December 13, 2007 at 8:23 a.m.
Vikings worm their way to Early Bird title, beat Totino to go 4-0 to start season
(FIRST PLACE)
The Vikings invaded Hinckley for the Early Bird Invite Tuesday, December 4 and overran their three opponents to win the tournament. They opened by pounding Meadow Creek Christian 58-21, beat Princeton 46-21 and capped off the night with a 53-25 win over Hinckley-Finlayson.
Eric Kostik, Boyd Suparat, Matt Lutgen, Matt Newham, Greg Arnt and Justin Bergerson each won their three matches on the day to lead the Vikings to victory.
"Having to wrestle three matches in a night is always tough," said Viking head coach Tony Aho, "but our guys are up for anything. We were able to do well even though we were missing the always tough Jake Kostik (103) for the evening. Matt Lutgen had a very impressive night for us. He is a very hard-working and coachable young man, and it is nice to see him experience some success. Sean Mukunza stepped into the 112 pound spot and had a very nice two wins for the team. Matt Newham has had a slow start so far this season, so it was also great to see some of his hard work pay off on this night."
North Branch 58,
Meadow Creek Christian 21
103 Forfeit
112 Sean Mukunza won by fall
119 Tom Mork won by fall
125 Eric Kostik won by fall
130 Stuart Frink lost by TF
135 Boyd Suparat won by forfeit
140 Joe Blom lost by fall
145 Matt Lutgen won by forfeit
152 Matt Newham won by fall
160 Chad Anderson lost by decision
171 Zach Frink won by fall
169 Greg Arnt won by major dec.
215 Justin Bergerson won by fall
HWT John Morrison won by forfeit
North Branch 46, Princeton 21
103 Forfeit
112 Sean Mukunza won by fall
119 Toni Mork Won by decision
125 Erik Kostik won by fall
130 Stuart Frink lost by fall
135 Boyd Suparat by fall
140 Joe Blom lost by decision
145 Matt Lutgen won by fall
152 Matt Newham won by fall
160 Chad Anderson won by decision
171 Zach Frink lost by fall
189 Greg Arnt won by fall
215 Justin Bergerson won by fall
HWT John Morrison lost by fall
NB 53, Hinckley Finlayson 25
103 Forfeit
112 Sean Mukunza lost by fall
119 Tom Mork lost by decision
125 Erik Kostik won by fall
130 Stuart Frink lost by decision
135 Boyd Suparat won by TF
140 Joe Blom won by forfeit
146 Matt Lutgen won by fall
152 Matt Newham won by fall
180 Chad Anderson won by fall
171 Zach Frink lost by fall
169 Greg Arnt won by fail
218 Justin Bergerson won by fall
HWT John Morrison won by fall
TOTINO GRACE DUAL
NB 40 Totino-Grace 33
The Vikings trailed 33-25 heading in to the last three weights in their match at home against conference powerhouse Totino-Grace. But Greg Arnt (189) pinned his man to pull the Vikings within two points. Justin Bergerson (215) decisioned his opponent to put the Vikings ahead 34-33. John Morrison (HWT) finished off the evening with a flourish, pinning his opponent to seal a 40-33 win for the Vikings over Totino Grace.
"This was a huge win for our program," said Viking head coach Tony Aho. "Totino has always had a solid team and we knew this one was going to come down to the very end. Our JV got our varsity pumped up by displaying a great amount of guts in their dual with TG and it carried over into the finale. Coming into the season, we were worried about filling the 103 pound spot, but have found an awesome leader in freshman Jake Kostik. He started the night with a huge major decision that got everyone jacked up. Jake Kalkbrenner and Jimmy Juntunen were unable to gain a victory, but are two young men with loads of talent that will earn them much success in the future. Chad Anderson and Matt Lutgen gave everything they had and came up with huge wins. They both fell behind early but showed their outstanding character and battled all the way back. Our big guys -- Greg, Justin and John -- sealed the deal with three straight wins. We would like to thank the amazing fans who came out and willed these boys to a great win. The gym was louder than any I have heard in 20 years of coaching."
Individual Results
103 Jake Kostik won by major decision
112 Jake Kalkbrenner lost by fall
119 Tom Mork lost by decision
125 Jimmy Juntunen lost by fall
130 Erik Kostik won by fall
135 Daub Bartylla lost by fall
140 Boyd Suparat won by forfeit
145 Matt Lutgen won by decision
152 Matt Newham lost by fall
180 Chad Anderson won by tall
171 Zach Frink lost by fall
189 Greg Arnt won by fall
215 Justin Bergerson won by decision
HWT John Morrison won by fall
BIG LAKE INVITATIONAL
The Vikings finished third as a team at the Big Lake Invitational Friday, December 7. The Vikings also did very well individually as Erik Kostik (125), Boyd Suparat (135) and Greg Arnt (189) emerged as champions after a tough night of wrestling. Viking wrestlers who earned second place finishes on the day included Jake Kostik (103), Tom Mork (119), Justin Bergerson (215) and John Morrison (HWT).
"Wow! What a long week of wrestling," said Viking head coach Tony Aho. "We are so proud of the effort these young men put out, with some of them wrestling as many as 12 matches in seven days. Big Lake and Monticello are state ranked. We were able to stay right with them the whole day, putting seven guys in the finals and coming away with three champions.
"Erik Kostik continues to roll, as he used his outstanding strength and balance to pin his way through the tourney. Boyd Suparat won the 135 pound title with a hard-fought decision over Jess Coffin of Sartell, who is ranked seventh in the state. Greg Arnt won his second consecutive title at Big Lake with a nice pin over a solid opponent in the finals. Greg has put a lot of time into our program and is a great example of how good you can be if you take your lumps early and have a great attitude. Jake Kostik made it to the finals and stayed close with a young man from Apollo who is ranked in the top ten in the state. Tom Mork wrestled great to get to the final but ran into a number one ranked wrestler from Big Lake. Justin Bergerson and John Morrison continue to improve and impress. Both of these guys are young and have unlimited potential as long as they stay healthy. The whole team is coming together well and we are very excited to see how we end up this year," Aho concluded.
Team Results
1. Monticello 219
2. Big Lake 216.5
3. North Branch 194.5
4. Saint Cloud Apollo 163.5
5. Sartell-.Saint Stephen 134.5
6. Rush City 81
7, Meadow Creek/
Rivers Academy 76.5
8- Richfield 43
Individual Results
103 Jake Kostik 2nd
112 Jake Kalkbrenner 5th
119 Tom Mork 2nd
125 Erik Kostik champion
130 Daub Bartylla 6th
135 Boyd Suparat champion
140 Mat Lutgen 5th
145 Jake Wermerskirchen 6th
152 Matt Newham 4th
160 Chad Anderson 6th
111 Zach Frink 6th
189 Greg Arnt champion
215 Justin Bergerson 2nd
HWT John Morrison 2nd
The Vikings host a triangular with St. Francis and Benilde-St. Margaret's tonight, Thursday. December 13, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 18, they travel to Milaca for a 7 p.m. dual meet.
Comments:
Commenting has been disabled for this item.