Bucs derail RRC-WWG wrestlers

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

ST. PAUL -- This time there would be no surprise.

After the Red Rock Central/Westbrook Walnut Grove Falcons surprised Jackson County Central in the Section 3-2A team final, they were noticed. After the Falcons won their opening Class 2A dual Thursday by defeating Stewartville, the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers knew the Falcons were not a team to be taken lightly.

The Bucs came ready for a fight. RRC/WWG gave them one down low, but succumbed in the middle and upper weights as BEA rallied for a 37-22 semifinal victory Friday in the Class 2A Team Championship Series at Xcel Energy Center.

"I felt that we were the better team, but they're a good team, too," BEA coach Jack Eustice said. "And the better team doesn't always win in the state tournament."

This time it did. The fourth-ranked Buccaneers all but owned the middle and upper weights against the eighth-ranked Falcons.

"There were a lot of key matches," said RRC/WWG coach Bruce Olson, who tried several line-up moves against BEA. "We might have tried different moves at a different time, but probably not. We've been doing our homework. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

The Falcons, who will wrestle Dassel-Cokato in the Class 2A third-place match at 3:30 p.m. today, started out strong. RRC/WWG (15-6-1) won four of the first six matches and held a 16-9 lead after junior Austin Scarset flattened the Bucs' Tony Boehm in just 12 seconds.

The Falcons didn't win another match until the dual had been decided. BEA (17-4) ran off six straight match wins beginning at 140 pounds.

Travis Olson and Ty Eustice got consecutive falls at 140 and 145, pinning Brent Schroeder and Clayton Hubert, respectively. At 152 pounds, Darren Tietz dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to the Bucs' Josh Malwitz.

At 160 pounds, Travis Krinkie major decisioned Alex Ourada 17-7 and Rich Rasmussen pinned the Falcon's Eric Nelson at 171. BEA's Jay Frederickson earned a 10-5 decision over Tim Johnson at 189 before Justin Pape got the Falcons a victory by sticking Eric Sonnek at heavyweight.

"I was happy with how we wrestled," said Falcon freshman 103-pounder Mikias Redman, who dropped a 4-3 decision to Jared Evans. "I didn't get to do my stuff, but it's a good experience to go out there. ... I'm just happy to be here now. I'm just taking it all in."

For the Sibley East Wolverines, the state team tournament has been quite an experience. Sibley East (13-10-0) endured its second straight lopsided loss in as many days, falling 54-6 to fourth-ranked Adrian in a Class 1A consolation semifinal Friday.

The Wolverines won only two matches, both by decision. Erik Wallace won his 140-pound match from the Dragons' Trent Bullerman 5-1 and Brian Walters decisioned Adrian's Lance Bullerman 5-2 at 152 pounds.

Six of the Dragons' 11 victories were by falls. Adrian also won two major decisions.

"I have to give our kids credit," Sibley East coach Mel Cain said. "Some of our kids got caught. We were ahead in some of those matches we got pinned. But that's inexperience.

"I can't fault our kids. They were going out there after them."