Gators vs. G/G

by Coach Dahl

 

Facing one of the top teams in Section 8 A is a welcome challenge as tournament time approaches.  It's an indicator of what needs to be fixed to compete and stay alive in post season play.  In the remaining matches of the 2015 season, the Gators have great challenges ahead of them as they compete against the toughest teams in the area, but they'll gladly take it as this is what pushes a team to rise to be its best.  Great competition only makes us better.

The Gators may have lost against the Grygla-Goodridge Chargers, but they did push extra sets, and sometimes that's the goal.  However, to win against a better team, the Gators needed to play an exceptional game and the Chargers needed to have an off night, and this was not the case.  Set 1 was back and forth for most of the set.  The Gators had to serve tough and stay aggressive to have a change against a dominant Charger team.  Several hitters were able to sneak in kills; however, the Chargers kept putting on the pressure and won the set.  Gator attackers combined for 12 kills in the set; however, the Gators fell 20-25.  The Chargers manhandled the Gators during set 2.  The Chargers were very effective from the serving line and kept the Gators from returning the ball.  The Charger block camped out and Gator attackers couldn't penetrate the Charger defense.  When the Gators did side out, they couldn't keep it.  It was a quick 6-25 loss.  Such a huge deficit sparked a fire as the Gators battled in set 3 and had a much better start, something incredibly challenging to do after getting demolished in the previous set.  Late in the stretch the Gators tied it up 20-20 and were able to close out the set 25-21.   Ideally, teams would like to keep the momentum rolling into the next set, but set 4 was troublesome from the start as the Gators dug themselves into a hole right away.  The Chargers kept attacking and serving tough, and the Gators just didn't work hard enough to battle back as the gap was too large.  Back row passing struggled in every set.   There was a  run late in the set to make it 16-21 but not enough steam to make it a match.  The Gators lost 17-25.  Overall, the Chargers had over 20 service aces in the match, so clearly, the Gators need to do a better job playing the ball off the serve, but despite the weak set 2, the Gators played the Chargers better than their last meeting.  The Gators have to get better blocking on the other team's prime time hitters and avoid giving weak hits and tips back to an offensively dominant team.  The bright side is stealing a set from a better team; however, the Gators can't be satisfied with only that--staying competitive and battling point for point throughout the match against tough teams is key.

Carly Mekash had 12 kills; Emily Anderson had 9 kills and 2 aces.  Brenna Dallager had 15 assists; Alyssa Kilen had 14 assists.  Megan Larson also contributed 3 aces.

Gator Pride runs deep, and Dig Pink night did not disappoint.  Hats off to all who contributed in various ways to make the night a success!  Fearlessly fighting for a cure is important for all affected by cancer of all types, and there is great strength in unity.  Gator Volleyball is proud to do its part--Thanks for being part of our team and supporting this great cause.

Gators vs. Freeze

by Coach Dahl

 

The Gators didn’t have enough manpower to compete with a much improved Freeze volleyball team.  Although the Gators had edged out the Freeze early in the season, the Freeze were gunning on all cylinders.  Set 1 set the tone for the night as the Freeze served tough and kept the Gators scrambling out of system.   The Gators hung with them early on, but Freeze hitters kept pounding balls at the Gator defense, and though Freeze servers missed 4 serves, their servers picked apart the serve receive.  The Gators fell 17-25.  Set two was similar as the Gators could ever get any flow established and the Freeze defense outhustled the Gators and made big plays.  With only 7 kills in the set, the Gator hitters had to find a way to be effective, and the defense had to make stops against the Freeze attack.  The Gators had an 18-15 edge as they rallied toward the home stretch; however, they couldn’t get it done.  Freeze hitters responded and pounded the ball in the court to close it out.  The Gators lost 20-25.  Down 0-2, set 3 was do or die for the Gators.  Finally, Gator hitters started finding holes in the defense.  Emily Anderson and Carly Mekash had 4 kills in the set, which was already more than the first two sets.  Amy Svir got a couple kills and came up with a big block to aid the Gator cause as well.  Gator servers had a few out of system serves, but clearly weren’t as effective as the first meeting between these two teams.  The Gators had the Freeze on the ropes 24-22 but they needed to shut the door.  The Freeze battled to steal the win, but Anderson and Mekash came up with two big kills to triumph 26-24.   The Gators started finding more of the passing well in set 4, but again, the scrappy Freeze defense never gave up. They outlasted the Gators on several volleys, and the Gators never found a way to score more than 1 point compared to the Freeze scoring 2 or more every possession.  The Gators fell 16-25.

Emily Anderson had 9 kills, 9 digs, and 2 aces on the night; Carly Mekash scored 9 kills too.  Megan Larson had 4 kills to help the Gator effort, and Amy Svir cashed in 4 kills and 2 blocks.  Brenna Dallager and Alyssa Kilen had 13 and 6 respective assists.  Makenna Burslie had 6 digs in her varsity debut.

In a momentum game, the Gators have to find a way to serve more and pass less to keep momentum their side.  Serve receive passing has been a continual struggle this year and makes it much harder to get quality swings against good defensive teams.  October gets to be a grind, and the Gators need to continue to be focused and ready to compete.  Teams often improve greatly throughout the season, and the Gators need to make solid strides in their game as well.  “Win this ball” and 25 doesn’t seem out of reach.  With few regular season games left, tournament time will be here shortly.  Let’s rise above all obstacles and finish what we started.  Goooooo Gators!

Gators Win in the Long Haul

by Coach Stacy Dahl

The Gators squeaked out their second 5 set win of the season vs Sacred Heart.  Set one felt much like a warm up game.  Neither team was ripping it up on the court.  Energy was incredibly lacking and feet weren't moving to the ball.  The Gators held off a late Eagle surge to win 25-23.  Set 2 was much more Gator dominated.  The Gator servers did a nice job from the service line to serve the Eagles out of system and keep the ball away from their middle hitter.  Gator hitters were able to find the court to score 11 kills in the set, and several players made outstanding scrappy plays to keep intensity and energy going.  Rachel Peterson did a nice job closing out the set with 5 serves in a row, three of them out of system to win 25-15.  Up 2-0, the Gators needed to keep the pressure on the Eagles, but the Eagles livened up their game.  Their outside hitters were unstoppable and the Gator defense struggled to pick up the ball.  The Gators fell 18-25.  The Gators had their chances late in the set but couldn't capitalize and lost 2-25.  The tell all fifth set went the Gator way as they came out swinging.  Missing the first milestone, the Gators were able to get the next one 10-7 and were able to go the distance.  The Gators continued to strategically serve to take out the middle and found a way to win 15-11.  Nine of their 15 points were earned by kills, aces, or blocks, a nice way to earn the win.


Emily Anderson and Carly Mekash both had 11 kills to lead the charge; Anderson had 2 service aces as well.  Brenna Dallager had another solid night with 8 kills and 23 assists.    Maddi Janicke and Megan Larson had 6 kills each.  Taylor Becker had the hot serving hand with 4 service aces.

The Gators continue to look to make their weaknesses their strengths as they compete against the strong teams of Section 8A.  Excellence is no accident.  It requires a team effort, hard work, and the will the win.  Continue to "strive for excellence" and give your best effort---this is how champions are made.  Goooooo Gators!

Homecoming

 Congratulations to our Homecoming King and Queen candidates...Emily Anderson, Adrianna Horien, Johanna Jacobson, Julia Stenberg, Chase Anderson, Nick Kaml, Trever Robinson and Trevor Undeberg;  our MC's...Megan Larson and Joe Hlucny;  and our attendants for Grade 9...Issie Brockhouse, Emmie Jacobson, Dylan Heggedal and Keegan Rustad;  Grade 10...Montgomery DeZelar, Alecia Berard, Logan Anderson and Tanner Foss;  Grade 11...Caitlin Wahl, Emily Wicklund, Austin Aune and John Langaas.  

Homecoming Dress Up Week is September 28th-October 2nd.  The Homecoming football game is on Friday, October 2nd vs RLCC in MR at 7:00 (this is also Parents Night).  Coronation is on Saturday, October 3rd at 7:30 p.m. followed by the Homecoming Dance.

Homecoming Game in Badger

by Coach John Lee

The Gators played their final game of the season at home in Badger this past Friday night.  The game started with a good return by Dayton Bishop but the Gators offense was forced to punt after a three and out.  The Raiders from Lake Park marched the ball all the way to inside the five yard line but was stopped by a great goal line stand with back to back losses from tackles from Derrick Knutson and Anthony Rinde. The Gators struggled moving the ball most of the first half.  The raiders scored on their second drive of the game following some poor tackling.  A great return by Undeberg and the Gators were 30 yards away from tying the game.   Penalty by the home team on first down for holding set the pace for the drive. On third and thirty the Gators ran a draw to Devin Dostal who picked up a first down but once again the play was called back on a penalty.  The Gators also lost Devin for the rest of the season to injury on the play.  This was the first play of the second quarter.  The teams went into halftime with the score 12-0 following another LPA touchdown.

The Gators played hard in the second half but whenever it appeared they were on the verge of scoring a touchdown the team would turn the ball over or get a big penalty that would stop the drive.  LPA scored on the varsity defense one more time and they finished the game scoring on a long run against the JV defense.  A bright spot for the JV offense was a 28 yard completion from freshman Brandon Pries to sophomore Shaun Waage to end the game.  The Gators will be on the road next Friday as we travel to Fosston to play the greyhounds. 

Gators Pull Out a Win

by Coach Stacy Dahl

 

The Gators held out for a win over a promising LOW team.  It was difficult for the Gators to get into a rhythm in the first set—“Bring it” mentality is a must when teams are on the road.  They didn’t really get strings of points and had a tough time containing the outside attack of LOW.  Several Gator hitters were able to pick up some kills.  Gators were up 22-20 late in the set and left the door wide open for LOW to snatch the win 26-24.  Gator hitters earned some kills early on, but the LOW defense had no trouble picking up soft hits.  The Gators picked up the pace set two and started serving more effectively from the back line to fluster the LOW serve receive.  Megan Larson and Maddi Janicke both had three service aces, and the Gators were able to get their hitters swinging as they received freeballs to get some nice looks with 48% hitting.  They marched to a 25-13 win.  Instead of keeping the pressure on, the Gators backed off during set 3; 23% hitting didn’t really help the cause either as the Bears kept making plays in the back row.  The Bears kept swinging hard and they Gators didn’t pursue the ball and keep it from the floor.  Ministrings were traded back and forth as momentum shifted throughout the set, but the Gators showed some grit and were able to battle back from behind to earn the last 5 points of the set to win 25-23.  The Gators came out strong set 4 and earned 5 of their first nine points.  Both teams got a little sloppy from the serving line with the Gators missing 3 and the Bears missing 5 in the set.  Down the stretch the Gators poured it on.  Emily Anderson had the hot hand and saw the floor scoring 4 kills late in the set to grab the win 25-22.

 

Anderson led the Gator attack with 10 kills, 3 aces, and 11 digs.  Megan Larson had another solid night with 8 kills, 4 aces, and a block; Brenna Dallager also had a rock-solid night with 8 kills, 14 assists, 5 digs, and 3 aces, and Carly Mekash contributed 8 kills, 9 digs and a block.   Alyssa Kilen added 13 assists to the mix.

 

“If it was easy, everyone would do it.  It’s the hard that makes it great.”  Every match has been a stepping stone this season, and the Gators need to continue their journey to be one of the best.  Mental toughness, pinpoint passing, shutting the door, and communication are keys to Gator success.  Volleyball is a game of mistakes, and we need to continue learning and improving.  The more weapons in our arsenal the better.  Attack Mode On!

On Friday the 10th the BGMR Girls won against Fisher/Climax by almost 30 points! Outstanding!

Fourth grade Flat Stanley project

Flat Theron and Flat Lauren spent some time recently visiting their cousin (Kayla Berg...Morgan and Aubrey's sister) in Australia.  They were sent back with a jar of "Vegemite", which is a spread that Australians put on their toast for vitamins.  The label says that it gives you "vitality".  Kayla requested that we take a picture as the 4th graders are getting their first taste of Vegemite...here is the reaction to this Australian favorite...

GATOR BOYS LOSE PAIR OF GAMES AT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

     Coming off a much needed Christmas break the BGMR Gator Boys Basketball team traveled to Northern Cass School (North Dakota) for the Northern Cass Holiday Tournament.  In the first ever meeting between Medina-Pingree-Buchanan and the Gators the Thunder were able to capitalize on 23 Gator turnovers and poor Gator free throw shooting to come away with a 49-43 victory over the Gators.
     The Thunder would take a 22-15 lead into halftime.  The Gators were in the holiday mood as they generously gave the ball away when they were on offense.  Although the Gators came out in the second half and managed to tie the game BGMR was a horrific 9 for 25 or 36% from the foul line.  This spelled the doom for the Gators as the simply gave away to many offensive possessions.
     Aaron Dostal continued his strong play as he had 15 points and 10 rebounds.  Matt Howell scored 8 points  with no other Gator being close to double figures.  Nick Blaskowski poured in 22 points for the Thunder.  He was joined in double digit scoring by Cody Horn who notched 11 points.  The loss pushed the Gators into the third and fourth place game where they would meet Park River-Fordville-Lankin.

AGGIES BLOW OVER GATORS

     Gator Nation traveled through some treacherous road conditions but were left with disappointment as a young Park River-Fordville-Lankin team cruised to a 48-34 victory over the Gators.  The Gators trailed at halftime 24-21 but were again able to tie the game midway through the second half.  Unfortunately the common turnover theme crept up on the Gators again as they had 32 turnovers for the game.  The Aggies blistered the net from 3 point range as they made 9 of 16 (56%).  BGMR had no answer for this and suffered their 5th loss in a row.
     Aaron Dostal continued to lead the Gator offense as he had 21points and 6 rebounds.  Darius Watson had 6 points and Brayden Larson had a career high 8 rebounds.  The Aggies were led by Jordan Johnson who had 22 points, killing the Gators with 6 three pointers.  Spencer Rehovsky netted 9 points for the Aggies.
     The Gators are going to have to do a much better job of taking care of the ball as they start the second part of their season.  When BGMR has limited their turnovers and shot moderately well they have put themselves in position to win.  Unfortunately, this has not been occurring enough.  Lack of effort cannot be questioned as several Gator players are giving it all they got.  Things will not get any easier for BGMR over the next few days.  Today the Gators travel to Warren to take on a streaking Warren-Alvarado-Oslo team.  The Ponies are playing well and will be a tough match-up.  BGMR will continue the grind when they travel to Baudette tomorrow to take on the Lake of the Woods Bears.  The Bears have struggled this season but BGMR is in no position to overlook any team.  The Gators hope to start playing some good basketball and get all cylinders firing at the same time.

Team Of The Year!

Congratulations to the Gator Girls for being the #1 WDAZ Team Of The Year!!
http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/21598/group/Sports/

Ugly Sweater Day

Today was ugly sweater day at the Greenbush Middle River High School. Students were encouraged to wear ugly sweaters. The school also ran a contest to see who had the ugliest sweater and Morgan Berg won! Click the link to see some pictures on our schools Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.561286543956661.1073741838.167539509998035&type=1

-Hunter Gullikson

GATORS ADVANCE TO COSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP

Limiting their turnovers and shooting 70% from the free throw line were huge factors in the BGMR Gators defeating the Red Lake County Rebels 68-48 in the second round of the NCTC Holiday Tournament.  The Gators were efficient on offense as they managed a season low 15 turnovers and a season high 49% shooting from the field.  BGMR also went 14 for 20 (70%) from the charity stripe.

     The Gators got a strong effort from the whole team.  Wyatt Peppel scored a career high 17 points.  Darius Watson poured in 14 points along with 7 assists.  Aaron Dostal continued his solid play with 9 points and 9 rebounds and Logan Dvergsten played his best game of the young season scoring 8 points.

     The Rebels got solid play from Drake Engelstad who had 17 points and Luke Newton who dumped in 15 points.  No other Rebel however scored more than 5 points and the Gators held the Rebels to 30% shooting on the night.  Even with this, the Gator coaching staff was not impressed with the lack of communication by the Gators on defense and allowing the Rebels to get several open shots.  Getting back to defensive basics will be an area of emphasis for the Gators in the practices to come.

     The win pushed the Gator record to 2-3.  BGMR will now face the Stephen-Argyle Storm for the consolation championship of the tournament.  The Storm pounded the Gators just over a week ago and BGMR will need to continue with their improved play to compete with the strong Storm team.  Game time is 2:45 on Thursday.  Gator Nation needs to slip out of work early, brave the harsh temperatures and root for this hard working team.  Gator Nation has been positive so far this year and the team has reacted well to this positive nature.

Gators Dominate Cougars

Coach Bergeron

The Gator Wrestling team took the mat for the first time at the swamp for their home opener for the 2013-14 season against the Cougars from Mahnomen- Waubun on Tuesday, December 10th. The Gators got out to a 4-0 lead as Owen Novacek had a high scoring match winning 23-10 over Sam Olson. Austin Maurstad followed with and exciting match as he had Mike Bisek on his back before he was rolled and  pinned at the 4:35 mark of the third period to give the Cougars a 6-4 lead heading into the 120 pound match.

Wyatt Becker took his undefeated record to the mat and dominated Shawn Neisen 15-0 to earn the tech. fall and give the Gators back the lead, which they would never give up again. Nick Kaml and Seth Dostal both received Forfeits to give the Gators a 21-6 lead heading into the 138 pound match.

At 138 Trevor Undeberg continued his sold season as he dominated the action from beginning to end to earn a major dec. over Nick Syverson 11-2 and give the Gators a 25-6 lead.

The Cougars would get back on the scoreboard at 145 as a solid Kody Lefebvre would earn a hard fought win over Hunter Gullikson 8-5 to cut the lead to 25-9.

Brandon Waage would receive a forfeit for the Gators before Cody Olson would take the mat and  record a solid pin at the 1:17 mark of the first period over Gene Snetsinger to give the Gators a 37-9 lead.
Elias Jacobson had a chance to take the mat on varsity for the first time and battle hard but was defeated 7-0 by Jake Worms of the Cougars to pull the score to 37-12.

Daron Sikorski would receive a forfeit at 182, before Beau Blumer would take the mat. Blumer would start out fast earning an early takedown and a 3 point nearfall before he was rolled by Kal Handyside and pinned at the 1:40 mark of the 1st period, to move the score to 43-18 in favor of the Gators.

The Gators would finish out the night by Adam Lorenson and Douglas Peterson receiving forfeits giving the Gators a 55-18 victory and move their record to 2-0 on the young season.

In JV action there were only 6 matches wrestled as Brandon Pries, Avery Auguston, Devin Pries and Isaac Dostal all recorded victories. Ethan Novacek and Nick Keezar both wrestled tough but were beaten in close matches.

The Gators will continue their pre-holiday schedule as they will take part in a very tough Sertoma Dual Tournament held at GF Central HS on Friday and Saturday, December 13th 14th.

Come on out and show your support in Grand Forks as the Gators will take the mat against host Grand Forks Central at 4:30 pm on Friday, December 13th. The JV will be in action on Friday, and the JH will take the mat on Saturday as well at Grand Forks Central HS.
Go Gators!!!

Gators Down Rams

Coach Bergeron

The Gator wrestling team traveled to Roseau to take on the Rams for their first dual action of the year. The Gators looked like they were ready for action as Owen Novacek and Austin Maurstad got the Gators started out right with back to back pins to give the Gators a 12-0 lead. Wyatt Becker followed by dominating Chandler Mooney  12-0 for a major dec. to push the Gator lead to 16-0. Nick Kaml continued to look very dominate as he pinned Marc Stoltenberg at the 2:21 mark of the 2^nd period to give the Gators a solid 22-0 lead.  Seth Dostal battle hard against veteran starter  Brett Jerome but Jerome pinned Dostal late in the 3^rd period to put the Rams on the board. At 138 Trevor Undeberg has gotten off to a solid start as he moved his record to 4-1 on the season as he pinned James Rauser at the 2:27 mark of the second period to give the Gators a 28-6 lead. Dayton Bishop saw his first varsity action of the year at 145 as he wrestled hard in the first period but was pinned by a strong Darius Sikorski to close the gap to 28-12.

At 152 the Gators Brandon Waage proved why he is one of the leaders on the team as he dominated a solid  Jayfen Sikorski 12-2 for major Dec. to move the score to 32-12. Cody Olson for the Gators at 160 had a solid battle going with Blake Skogstad before Cody pinned him at the 4:28 mark of the second period. Gunner Gust showed a lot of energy at 170 to make quick work of Roseau’s Ryan Rosaaen with a pin at the 1:19 mark of period number one and give the Gators a 44-12 lead.

At 182 The Rams got back on the board as a solid Coltin Millner pinned Daron Sikorski midway through the second period. Beau Blumer for the Gators had a very entertaining match with Beau Kringer before Blumer got on top in the second period and pin Kringer with 8 seconds left in the second period. Adam Lorenson took the mat 220 pounds to take on the Rams Erik Karl, Lorenson showed his strength as he pinned Karl at the 1:05 mark of the first period. The night ended as the Gators Douglas Peterson took on a solid Kieren Oksanen at the 285 pound division, Oksanen caught Peterson midway through the 1^st period to get the pin for the Rams. The Gators took home a solid 56-24 victory to move their record to 1-0 on the young season.

In JV action there were only 3 matches wrestled. Bryce Bergeron had a nice 4-3 dec. and Nick Keezar and Isaac Dostal both took the mat for the Gators for first time this year and battle hard but came up short.

The Gator team would like to thank the great fans that came out on a cold night in Roseau to watch the Gators cruise to their first victory of the year.

The Gators will take the mat again at home as they take on the Mahnomen-Waubun Cougars on Tuesday, Dec. 10th. This is a match that was rescheduled due to the Mahnomen football team playing in the State Championship.

Come on out and show your support as the Gators take the mat from the swamp for the first time this year.

Wadena-Deer Creek Dennis Kaatz Invitational

1. Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus 211.0
2. Perham 180.0
3. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 157.0
4. Thief River Falls 145.0
5. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 140.0
6. United North Central 132.5
7. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 83.0
8. Staples-Motley 76.5
9. Wadena-Deer Creek 34.0


106 Pounds
Championship
Anthony Kern (BHV) Fall Darion Anderson (PLPRB) 1:01
Third Place
Eric Lisson (STM) Dec. Ben Johnson (UNC) 6-4
Fifth Place
Owen Novacek (BGMR) Dec. Cade Lundeen (TRF) 9-3

113 Pounds
Championship
Anthony Phillipson (PLPRB) Dec. Nash Sovde (BGMR) 6-0
Third Place
Jose Funes (LPGE) Fall Blake Gerard (STM) 1:38
Fifth Place
Patrick Johnson (PER) Dec. Cody Sele (TRF) 10-8 OT

120 Pounds
Championship
Wyatt Becker (BGMR) Dec. Justin Gordon (BHV) 4-0
Third Place
Miguel Ambriz (LPGE) Dec. Spencer Richards (PLPRB) 9-3
Fifth Place
Ben Nelson (PER) Dec. Josh Bernier (TRF) 9-4

126 Pounds
Championship
Stephen Holecek (TRF) Dec. Nick Kaml (BGMR) 3-0
Third Place
Chase Curtis (PER) Dec. Marshal Willis (BHV) 6-2
Fifth Place
Brandon Mager (PLPRB) Dec. Lee Hotakainen (WDC) 6-5

138 Pounds
Championship
Triston Rubner (PLPRB) Dec. Austin Hjelle (TRF) 8-6 OT
Third Place
Trevor Underberg (BGMR) Dec. Jake Swedsrud (STM) 10-3
Fifth Place
Tyler Fudge (PER) Fall Thomas Pesta (LPGE) 2:23

152 Pounds
Championship
Collin Neitzke (PER) Maj. Dec. Ethan Kimber (BHV) 14-5
Third Place
Sam Tellers (UNC) Brandon Waage (BGMR) Dec. Sam Tellers (UNC) 6-0
Fifth Place
Dillon Nichols (PLPRB) Dec. Jeremy Miller (STM) 5-3 OT

170 Pounds
Championship
Dylan Huttunen (UNC) Ossie Miller (PLPRB) Dec. Dylan Huttunen (UNC) 12-7
Third Place
Nick Bennett (BHV) Fall Cole Schmitz (PER) 4:28
Fifth Place
Gunner Gust (BGMR) Maj. Dec. Nolan Dyrdal (TRF) 11-1

182 Pounds
Championship
William Parks (PER) Fall Hayden Truax (BHV) 1:12
Third Place
Justin Mackenthun (PLPRB) Fall Daron Sikorski (BGMR) 1:18
Fifth Place
Drew Peterson (STM) DefaultNathanael Holecek (TRF)

195 Pounds
Championship
Tristan Palmer (UNC) Maj. Dec. Jesse Klatt (PER) 14-0
Third Place
Chris Foster (PLPRB) Dec. Charlie Nienaber (BHV) 10-4
Fifth Place
Keegan Cavallero (LPGE) Fall Ely Novacek (BGMR) 2:16

220 Pounds
Championship
Taylor Carlson (UNC) Default Dillon Card (BHV)
Third Place
Tyshaun Brown (TRF) Fall Beau Blumer (BGMR) 2:36
Fifth Place
Caleb Monson (WDC) Dec. Cadel Roeder (PLPRB) 13-6

285 Pounds
Championship
Chris Kurera (TRF) Jared Adkins (PLPRB) Dec. Chris Kurera (TRF) 5-3
Third Place
Jesse Bucholz (PER) Fall Douglas Peterson (BGMR) 1:43
Fifth Place
Dalton Baker (BHV) Fall Landon Oshie (UNC) :23 By: Todd Bergeron

STORM SURGE PAST GATORS


     The Stephen-Argyle Storm saw that the Gators were in a ThanksGIVING mood and took advantage of 25 Gator turnovers in route to a 61-36 victory over the Gators.  Much like their first game the Gators kept the game close throughout the first half as they used strong defense to cause 25 Storm turnovers.  The second half however, saw the younger Gators wear down against the senior led Storm team and a 7 point game at halftime turned into a 25 point thumping.

     The Gators were led in scoring by Darius Watson who had 8 points.  Watson’s ball handling and court savvy kept the Gators close in the first half.  Aaron Dostal chipped in 7 points and ripped down 12 rebounds.  Logan Dvergsten and Ben Lieberg each scored 6 points.  The Storm had 2 players land in double figures.  Owen Ellefson pumped in 19 and Lance Yutrzenka scored 12

     Despite the lopsided loss the Gators showed grit and determination throughout the game.  The younger Gators also showed marked improvement over game one.  The Gator coaching staff hopes the team can continue to show progress.  The task ahead does not get any easier.  After taking two days off for Thanksgiving the Gators will mix in 4 practices before the schedule really heats up.  The Gators will be at home next Thursday against a strong and well coached Kittson Count Bearcat team.  On Friday the Gators will travel to Clearbrook to take on the Clearbrook-Gonvick Bears and will play the Bears again on Monday (December 9th) in the opening round of the NCTC Holiday Tournament.  BGMR hopes that Bear season is open as the Gators plan to do some hunting.  By Kent Christian

Becker Takes Title, Waage Wins 100^th

By: Ryan Bergeron

                Making the long trek to Wadena on November 30, the 2013-14 Gator wrestlers looked to start their season off on the right track at WDC Dennis Kaatz Invitational. Many Gators, both in the Varsity and JV tournaments, wrestled hard and received valuable mat time to start the year. Junior Wyatt Becker led the way, taking home the lone tourney title, and junior Brandon Waage picked up career victory 100 during a rollercoaster day of wrestling, one eventually seeing the Gators finish fifth overall.

                Coach Bergeron commented on his team’s opening action of the year, “The Gators entered a tough tournament with a young line up and will continue to show improvement with hard work in the practice room and some tough upcoming competition before the holidays.” 

                The Gators advanced three wrestlers to the finals, including Nash Sovde (113), Becker (120), and Nick Kaml (126). The second finalist and only Gator champion, Becker, advanced to the finals after a 7-3 victory, and took home the title to finish a solid day, winning by a 4-0 score over Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale’s, Justin Gordon. Nash picked up a late third period pin to advance to the championship against Pequot Lakes-Pine River Backus’ Anthony Phillipson (ranked #4 in Class AA at 106). Sovde gave a valiant and respectable performance, but lost by a 6-0 score to finish second.  The last Gator finalist, Kaml, wrestled tough throughout the day, picking up a third period pin and 5-0 victory to advance to the finals versus Thief River Falls’ Stephen Holecek (ranked #5 in Class AA at 126). In a match pitting two evenly matched wrestlers, Nick fell behind early and Holecek hung on for the slim 3-0 victory; Kaml finished second.

                The Gator also had a couple wrestles come back from tough losses to finish third, including Trevor Undeberg (138) and Waage (152). After losing an opening round match to the eventual champion, Undeberg continued to wrestle hard and rattled off three straight victories to take home his third place finish. Following a high-scoring and tough loss in the semifinals, Waage looked to stay focused to still achieve another goal, a career victory 100. He did just that, picking up two more victories to accomplish it. Congrats to Brandon on a great accomplishment and here’s to many more victories to come. 

                The Gators had several other wrestlers pick up victories during the day. Taking home fourth place finishes included Daron Sikorski (182), Beau Blumer (220), and Doug Peterson (285). Owen Novacek (106) and Gunner Gust (170) took home fifth place finishes, and, rounding out the placing, Ely Novacek (195) finished sixth. Seth Dostal (132) and Cody Olson (160) also wrestled hard for the Gators but didn’t place.

                The Gator JV also competed and, overall finished 19-11 on the weekend and all wrestlers picked up at least one victory. Bryce Bergeron and Ethan Novacek went undefeated, 3-0, for the JV. Also competing hard for the JV included Brandon Pries (2-1), Trinity Clark (2-1), Adam Lorenson (2-1), Devin Pries (2-1), Dayton Bishop (2-1), Avery Augustson (1-2), Isaac Dostal (1-2), and Elias Jacobson (1-2).

                The Gators, both Varsity and JV, had rollercoaster weekends, evidenced by their 40-32 overall record, but will look to get back to the practice room and continue to work hard, improve, and increase their conditioning as they kick off hopefully a memorable season. The next action for the Gators takes place on Thursday, December 5 against the rival, Roseau Rams. Come on out “Gator Nation” to Roseau to support the Gators as they look to start a new chapter on the right page. GO Gators!!      

        

       

The Kindergartners and preschoolers at their friendship feast.

Hey boys basketball fans, don't forget to go to Stephen, to support the Gators at their game against SAC on Tuesday. Good luck to the team!

Junior Gunner Gust is one of the students who is building ice fishing houses in building trades class.