Posted: 1/12/05
Rangers defeat Anoka in front of a filled gym
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
Forest Lake High School wrestling coach Bob Dettmer wanted to fill the gym for Friday nightís Main Event match against Anoka and the wrestling fans responded and did just that as they saw the Rangers defeat Anoka 29-24 in a thrilling match.
ìIt definitely was a crowd pleaser,î Dettmer said. ìI think in terms of sports entertainment, you canít beat high school sports in general for the money you pay for a ticket to see young athletes compete.î
Anoka jumped out to an early lead when Jake Begen won the 103 lbs. match by decision over Charlie Janssen, but Luke Opsahl tied things up for the Rangers with his victory in the 112 lbs. weight class. Andover built a comfortable lead with wins in the 119 lbs. and 125 lbs. weight classes, but Eric Morris narrowed the Rangers deficit with a decision win in the 130 lbs. match.
Andover went on to win the next two matches in 135 lbs. and 140 lbs., but the Rangers came roaring back when Patrick Taylor pinned Tully Bousheck of Anoka 1:44 into their match followed by Jordan Kolbowís 24-9 match decision at 152 lbs. over C.B. Stratton, giving the Rangers the lead.
Luke Munkelwitz followed Kolbow up with a decision win to increase the Rangers lead at 160 lbs. Andover bounced back with a decision at 171 lbs. and a pin at 189 lbs. by Dusty Iverson.
Phillip Osterbauer kept the Rangers alive with a pin at 215 lbs. Derek Peterson secured the victory for the Rangers with a 4-2 decision win at 275 lbs. The Rangers won the match 29-24.
ìI think going into the big match, when they walked into the gym everybody got goosebumps with over 1200 people in there,î Dettmer said. ìThe wrestlers were maybe a little bit tight at first, but they loosened up. Anoka always has a good team and we always seem to have a great match with them.î
The event was sponsored by Lee Kempís Forest Lake Ford. Kemp gave away 1000 free Rangers wrestling t-shirts and seat cushions.
ìWe have several community businesses that support the wrestling program and weíd like to thank them for their support,î Dettmer said.
Local businesses may support the Rangers financially, but the community showed up in astonishing numbers to support the Rangers.
ìI was impressed,î Dettmer said. ìWe sent out the word to fill the gym and the way the community responded was amazing.î
Tickets were being sold at lunch periods to students which helped boost ticket sales, but the event was also carefully planned so most of the other Rangers athletic teams were not in action Friday night, giving them the opportunity to attend the event and support their peers.
ìThatís one thing weíve stressed along with Activities Director Joel Olson in that when we schedule these main events it can be on nights when not much else is going on,î Dettmer said.
Many teachers attended a wrestling match for the first time as well. Dettmer noted that they commented afterwards that it was nice to see some of their students outside of the classroom and gave them a chance to see their students in a ìdifferent light.î
While students and teachers have an obvious link to the wrestlers, Dettmer was also impressed with the number of other community members that showed up just to watch wrestling. Parents, grandparents and neighbors of wrestlers and students showed up and filled the gym Friday night, prompting Dettmer to say this is something the team will do annually.
ìI think people will see how fun it can be and theyíll come to see more than just one event not just in wrestling but in other events as well.î
The day before the Rangers defeated Anoka, they defeated Stillwater 48-15.
Charlie Janssen, Harrison and Taylor all had pins in the Rangers victory. Opsahl, Shawn Saxe, Jensen, Ken Janssen, Kolbow, Turry and Osterbauer all won by decision.
ìWe pretty much dominated the match,î Dettmer said. ìItís tough coming off a Christmas break as we were a little bit on the rusty side.
The Rangers next match is today, Thursday, as they host White Bear Lake at 6 p.m. Tonightís match is also Alumni Night.
Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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