Sontag second wrestler in five years to win Paul Bunyan Tourney

Milaca 39, Chisago Lakes 23
The eighth-ranked Class AA Wildcat wrestlers lost one of their toughest tests of the season so far, falling 39-23 to section foe Milaca at Milaca on Thursday, December 12. Milaca is ranked 12th in Class AA. In last year’s section championship, the Wildcats beat Milaca 40-23 to advance to the state tournament. “Milaca is a solid squad,” said Wildcat head coach Shawn Frederixon. “They wrestled a smart match against us. They were able to keep our top guys at bay a little bit. Our job is to find some spots where we can make up some extra points and turn that score around in February, during the team section tournament.”

Last season, during his bout in the Wildcats’ consolation championship match against Perham, Joe Virga’s kneecap popped out. Virga came back to pin his opponent, making the difference in the Wildcats’ 33-30 win. Virga’s kneecap popped out again in his match against Milaca’s Josh Otten. “Joe injured his knee on a move that didn’t look like much,” said Frederixon. “And he just went back in and finished the match. Once you get him mad enough, he isn’t going to change his mind. If he puts that attitude to use in rehab, he’ll be fine.” The Wildcats are hoping to have Virga back by mid-January. Aaron Sistrunk’s 132 pound match against Hunter Noor was one of the highlights of the evening. Sistrunk beat Noor 5-4. “There were a lot of scrambles in this on,” said Frederixon, “and Aaron came out on top. It was a nice match and a nice win for him this early in the season.”


Brainerd “Paul Bunyan” Tournament
Mark Sontag (160) finished first in the Paul Bunyan Tournament in Brainerd, becoming only the second Wildcat wrestler to do so in the five years the Wildcats have been attending the tournament. The Wildcats finished seventh as a team. Wrestlers from 16 schools participated in the tournament, which was held December 12 and 13. “Mark wrestled a really good tourney,” said Wildcat head coach Shawn Frederixon. “He’s placed there a couple of times before. This is the first time he made it to the finals and he was able to pull out the win. He controlled his match from the start. He built a 5-0 lead. The other kid got a couple of late escapes, but he couldn’t get much offense going against Mark. Mark was just too strong for him.” Sontag and Joe Virga are the only two Wildcat wrestlers who remain undefeated this season.

The Paul Bunyan Tournament is one of the premier tournaments in the state. The Wildcats faced wrestlers from several top schools, such as Foley, ranked first in Class AA, Frazee, ranked second in Class A, and tournament champions Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, ranked fourth in Class A. Frederixon said “There are a lot of teams vying for spots. Scoring points gets a little harder in this one. Getting one champion and two finalists, along with five other place winners, is pretty good. It was a good early season test for us.” Dylan Connell finished second at 126 and Kyle Schoenecker came in third at 138.