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Wrestlers tangle with top competition
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Wednesday, 19 December 2007
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
Besides their opening match against Cretin-Derham Hall, the early-season schedule for the Forest Lake wrestling team has gone from difficult to “difficulter.”
Sandwiched between two trips to highly regarded St. Francis, the boys headed south last weekend for the Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester. With programs like Apple Valley, Iowa City West, Hastings, Anoka and Coon Rapids part of the field, Forest Lake wasn’t there to just soak up the holiday spirit.
Head coach Billy Pierce saw his squad finish with 60.5 points, which was good enough for 19th place out of 33 schools.
Three Ranger wrestlers were place winners — Ben Morgan, Brent Kolbow and Josh Mabry — and Pierce was satisfied with his team’s effort and performance.
Forest Lake didn’t enter anyone in three weight classes, but of the 11 that did compete, each wrestler won at least one match. And that includes Marshall Wedger at 130 pounds, who made the monstrous leap of going from the 9th grade squad to participating in a major tourney.
Tony Chamberlin wrestled very well at 103 pounds, and like many athletes on this year’s roster, Pierce is seeing noticeable progress during each match.
Ben Morgan took fifth place at 112 pounds, by pinning Brent Molitor of St. Francis, and then the Rangers didn’t enter at 119 or 125 pounds.
Beyond Wedger’s showing at 130 pounds, Pierce also praised Andy Kolbow at 135 pounds, Caleb Corrow in the 171 classification, Brent Kolbow at 189, and Josh Mabry, who’s been successful at 215 pounds.
“Andy did some really good things,” he said of the lighter Kolbow. “He’s going to be tough at the end of the season.”
As for the larger Kolbow, perhaps Brent was slowed by facing two days of heavier competition.
Brent Kolbow went to the state meet last spring while wrestling in 160-pound weight class, and Pierce acknowledge that Kolbow isn’t tipping the scales at a full 189.
“And that’s a factor at that weight,” Pierce said. “There was some big guys down there.”
Nevertheless, Kolbow still took eighth place, after a close 7-6 loss to Aaron Johnson of Prior Lake.
Corrow continues to improve, and Pierce said the junior’s learning curve, “is almost straight up.”
At 215 pounds, Mabry beat two seeded wrestlers, on his way to a sixth place finish.
On Thursday night, the boys will go west again for the St. Francis Triangular, and then have the Simley Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 22.
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