Knights in a triangular meet.
BEA defeated both schools while LCWM defeated Westfield in the other match.
BEA 44, Westfield 27
Cooper Peterson’s 5-3 decision over Hunter Simonson at 106 pounds gave the Bucs a 3-0 lead. Caleb Langager followed with a 17-0 technical fall over Kevin Hodge at 113 pounds to put BEA on top 8-0.
Bo Zweiner scored a fall over Carson Sturtz in overtime at 120 pounds and Lane Lembke pinned the Bucs’ Angel Martinez in the third period at 126 pounds to put the Razorbacks on top 12-8.
BEA’s Brody Anderson at 132 pounds and Ty Peterson at 138 each received a forfeit to give the Bucs a 20-12 lead.
Westfield’s Keegan Bronson won by a fall over Gabe Smith at 145 pounds to cut BEA’s lead to 20-14 before the Bucs reeled off four consecutive wins to take control of the match.
Parker Meyers won by a decision at 152 pounds, Max Ehrich won by forfeit at 160, Kean Hicks scored a 9-4 decision at 170 and Nick Frank won by forfeit at 182 to extend BEA’s lead to 38-14.
The Razorbacks rebounded with nine consecutive points when Tyler Archer pinned Adam Schavey in the second period of the 195-pound match and Dylan Ehmke downed the Bucs’ Logan Johnson 5-1 at 220 pounds.
Luke Mertens got the final points of the match for BEA when he received a forfeit at 285 pounds.
BEA 64, LCWM 15
Blue Earth Area and the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Knights met in the final match of the evening.
The Bucs scored three straight wins to race to an early 16-0 lead.
Cooper Peterson won a 9-1 major decision at 106 pounds, Caleb Langager won by a forfeit at 113 and Carson Sturtz was victorious by a first-period fall at 120 to account for BEA’s scoring.
“The guys were a little sluggish in our first match against Westfield,” BEA head coach Randy Wirtjes said. “We talked about some things between the two contests and I felt we came out and wrestled much more aggressively against LCWM.”
Griffin Gimenez of the Knights pinned Angel Martinez in the second period to make the score 16-6 in favor of the Bucs.
BEA’s Brody Anderson received a forfeit at 132 pounds and Ty Peterson won by a fall in the second period in the 138-pound match to increase the Bucs’ lead to 28-6.
LCWM’s Nick Slater won by a fall over Gabe Smith at 145 pounds to make the score 28-12.
BEA’s Parker Meyers at 152 pounds, Max Ehrich at 160 pounds, Kean Hicks at 170 pounds and Adam Schavey at 182 pounds all scored first-period pins over their LCWM opponents to increase the Bucs’ lead to 52-12.
The Bucs’ Nick Frank bumped up from his normal 182-pound weight to wrestle at 195 pounds and lost a tough 7-4 decision to Brendon Jones of the Knights.
BEA’s Luke Mertens at 220 pounds and Logan Johnson at 285 each scored first-period pins to make the final score 64-15 in favor of the Bucs.
BEA was scheduled to wrestle in Fairmont on Friday, Jan. 29, in a triangular meet with the Cardinals and the St. Peter Saints. Results of those contests will be next week’s edition of the Faribault County Register.