Swamp Night!

Gators Steal a Victory Over Pirates

By: Ryan Bergeron

            The Gators were looking to stay perfect on the season as they came to the mat for their second consecutive home dual against the Crookston Pirates. Many matches with Crookston have been very entertaining and have been decided late, but the Gators wrestled hard on Friday, January 6 to run away from the Pirates early in route to an impressive 46-17 victory.

            Coach Bergeron commented on his team’s third dual win, “It was a nice win for us, but we are going to have to have our A game on as we wrestle on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this upcoming week, which will be a big test for our team.”

            Wyatt Becker got the action started fast for the Gators again at 106, pinning Crookston’s Preston Desrosier with three seconds left in the first period. After the Gators’ Devin Dostal (113) accepted a forfeit, Isaac Novacek came to the mat next, looking to keep the Gators rolling early. Isaac did just that, pinning Crookston’s Shad Steer at the 1:50 mark at 120; the Gators led 18-0. Brandon Waage followed with a pin of his own at 126, recording a fall over Crookston’s Kyle Caputo  at the 1:48 mark.

            Crookston would finally look to get on the board, as the Gators’ Cory Hasbrouck would face Crookston’s Nate Merten at 132. Cory wrestled hard throughout the match, never giving up and almost recording nearfall points at the end of the match. Merten had built too big of a lead early and eventually beat Hasbrouck by a 14-5 major decision. Gunner Gust then came to the mat for the Gators at 138, looking to get his team back on the board, as he wrestled the Pirates’ Zane Baranski. After falling behind 2-0 early, Gunner would give Baranski a ride, getting a reversal and nearfall points to take a 5-2 first period lead in dramatic fashion. Gunner built off this and went on to dominate Baranski by a 12-3 major decision; the Gators led 28-4. The Gators’ next sent Jacob Jenson to mat next at 145, as he would take on the Pirates’ Wyatt Hanson. In the closest match of the night, going back and forth, Hanson would pull away late to win by 10-6 score. The Gators’ Brendon Dostal looked to prevent the Pirates from recording consecutive victories, taking on Crookston’s Luke Edlund at 152. Dostal would get out to an early 2-0 lead, but Edlund would come back, catching and pinning Dostal at the 2:38 mark.

            Tomm Ingle came to mat next, looking to get the Gators back on track, wrestling against last year’s state entrant Blake Bergeron of Crookston at 160. In a match featuring two wrestlers who placed in the top five at the Big Bear, Tomm looked ready and proved it, wrestling hard early and pinning Bergeron with 10 seconds left in the second period; the Gators led 34-13. After the Gators’ Tejay Wojchowski accepted a forfeit at 170 and the double forfeit at 182, the Gators’ John “J-Dog” Westman took to the mat against a very tough Josh Edlund of Crookston , who was also a state entrant from last year. In a quite entertaining match, John wrestled hard throughout the match, recording a couple takedowns, but Edlund proved to be too much in the end, pulling away late to win by a 12-4 major decision. The match soon ended after this, with a double forfeit at 220 and the Gators’ Alex Yeager accepting a forfeit at 285; the Gators won convincingly 46-17.

            The Gator JV, which has wrestled very well as of late, recorded 10 victories (out of 13 matches) against the Crookston JV. Recording victories for the Gator JV were Isaac Isane, Nash Sovde, Luke Nelson, Devin Pries, Dakota Gullikson, Logan Stein, Daron Sikorski, Seth Dostal and Adam Lorenson, who had two victories on the night. Keep working hard boys!

            The Gators will get back to the practice room, but not for long, as this week will be very busy. The Gators next action will be a quad in Detroit Lakes against DGF, Moorhead, and DL on Thursday, January 12. They will travel to Mahnomen to take part in the annual Mahnomen duals on Friday and finish off the weekend at the annual Rick Lee Invite in Bemidji. After this week we will definitely see what the Gators are really made of. If they hope be successful through this busy and tough weekend, they will need to keep working hard, push one another, and become one “TEAM”.  The Gators would like to thank the great support at the past two home duals, but hope to see some of Gator Nation during the very busy upcoming week! GO GATORS! 

           

           

Friday, January 6, 2012

Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 46 Crookston 17
106 Wyatt Becker (BGMR) over Preston Desrosier (CK) Fall 1:57
113 Devin Dostal (BGMR) won by forfeit
120 Isaac Novacek (BGMR) over Shad Steer (CK) Fall 1:50
126 Brandon Waage (BGMR) over Kyle Caputo (CK) Fall 1:48
132 Nate Merten (CK) over Cory Hasbrouck (BGMR) Major Decision 14-5
138 Gunner Gust (BGMR) over Zane Baranski (CK) Major Decision 12-3
145 Wyatt Hanson (CK) over Jacob Jenson (BGMR) Decision 10-6
152 Luke Edlund (CK) over Brendon Dostal (BGMR) Fall 2:38
160 Tomm Ingle (BGMR) over Blake Bergeron (CK) Fall 3:50
170 Tejay Wojchowski (BGMR) won by forfeit
182 double forfeit
195 Josh Edlund (CK) over John Westman (BGMR) Major Decision 12-4
220 double forfeit
285 Alex Yeager (BGMR) won by forfeit 

Gator Boys Shake off Sluggish Start and Come Home with a Victory

GATOR BOYS SHAKE OFF SLUGGISH START AND COME HOME WITH A VICTORY

     Playing the first half as if they were reliving their elementary years the Gator Boys Basketball Team shook off a horrible first half and came home with a 59-32 victory over the Lake of the Woods Bears.  The Bears would dominate much of the first half and build their lead to 7 with about 4 minutes to go in the half.  The lead could have been much more but fortunately for the Gators the Bears missed several easy shots.  The Gators would begin to catch their stride at the 4 minute mark and went into halftime with a 5 point lead.

     The Gators came out on a mission in the second half and began to play basketball the way they are capable.   Using full court pressure defense and strong inside play the Gators would tear away from the Bears and ran away with the 27 point margin of victory.

     Jacquan Rhen had a solid offensive game for BGMR.  Rhen had 20 points and dished out 5 assists.  Jacob Anderson notched a double/double with 14 points and 11rebounds.  Although no other Gator was in double figures scoring BGMR was balanced and had 8 players score on the night.  The Bears were led in scoring by Aaron O’Connell who dumped in 11.

     BGMR will have 1 more road game before they finally get some home cooking.  Tuesday night the Gators travel to Newfolden to take on a talented Freeze team.  The Freeze are in the upper tier of teams in the section and BGMR will need to continue to improve to have a chance.  BGMR hopes to finish off this road stretch, in which they have played 10 of their first 11 games on the road, with a win.  Gator Nation will need to make the short trip to Newfolden to help the Gators as they take on the rival Freeze team.

Gators Drop Tough One to Ponies

submitted by Coach Kent Christian

     The BGMR Gators and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies have developed quite a rivalry over the past five years with several games coming down to the final possession.  Tuesday night’s match-up was no different as the Ponies battled from behind and hit a shot at the buzzer to send the Gators to a 55-54 defeat.

     The Gators were not playing their best ball from the get go but did manage to take an 8 point halftime lead.  The Gators would later push that lead to 12 and had several possessions to increase the lead even more but BGMR failed to capitalize and in the end the pesky Ponies made the Gators pay. 

     The wheels on the Gator train began to slowly fall off at the five minute mark.  At that time the Gators had a 12 point lead and the ball.  The Ponies however chipped away and cut the lead to 5 with just over two minutes to play.  BGMR helped the Ponies in the final 2 minutes as the Gators missed a 2 shot free throw and 3 front end of bonus free throws.  Going 0-5 from the free throw line would single doom for any team and ultimately doomed the Gators.  Clinging to a 1 point lead with just over 10 seconds to go the Gators had to rely on their defense as the Ponies had the ball.  BGMR did an outstanding job forcing the ball out of bounce under the basket with 3 seconds left.  BGMR again did an outstanding job but Pony big man Zach Riopellle hit a tough shot to send the home team Ponies into a frenzy.

     Offensively the Gators had solid nights from Jacob Anderson who had 17 points and Jacquan Rhen who had 15 points and 9 rebounds.  The Ponies got 19 points from Jayvon O’Quin and 11 points, including the game winner from Riopelle.

     Despite the heart breaking loss in which the Gators gave a lot of possessions away BGMR will now need to focus its attention to Friday’s game at Lake of the Woods.  The long trip to Baudette can be a tough one and the hungry Bears usually play hard.  BGMR will need to come ready to play or the Bears will be looking for the upset.

Gator Wreslers Take Big Bear

By: Ryan Bergeron

            Coming off of two team titles, the Gators came into the 32 team Big Bear tourney in Cass Lake looking to finish off the pre-holiday schedule off right. The Gators did just that and more, continuing their winning ways with their most impressive tournament showing thus far, especially considering they had two open weight classes. They went on to win the  two-day tourney over second place Thief River Falls by 52.5 points, as they showed great balance by having eight placers, including four champions.

Coach Bergeron commented on his team’s impressive finish, “I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. They proved that they will be a hard team to beat come tournament time.”

            Claiming the four Gator titles were Isaac Novacek (120), Brandon Waage (126), Tejay Wojchowski (170), and Alex Yeager (285). Isaac went 4-0 on the weekend to claim his title, capping it off with a solid 5-3 victory over Park Rapids Area’s Ben Baumgartner; Novacek is 11-0 heading into the holiday break. Brandon Waage claimed his title in emotional fashion as he came up with an impressive come from behind victory over a solid Cody Weiland of Crookston, pulling away late to win 10-2; Brandon went 4-0 on the weekend. Tejay Wojchowski also claimed a come from behind victory, scoring four points in a matter of just a few seconds to erase a 3-0 deficit and hold on to win by a narrow 4-3 score over  a very good Colin Huckbody of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley-Nevis ; Tejay went 5-0 in the tournament. Alex Yeager claimed his title in typical Yeager fashion, recording five pins, including his final pin over ranked Zach Gibson of Morris Area at the 3:42 mark.

            Achieving the next highest finish for the Gators was Wyatt Becker (106), as he went on to a solid third place finish, continuing to open up more and more every weekend. Wyatt went 5-1, including an impressive 12-5 decision over state ranked Colton LaPlante of Aitkin in the quarterfinals. John Westman (182) and Tomm Ingle (160) each had nice fifth place finishes. John came back from a first round loss to go 5-2 overall, while Tomm had a tough semifinals loss, but had a solid tournament by finishing 4-2 overall. Rounding out the placing for the Gators was Devin Dostal, wrestling tough and placing sixth in a very good weight class. Corey Hasbrouck (132), Gunner Gust (138), Jake Jenson (145), and Brendon Dostal (152) didn’t place for the Gators but wrestled hard and will continue to do so as the season progresses.

            The Gators will head back to the practice room during Christmas break coming off a great first half of the season. They know that will have to continue to work hard in the practice room if they want to carry that success into the second half of the season, having a lot of tough competition ahead. Some young kids have stepped it up and the Gators have impressed thus far, but if they hope to have continued success they will need to keep working hard and, most importantly, come together as a “TEAM”. The Gators would like to thank all of the great support that was shown in Cass Lake, “Gator Nation” definitely made its impression known on Saturday. Come on out and continue to support the Gators as the calendar turns to 2012. The next action for the Gators is a dual at home against the Mahnomen-Waubun Cougars on January 3. GO GATORS!!

Gator Boys Lose Home Opener

The BGMR Gator Boys Basketball Team spent the first 30 minutes of a 36 minute game sleep walking and because of this, a talented Kittson Central Bearcat team jumped on the Gators and cruised to a 50-39 win. 

     BGMR found themselves down by 20 at the 6:00 minute mark of the second half.  At that time the Gators boys decided to play with a passion that eluded them for the first 30 minutes.  BGMR cut the lead to 9 but time ran out on the Gators and thus gave the Bearcats the road win.

     BGMR was lead in scoring by Jacquan Rhen.   Rhen needed 24 shots to net 13 points.  Jacob Anderson also managed to land in double figures for the Gators as he pumped in 11.  Nathan Hietala continued his sold play with 9 points. 

     Defensively the Gators did a nice job limiting a solid Bearcat team to 50 points.   Zach Rynning, who torched the Gators for 39 points in last years playoff game dumped in 15.  Derek Coffield who has also hurt the Gators in the past netted 14.

     BGMR will complete its pre-holiday schedule on Tuesday when they go back out on the road traveling to Plummer to take on the Red Lake County Rebels.  BGMR is hoping to go into the holiday break with a victory.  It will not be an easy task as the Rebels have been playing better basketball as of late. 

     The BGMR Boys Players would like to take this time to thank all parents who worked the successful supper before the Kittson Central game.  A special thank you to Becky Dostal and Connie Creviston for heading up the work crew.

Gators Bring Home Road Win

     The BGMR Gators Boys Basketball Team pushed their record to 2-3 with a 61-47 road win over the Clearbrook-Gonvig Bears.  The Gators played their best team basketball of the year as they landed 3 individuals in double digit scoring and two others with 8 and 7 points. 

     The Gator’s first half defense resembled the Grinch Who Stole Christmas as they limited the Bears to 14 points.  Using their defense as a jump start the Gators went into halftime with a 29-14 lead.  The second half saw the Gators come out a little flat and the Bears cut the Gator lead to seven.  BGMR was able to answer and hit some key baskets down the stretch to bring home the win.

     Freshman Aaron Dostal had a huge game for the Gators.  Dostal scored a career high 20 and pulled down 10 rebounds.  Jacob Anderson also had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Senior guard Nathan Hietala broke out of his mini slump and poured in 11.  Jacquan Rhen scored 8 and Tanner Creviston 7.  The Bears were led by Verdell Beaulieu who netted 14 and the lightening quick Weston Bakke had 12.

     The Gators will now shift their attention to their home opener on Friday night.  It will be a tall order as an impressive Kittson Central team comes to town.  The Bearcats are lead by all conference players Derek Coffield and Zach Rynning and are a team to watch in Section 8A.   BGMR will need to take care of the ball better and will have to be at the top of their game in order to come away with a home victory.  It will also be the first time this year that Gator Nation will be able to witness their team on its home court.  Basketball parents will be serving a soup and sandwich supper before the game.  Come on out and let the parents do the cooking and enjoy some great basketball action.

Trivia Question:  (Answers can be given to Coach Dahl between the J.V. and Varsity game.  Winners will get a pair of Coach Kierah Kimbrough socks.)

How many points did Coach Kimbrough have in her high school career?