Ooo, Dinosaurs!

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Greenbush/Middle River Preschool students when they got to visit Mrs. Sorenson's room and feel real dinosaur bones! I personally wasn't there but if they are anything like me when I was that age, I can guarantee that they were excited. A thanks goes out to Mrs. Sorenson and her presentation, thank you.

 RAWR! I'm a Dinosaur!!

I've made a DISCOVERY!

 Future Archaeologists

 I'm going to eat you!

 I wanna see!

 That's what that looks like!

 Look at this... fossils are awesome!

 Those look weird...

 This is a very special fossil

What is that?

 Oh!

 I want to touch the bones!

Ooo; aahh

Gator Take Eight, Bring Home Two Medals

By: Ryan Bergeron
        
  Following a great fourth place finish in the team portion of the state tournament on Thursday, the Gators looked to get some rest and carry that success into the individual tournament, which took place on Friday and Saturday. The Gators had a rollercoaster ride during the individual tournament, having many highs and many lows, but in the end they brought home two state medals in Tejay Wojchowski (170), sixth, and Alex Yeager (285), second. Coach Bergeron commented on the individual portion of the state tournament,” It was a battle with many highs and lows, many of our kids left their hearts on the mat. Down at the state tournament one big move can win you and match and one small mistake can cost you a match.”
          
 At 113, Devin Dostal was the Gators first qualifier, going to his first state tournament as an eighth grader, and showing much promise. After getting caught and pinned by Mitch Steffens of Wadena-Deer Creek in his first match, Devin was fortunate enough to get another match, and he didn’t waste it.  Devin defeated Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City’s Tyler Berghuis, a sixth place finisher a year ago, gaining a takedown in the final period and riding him out to win 2-1. Devin fell one match short of placing, falling to Medford’s Tyler Keller, a fifth place finisher a year ago, by a 4-1 decision. Way to go Devin on a successful 34-12 season!
         
 At 120, Isaac Novacek, the second Gator qualifier, was in one of the toughest sides of the state tournament, with two previous state champions in Isaac ( ranked #2) and Mitchel Lexvold of Kenyon-Wanamingo (ranked #1), and Tanner Mills of Kimball Area (ranked #3). Isaac won his first match, pinning Bryon Forstner of Madelia-Truman at the 2:47 mark. This moved Isaac into the quarterfinals between Mitchel Lexvold, also a former state champ, where Isaac fell behind early and lost by a 6-2 decision. Isaac came back in the first consolation round, defeating Minneota’s Nick Esping by a dominating 18-5 major decision. Isaac then matched up with a tough Tanner Mills, where he got out to an early lead, but Mills came back and took a lead of his own. In desperation mode, Isaac tried everything to come back and perhaps turn Mills, but wasn’t able to, and fell in heartbreaking fashion. Isaac has nothing to be ashamed about, as he had an awesome career, compiling the third most victories in Gator wrestling history, being a five-time state qualifier, placing sixth, third, and first at the state tournament, and going 44-2 this season.  He was a very dedicated and hard-working athlete, making those around him better, as, from personal experience, I know I wouldn’t have made it to the state tourney without him. He was a great senior leader that will surely be missed next season.
         
 The Gators next individual qualifier, Brandon Waage at 126, didn’t place, but did get some valuable mat time, winning a match down there. Brandon fell in his first match to the eventual third place finisher, Dylan Herman of United South Central, by a 9-0 score. Brandon fortunately got a second match, taking on Saint James’ Isaac Carreon, getting out to an 8-0 lead, and hanging on to the win after getting reversed and put to his back by an 8-5 decision. Brandon also fell one match short of placing, falling to Border West’s Gus McCarthy, the eventual fourth place finisher. Way to Brandon on a successful 34-10 season!  
          
 At 132, Corey Hasbrouck was another Gator qualifier, making it to the state tournament as the five seed in sections, defeating the four, one, and three seeds in route to a section title, a feat showing that  the amount of wins and losses doesn’t matter, but instead the amount of heart. Corey didn’t place at state, losing to Atwater-Cosmos Grove City’s Logan Peterson in his only match, as Peterson lost his next match, but Corey will forward to getting better next year and possibly make it to state again. Congrats Corey on a successful season, winning a section title!
         
 The next Gator state qualifier was Tomm Ingle at 160, who didn’t place down at state but wrestled hard and got some valuable mat time. Tomm wrestled his opening match against a tough Stephen Erlandson, the eventual third place finisher, of Breckenridge/Campbell-Tintah, and was unfortunately pinned by Erlandson. Tomm fortunately got another match, facing off against eventual fourth place finisher, Adam Joseph of Kimball Area, and wrestled hard, never giving up, but eventually fell to Joseph by an 11-3 score. Way to go Tomm on a great 37-10 season!
           
The Gators’ sixth state qualifier, Gator senior Tejay Wojchowski, wrestled hard down at state, finishing in sixth place. His first round match was against third ranked Nathan Tomala of Pierz, where Tejay led 3-2 late in the third period before Tomala tried desperately to come back, but Tejay caught and pinned him with four seconds left in the match for his 100th career victory. This win placed him in the quarterfinals, where he dominated throughout, beating Dillon Downes by a 12-0 major decision. This win secured a state placing for Tejay, moving him into the semifinals against Travis Schiefelbein of Kimball Area. Tejay trailed 2-1 late in the third period, and continued to go after Schiefelbein , but was unable to get the match-winning takedown and fell by the 2-1 score. After falling to the eventual third place finisher, Partrick Rooney of Belgrade-Brooten- Elrosa, by a 5-2 score, Tejay faced a familiar foe in Nathan Tomala for fifth place honors. Tejay held a 4-3 lead over Tomala with seven seconds remaining, but Tomala rolled and reversed him, and Tejay fell by a 5-4 score; finishing in sixth place at 170. Congrats to Tejay on a great career, making the medal stand, reaching 101 victories, and having a 37-7 record; he was a great senior captain that will be missed.
           
Timm Ingle was another of the Gators state qualifiers, not placing but coming very close to winning a match, where he took on Kimball Area’s Travis Wills at 182 pounds. With Timm down by a 4-3 score, he tried desperately to come back in the third period, trying to throw Wills, but Wills got the takedown and Ingle fell by a 6-3 score. Unfortunately, Timm wouldn’t get another match with Wills losing his next match, but he will get one more shot to get on the medal stand, and hopefully he takes advantage of it. Congrats Timm on a successful 20-4 season and a section championship!
           
The final state qualifier for the Gators was senior, Alex Yeager, who was trying to return for a second consecutive state title. After gaining a pin over Tyler Jensen of Benson in one minute, Yeager moved on to the quarterfinals in a match that will be remembered forever. With Alex down 10-2 late in the third period to River Valley’s Lance Briard, he got an escape and a stalling point to cut the score to 10-4. With just under 20 seconds and now only being able to win by pin, Alex threw Briard to his back and tightened the pinning combination with a headlock to pin Briared with just two seconds remaining. After this thrilling come-from-behind victory, Alex took on second ranked Colin Turchin of Bertha- Hewitt/Verndale in the semifinals. Alex controlled the match from the get-go, pinning Turchin at the 3:26 mark to move on to the finals against Paynesville Area’s Dominick Platow. Trailing 1-0, heading into the final period, Alex looked to possibly pull off another come-from- behind victory, choosing to go on top for a second consecutive period. As Alex was trying to turn him, Platow rolled through and reversed Yeager, putting him on his back and pinning him toward the edge of the mat with thirty seconds left in the match. Even though Yeager wasn’t able to repeat, which is a hard thing to do, he still has much to be proud, finishing second twice and first once at the state tournament, becoming fourth all time on the Gator wrestling winning list, and getting 139 career pins. Alex’s presence at the end of the lineup and in the wrestling room will definitely be missed next season. Congrats Alex on the second place finish and a stellar 39-3 record!
           
Another season has gone by, but the memories made during this season will remain forever. A huge thank you needs to be given  to all the fans, coaches, managers, cheerleaders, wrestlers, and the many others who made his season a fun and successful one. Also a nice farewell needs to be given to Gator senior wrestler Brendon Dostal ,as well as Gator manager, Chelsea Booe, both of them and the rest of the seniors will be missed, and good luck to all of them in the future. Congrats on a successful and memorable season for the Gators, Section 8A champions and fourth place state team finishers. From the words of assistant coach, Josh Kern, “Who’s year?” The answer to that question, “our year,” is so true for the Gators, as it definitely was their year!  GO GATORS!

Gators Wrestle Hard, Take Fourth at State

By: Ryan Bergeron

                The Gator wrestling team had come off of two great section meets, qualifying for state as team by defeating Frazee in the section title match after a six year drought, and qualifying eight wrestlers for the state tourney after individual sections the following weekend. They then traveled down to Excel Energy Center in St. Paul for the team portion of the state meet, not only hoping to represent their section well, but take home some hardware and make their community proud. The Gators did just that, getting a huge opening round victory over Lake Crystal- Wellcome Memorial (# 4 seed) in the quarterfinals. The Gators would next meet up with the #1 seed and returning state champions, Jackson County Central (JCC), in the semifinals, and wrestled hard, making JCC work for every point, but JCC went on a little run during the match and the Gators lost by a respectable score of 46-25, winning five matches during the dual. This loss moved the Gators into the third place match where they took on a tough Minneota team (#3 seed). The Gators fell behind early with Minneota getting out to a fast start, and they battled back, but in the end they eventually fell by a 42-26 score, taking home fourth place honors in Class A.  Coach Bergeron commented on his team performance,” I thought our kids really battled hard and did not back down from anyone, it was a great experience and our guys should be proud to be the 4th best Class A team in Minnesota.”

                The Gators took on Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (LCWM) in the quarterfinals, looking to get their state tournament started off on the right track. The Gators first sent out Wyatt Becker against LCWM’s Levi Marsh, a match that went back and forth throughout, but in the end Becker fell by a 13-7 score. Devin Dostal next came to mat for the Gators against, fellow qualifier, Louie Sanders at 113. Devin wrestled hard, but in the end fell by a close 5-2 score; LCWM led 6-0. The Gators got on the board and went on a little run, with Isaac Novacek, Brandon Waage and Corey Hasbrouck all picking up huge pins for the Gators to help them build a nice 18-6 lead, getting the crowd to their feet. 

                The Gators surrendered that lead rather quickly, as LCWM would tie the match at 18, getting two pins of their own from two quality wrestlers in Taner Trembley (eventual state champion) and Dakota Yarger over the Gators’ Zach Berg and Gunner Gust at 138 and 145 pounds. Looking to get the Gators back on the board and give them a lead, the Gators’ Jake Jenson dominated LCWM’s Jesse Gunderson at 152, defeating him by a 14-0 major decision; the Gators led 22-18.

In a match-up of two individual state qualifiers, the Gators Tomm Ingle took on LCWM’s Davantay Corey. Tomm wrestled hard and smart, hanging on to a 5-4 lead on his feet to pick up a huge win and give his team a seven point lead. Tejay Wojchowksi built the Gator lead to 13 with a pin of his own in at the 3:23 mark. John Westman took the mat for the Gators at 182, looking to help his team hang on to their lead, as he took on to a tough Nate Meixell. John wrestled hard, but was eventually pinned by Meixell , an eventual state runner-up, midway through the second period; the Gators led 31-24. The Gators’ Timm Ingle followed at 195, gaining a big 9-2 victory over LCWM’s Cole Kottke to get the Gators back on track. After the Gators forfeited at 220, leading now by four, Gator heavyweight Alex Yeager put the match away for good, picking up a dominating technical fall over Matthew Johnson; the Gators won 39-30.

This victory moved the Gators on to the semifinals against the defending state champions, Jackson County Central. The Gators fell behind early in this dual, with the Gators’ Wyatt Becker getting caught and pinned at the 3:38 mark by JCC’s Kyle Edlin at 106. The Gators’ Devin Dostal then came to the mat and fell to JCC’s Cameron Henning by a crazy 23-12 score, both wrestlers getting a chance to pin each other; JCC led 10-0. The Gators fired right back, as senior Isaac Novacek picked by a pin in 28 seconds and Brandon Waage picked up a nice 11-2 major decision over JCC’s Jordan Bieham to tie the match at ten.

The Gators continued to work hard, but JCC went on a run, as the Gators’ Corey Hasbrouck fell by technical fall, Gunner Gust by a pin, and Jake Jenson by a major decision; the Gator trailed 25-10. Tomm Ingle then came to the mat for the Gators against eventual state champion, Darick Vancura. Ingle wrestled hard throughout the match, losing to Vancura by just a 9-5 decision. John Westman took to the mat for Gators and got pinned by eventual state champion, Cooper Moore, in the first period, as JCC continued their run and led now 34-10.

The Gators didn’t give up and continued to work hard, as senior Tejay Wojchowski got his team on the board with another fall in just 45 seconds. Timm Ingle followed with a come from behind victory over JCC’s Patrick Hanson, tying the match on a stall call and getting a takedown with a few seconds remaining to win by the nail-biting score of 12-10.  After the Gators forfeited at 220, senior Alex Yeager, ended the match for the Gators on a high note, pinning JCC’s Jack Ziemer midway through the first period; the Gators fell by the respectable score of 46-25.

This loss moved the Gators into the third place matchup against a tough team out of Minneota. Again the Gators fell behind early as Wyatt Becker and Devin Dostal each got cradled up and pinned midway through the first period; the Gators trailed 12-0. Isaac Novacek got the Gators on the board, as he continued to dominate, picking up a 20-11 major decision over fellow state qualifier, Nicholas Esping. Brandon Waage continued to pick up wins on team for the Gators, closing the deficit to five after defeating Minneota’s Cole Hennen 8-2. 

The Gators continued to trail though, as Minneota picked up two pins over Gator wrestlers Corey Hasbrouck (132) and Dakota Gullikson (138), to increase the Gator deficit to 17. The Gators’ Gunner Gust next came to mat at 145, and wrestled hard, but eventually fell to a good Travis Longtin of Minneota by an 11-0 major decision. The Gators then sent out Jake Jenson, who wrestled very hard throughout, but his opponent, Alex Lessman, rode him out and came away with a narrow 4-3 decision; the Gators trailed 31-7. 

Like they have done all the year, the Gators refused to give up, going on a mini run of their own. Tomm Ingle (160) started the Gator run with a quick pin at the 58 second mark. John Westman (170) followed, getting a late takedown to pick up a nice 11-2 major decision victory over Minneota’s Nathan Bueltel.  Tejay Wojchowski continued the run, racking up wins for the Gators and defeating fellow qualifier Isaac Josephson by a 7-1 score at 180 pounds; the Gators trailed 31-16. Timm Ingle came to the mat next for the Gators at 195 against, eventual state runner-up, Adam Josephson at 195. Timm wrestled hard throughout the match, but Josephson proved to be just too much, picking up the technical fall with 28 seconds remaining in the match. After the Gators forfeited at 220, Alex Yeager finished the dual in typical Yeager fashion, pinning his opponent in just 19 seconds; the Gators fell 42-26, finishing fourth.

The Gators wrestled well and have nothing to hang their heads about, finishing fourth place in state, picking up a victory over a quality LCWM team in the first round, and wrestling respectably and tough against two very good teams in JCC (eventual state champions) and Minneota. Now it was time for eight of the Gator wrestlers to get geared up for the individual state tournament, looking to gain even more hardware. A huge thanks to the fans in attendance, as “Gator Nation” definitely made its presence known, supporting the Gators loud and proud at the Excel, something I’m sure the wrestlers will never forget. Congrats Gators, Class A wrestling fourth place finishers! GO GOTORS!

Gator Season Comes To An End

By: Kent Christian
    
The BGMR Gator Boys Basketball Season came to a screeching halt as the Rebels from Red Lake County rode their hot shooting to take home a 70-62 first round playoff win over the Gators.
   
  Both teams traded baskets early in the game but RLC caught fire from behind the 3 point line and began torching the Gators.  The Rebels were an incredible 10 for 17 from behind the arc in the first half and open up a 47-38 halftime lead.
   
  Being down only 9 at halftime with the Rebels shooting the way they were the Gators felt comfortable that they would be able to mount a comeback.  This however would look impossible as the Rebels continued to play well and opened up an 18 point second half lead.  At a time when many teams would pack their bags and go home the Gators showed determination, and heart as they cranked up the defense and fought back cutting the Rebel lead to 9.  At this point the Gators had several defensive stops but could not convert on the offense end.  BGMR did however continue to battle and cut the Rebel lead to 3 with just over 90 seconds to play.  RLC responded by hitting some key free throws down the stretch and the Gators were unable to finish off the historic comeback.
    
 Offensively the Gators were paced by Tanner Creviston who dumped in a career high 23.  Nick Dostal netted 17 and Jacob Anderson poured in 13 with all of them coming in the first half.  Alex Rhen, and Aaron Dostal had 7 rebounds to pace the Gators and Nathan Hietala had 6 boards.
    
 Red Lake County had a balanced attack led by Ben Hagl who scored 22.  Tyler Hurst chipped in 14, Logan O’Neill and Matt Schindler each scored 11.
    
With the loss the Gators finished their season at 11-16.  Although it wasn’t the type of season the Gators had anticipated record wise the boys can hold their heads high in the way they competed during the tournament.  Unfortunately BGMR will be losing a good group of seniors in Nick Dostal, Trey Langaas, Ryan Modahl, Jacob Anderson and Nathan Hietala.  Each will be sorely missed as they have been outstanding role models for the program.
    
The start of next season is only 8 month away and the younger Gators will hopefully be putting in lots of time so the Gators can rise to the top again.
    
The boys basketball program would like to take this time to thank GATOR NATION for their outstanding support this season.   The playoff game atmosphere at The Swamp was incredible and one in which the communities should be proud of.  A special thank you to the basketball parents for their support this past season.  Everything you do does not go unnoticed and makes for a great program.