BEA too much for Eagles

By PAUL DUNLAP

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- The Blue Earth Area Buccaneers showed why they're the fifth-rated team in Class 2A.

The Bucs, behind four pins and three technical falls, cruised to a 49-13 win over New Ulm High in South Central Conference action at NUHS gym Friday night.

The Eagles, now 1-2-1 on the season, will have off for the holidays before traveling to a triangular at Hutchinson Jan. 4.

"(BEA) is a fine wrestling team -- there's no doubt about it," New Ulm coach Dar Arndt said. "They got eighth (place) in the (Minnesota) Christmas Tournament, and that's no fluke because there's 32 good teams up there. You can't get around (state champions Jeff) Pfaffinger and (Ty) Eustice ... they're just tougher than nails. I thought we would wrestle a little closer with them than we did."

The Bucs started the meet by taking the first 18 points as Taylor Teems took a 6-1 decision from Chris Koob at 103 pounds, Jared Evans scored a tech fall (5:16) over Jon Jamison at 112, Blake Murphy scored a 12-4 major decision over Adam Bartels at 119, and Pfaffinger pinned Dan Mielke (1:18) at 125.

The Eagles' Nate Gieseke, bumped up to 130, scored New Ulm's first points of the night with a hard-fought 4-2 overtime decision over BEA's Jake Ankeny. Gieseke normally wrestles at 125.

"We had to do something there because the Pfaffinger kids is just that good," Arndt explained. "We have to get Mielke somewhere in the lineup too, so we tried it. We didn't know what would happen."

BEA would score two more tech falls, by Travis Olson and 135 and Josh Malwitz at 145, that were sandwiched around Paul Ruch's 9-1 major decision over BEA's Matt Bartley at 140. Ruch scored two third-period takedowns to ensure the win.

"He wrestled (Bartley) in the Christmas Tournament and beat him also," Arndt said of Ruch. "So that (win) was one of the ones we were counting on anyhow."

Eustice then took the mat and scored a pin (2:34) over Greg Jamison at 152, Travis Krinkie scored a 5-1 decision over Tony Ruch at 160, and a pair of pins -- from Rich Rasmussen (2:00) at 171 and Jay Frederickson (2:50) at 189 -- gave Blue Earth a commanding 49-7 lead. New Ulm's Andy Bernard scored the final points of the night for the Eagles with a forfeit win at heavyweight.

"Two years ago we tied (BEA) 32-32, and last year we beat them," Arndt said. "We graduated more kids than they did, and it showed tonight."

The New Ulm junior varsity won a 34-21 decision over BEA earlier in the evening.

BLUE EARTH AREA 49, NEW ULM 13

103-Taylor Teems (BEA) dec. Chris Koob 6-1; 112-Jared Evans (BEA) tech. fall Jon Jamison 5:16; 119-Blake Murphy (BEA) maj. dec. Adam Bartels 12-4; 125-Jeff Pfaffinger (BEA) pinned Dan Mielke 1:18; 130-Nate Gieseke (NU) dec. Jake Ankeny 4-2 OT; 135-Travis Olson (BEA) tech. fall Matt Wenninger 6:00; 140-Paul Ruch (NU) maj. dec. Matt Bartley 9-1; 145-Josh Malwitz (BEA) tech. fall Justin Windschitl 6:00; 152-Ty Eustice (BEA) pinned Greg Jamison 2:34; 160-Travis Krinkie (BEA) dec. Tony Ruch 5-1; 171-Rich Rasmussen (BEA) pinned Travis Aufderheide 2:00; 189-Jay Frederickson (BEA) pinned Spencer Dickinson 2:50; HWT-Andy Bernard (NU) won by forfeit.