Posted: 12/11/02

All for one and one for all

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

Members of the Forest Lake wrestling team have been grappling the entire off-season.
Not with opponents, but with the idea that last year should have ended better.

A year after being upset in the section semifinals of the team tournament and sending just two individuals to state with several others just missing the trip, Forest Lake coach Rich Elliot said thereís extra motivation being thrown around the wrestling room this winter.

ìI think (last year) has made individuals and has made the whole team hungry,î Elliot said. ìWe were disappointed on a team level and we had so many individuals get so close. I would definitely say there are a lot of guys who feel like they have something to prove.î

The Rangers will once again have to try and prove themselves without head coach Bob Dettmer, who is still on active duty with the United States military.

Maybe itís the fact they are missing Dettmer or the fact they graduated one of the all-time Ranger greats in Matt Fraley last year. But something is keeping the Rangers from getting respect to start this season.

Forest Lakeís name is absent from the AAA top-12 rankings by The Guillotine and the Rangers donít even appear under the next 13 teams considered contenders for the rankings.

Only one Forest Lake individual is ranked among the best. Thatís senior Dan Taylor, who is ranked eighth at 125 pounds. Taylor, however, is wrestling at 130 for the Rangers.

A team which prides itself on being one of the best in the state each year is either being hit with reality or slapped in the face. Either way, Elliot said, itís more fuel for the fire.

ìThe guys see (the rankings) and they realize they have to prove themselves,î he said.
In a way only wrestling can provide, the Rangers will get that opportunity to prove themselves within the round circle on the mat. And with the talent the Rangers will throw at opponents, it may not take long for the name of Forest Lake to appear more frequently in The Guillotineís rankings.

But the fact remains, potential gets you no points on the mat and Elliot said his team will have to work harder than ever to keep the tradition of Ranger wrestling strong.

Elliotís line-up is strong from top to bottom, and it starts at 103 pounds with freshman Eric Morris. Morris finished fifth at the section meet last year.

At 112 is senior Sean Hogan, who Elliot said is back at his right weight after being forced up to 119 last year due to line-up changes.

At 119 for the Rangers is freshman Patrick Taylor who qualified for the freshman state tournament last year as an eighth-grader.

Although just a freshman, 125-pounder Jordan Kolbow is as experienced as any Ranger, as he enters his third year on varsity.

After wrestling in the lower weight division the past two years, Elliot said Kolbow has added size and is ready to establish himself both as a leader and as a force on the mat.

ìI think heís ready to take on a leadership role,î Elliot said. ìHeís added some weight, and he did it the right way ñ in the weight room.

ìHeís more than strong enough to compete (at 125) and I think heís going to surprise a lot of people. I think this is his year.î

At 130 is Taylor, who Elliot said should be back at the state tournament this year after reaching that level a year ago.

Junior John Denney is at 135. After a successful season two years ago in which he went to state as a freshman, Denney struggled last year. Heís just another of the motivated Rangers.
ìI think heís ready to prove a lot of people wrong after last year,î Elliot said.

Senior Jake Menk will work his way into the Rangersí line-up from time to time between 125-135.

Brandon Girtz will wrestle at 140 for the Rangers. The senior can dominate opponents both physically and with his deceptive quickness and explosiveness on the mat.

A very good athlete who is only in his third year of wrestling, Girtz continues to improve his technique.

ìBrandon loves it on the mat,î Elliot said. ìHis technique is up there with some of the best in the state now. He doesnít just rely on his athleticism anymore.î

Senior Justin Okeson will work his way into the Forest Lake line-up anywhere between 140-152.

A pair of juniors are at 145. Both Josh Determan and Jim Underdahl are talented, but Elliot said there is no clear-cut guy at that weight. Underdahl placed high at the conference meet last year, but Determan was fourth at the section meet.

ìAs close as they are, they could go back-and-forth all year,î Elliot said. ìEach of them would be a varsity wrestler on most any other team.î

Junior Jim House is at 152 for the Rangers while 160 belongs to senior Doug Joyer, who had been stuck behind Fraley for several years but is finally getting a shot on the varsity level.

Senior Dan Aschenbrener will wrestle at 171 for the Rangers and senior Jason Waidzulis has the 189 position.

Alex Behling is the Rangersí wrestler at the newly-created 215-pound class. The class couldnít have come at a better time for the Forest Lake senior.

ìThe 215 class is a great benefit for him,î Elliot said. ìNow he doesnít have to cut weight (to wrestle at 189) and he can lift weights and get as big and strong as he wants to.î

At heavyweight, Forest Lake has senior Brandon Engel. He will be challenged during the season by teammates Dan Gnau and Bob Janssen.

The strength of the wrestling team, Elliot said, is in its depth and in its realization that they are one team working toward a common goal.

ìOur strength is in the balance we have on the team,î Elliot said. ìThe last couple years, weíve had some really strong individual weight classes, but this year weíre more solid all the way through. I look at our line-up, and I donít see anybody going less than .500

ìAs a group, this is one of the closes groups weíve had the last few years. Thatís one of our biggest strengths. The way we work for and with each other.î

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