WILLMAR -- To no one's surprise, the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints defended their Willmar Cardinal Classic title on Friday night.
They made it look easy, winning seven of the 14 individual weight classes.
Taking the top stair on the podium for KMS were Kurt Timmons at 103 pounds, Klinton Van Heuveln at 112, Spencer Almen at 145, Kevin Steinhaus at 160, Mitchell Hagen at 171, Joel Bauman at 189 and Cody Kinney at heavyweight.
Steinhaus, a Class A state champion, and Kinney were the only repeat champions for the Fighting Saints.
Willmar placed two wrestlers in the final and both won: Adam Fagerstrom at 125 and Nick Braun at 130. Braun took out defending weight-class champion Brad Plumoff of Benson in the semifinal round.
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Austen Cole of YME repeated, but this time at 119, a hike of one weight class from a year ago.
Braun actually took out two champions on his way to the title. In the final, he decisioned Jacob Engler of KMS, the 119 champ a year ago here. YME's Casey Field, a state runner-up at 125 pounds last March, won here at 140 pounds with a 6-3 win over Brett Hoffman of Benson.
Fagerstrom decisioned Kevin Kramer of Eden Valley-Watkins 5-1 in the final. He needed two overtimes in the semifinal to get by Tyler Fagen of RCW.
KMS nipped YME by one point last year for the team title. This year the margin was 30 points, thanks to KMS returning most of its lineup in tact.
Minnewaska took third, despite a depleted line-up. The Lakers don't expect to be full strength until after Christmas. Waska's Collin Jergenson had an impressive 7-0 decision over Dustin Kramer of Eden Valley-Watkins in the 152 final.
Willmar dropped from third a year ago to fifth, not a big surprise since the Cardinal graduation losses were substantial.
This was also the home debut for new coach Casey Johnson, who took over for Tom Beyer, who was Willmar's head coach for 26 years.
Individual results
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103 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Kurt Timmons, KMS, bye ... Jacob Braaten, Min, pin Morgan Staten, Ben, :46 ... Levi Specht, YME, pin Seth Pollcack, Wil, 1:38 ... Derek Helmer, RCW, pin Josh Meyer, SC, :20
SEMIFINALS: Timmons pin Braaten :53 ... Specht pin Helmer 3:44
CONSOLATION: Pollack pin Meyer 4:27 ... Staten bye ... Helmer pin Staten :36 ... Braaten pin Pollack 1:00 ... 5th place: Pollack pin Staten 1:39 ... 3rd place: Braaten pin Helmer 3:23
CHAMPIONSHIP: Timmons majdec Specht 16-6
112 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Jacob Forcier, EVW, bye ... Alex Johannes, Wil, pin Matt Plumhoff, Ben, 4:47 ... Gage Sachs, Min, techfall Dylan Hoffman, YME, 3:13 ... Klinton VanHeuveln, KMS, pin Colton Haakinson, SC, :58
SEMIFINALS: Forcier pin Johannes 2:55 ... VanHeuveln pin Sachs 4:52
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CONSOLATION: Plumhoff bye ... Hoffman pin Haakinson :36 ... Sachs pin Plumhoff :54 ... Johannes dec Hoffman 9-4 ... 5th place: Hoffman pin Plumhoff 1:36 ... 3rd place: Sachs dec Johannes 2-0
CHAMPIONSHIP: VanHeuveln pin Forcier 3:38
119 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Austen Cole, YME, bye ... Mason Pomerleau, Wil, majdec Stuart Johnson, KMS, 13-1 ... Jeff Dockendorf, EVW, bye ... Shane Trattles, SC, pin Marty Williams, Min, 1:33
SEMIFINALS: Cole pin Pomerleau 1:39 ... Dockendorf dec Trattles 4-3
CONSOLATION: Johnson bye ... Williams bye ... Trattles pin Johnson :34 ... Williams pin Pomerleau 5:48, OT ... 5th place: Johnson pin Pomerleau 4:10 ... 3rd place: Trattles pin Williams 1:26
CHAMPIONSHIP: Cole dec Dockendorf 7-1
125 pounds
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QUARTERFINALS: Logan Johnson, YME, pin Justin Cole, SC, 2:48 ... Kevin Kramer, EVW, techfall Joey Paulson, KMS, 6:00 ... Tyler Fagen, RCW, majdec Josh Frenzel, Ben, 12-0 ... Adam Fagerstrom, Wil, techfall Zach Steffenson, Min, 4:36
SEMIFINALS: Kramer dec Johnson 7-1 ... Fagerstrom dec Fagen 9-7
CONSOLATION: Paulson pin Cole 3:45 ... Frenzel techfall Steffenson 5:28 ... Fagen pin Paulson 2:06 ... Johnson dec Frenzel 8-1 ... 5th place: Frenzel pin Paulson 1:43 ... 3rd place: Johannes pin Fagen 4:13
CHAMPIONSHIP: Fagerstrom dec Kramer 5-1
130 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Jacob Engler, KMS, bye ... Lucian Grow, SC, dec Jordan Hegna, YME, 10-8 ... Nick Braun, Wil, pin Cody McLagan, RCW, 2:20 ... Brad Plumhoff, Ben, bye
SEMIFINALS: Engler majdec Grow 16-5 ... Braun pin Plumhoff 4:35
CONSOLATION: Hegna bye ... McLagan bye ... Plumhoff majdec Hegna 12-1 ... Grow pin McLagan 1:47 ... 5th place: McLagan pin Hegnas 3:30 ... 3rd place: Grow pin Plumhoff 5:22
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CHAMPIONSHIP: Braun dec Engler 4-0
135 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Ryan Thompson, Ben, pin Hunter Wollschlager, Min, 1:33 ... Cody Milhausen, Wil, dec Mike Downham, EVW, 5-4 ... Kyle Hartigan, SC, dec Isaac Johnson, RCW, 2-1 ... Tanner Aus, YME, pin Casey Krieger, KMS, 1:36
SEMIFINALS: Thompson techfall Milhausen 4:30 ... Aus dec Hartigan 2-0, OT
CONSOLATION: Downham majdec Wollschlager 14-2 ... Johns pin Krieger :50 ... Hartigan dec Downham 4-2 ... Johns dec Milhausen 12-5 ... 5th place: Milhausen pin Downham 2:28 ... 3rd place: Johns pin Hartigan 3:38
CHAMPIONSHIP: Thompson dec Aus 7-2
140 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Casey Field, YME, bye ... Tyler Magedanz, EVW, pin John Glimsdal, KMS, 2:51 ... Chase Hubert, SC, pin Brian Feldman, RCW, 5:32 ... Brett Hoffman, Ben, pin David Arnold, Wil, :48
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SEMIFINALS: Field pin Magedanz 3:12 ... Hoffman pin Hubert 4:31
CONSOLATION: Glimsdal bye ... Feldman pin Arnold 1:46 ... Hubert dec Glimsdal 5-3, OT ... Magedanz dec Feldman 3-0 ... 5th place: Feldman pin Glimsdal :51 ... 3rd place: Magedanz dec Hubert 7-0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Field dec Hoffman 6-3
145 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Wyatt Sand, YME, bye ... Dan Braaten, Min, pin Trent Novotny, RCW, 5:22 ... Mike Sullivan, EVW, majdec Nathan Walter, SC, 13-2 ... Spencer Almen, KMS, dec Brady Wersinger, Ben, 7-3
SEMIFINALS: Braaten majdec Sand 11-2 ... Almen majdec Sullivan 12-4
CONSOLATION: Novotny bye ... Walter dec Wersinger 7-6 ... Sullivan dec Novotny 8-4 ... Sand techfall Walter 3:35 ... 5th place: Novotny pin Walter :28 ... 3rd place: Sand dec Sullivan 5-2
CHAMPIONSHIP: Almen pin Braaten 5:20
152 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Dustin Kramer, EVW, pin Dave Tweten, Ben, :38 ... Aaron Zimmer, KMS, majdec Brett Illies, SC, 12-3 ... Colin Jergenson, Min, pin Travis Holm, RCW, 3:30 ... Justin Tongen, YME, majdec Nick Dahlke, Wil, 9-0
SEMIFINALS: Kramer dec Zimmer 5-0 ... Jergenson pin Tongen 1:16
CONSOLATION: Illies pin Tweten 4:49 ... Dahlke dec Holm 3-1 ... Tongen dec Illies 10-4 ... Zimmer dec Dahlke 9-3 ... 5th place: Illies pin Dahlke :40 ... 3rd place: Zimmer dec Tongen 8-2
CHAMPIONSHIP: Jergenson dec Kramer 7-0
160 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Kevin Steinhaus, KMS, pin Brandon Walz, EVW, :51 ... Phil Johnson, YME, dec David Bond, Min, 8-5 ... Cody Stageman, Wil, pin Drew Hultquist, RCW, 3:13 ... John Gusewelle, SC, pin Turner Carson, Ben, 1:33
SEMIFINALS: Steinhaus techfall Johnson 5:22 ... Gusewelle dec Stageman 14-12
CONSOLATION: Bond pin Walz :46 ... Hultquist dec Carson 4-1 ... Bond dec Stageman 4-2, OT ... Johnson dec Hultquist 7-5 ... 5th place: Stageman dec Hultquist 8-5 ... 3rd place: Johnson dec Bond 7-5
CHAMPIONSHIP: Steinhaus majdec Guse-welle 16-3
171 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Mitchell Hagen, KMS, pin Xavier Glawe, Ben, 5:31 ... Brandon Manderscheid, Min, majdec Nathaniel Swayer, Wil, 15-7 ... Tom Jochum, EVW, pin Brandon Beckendorf, RCW, 2:28 ... Martin Hagen, YME, dec Mat Walter, SC, 7-0
SEMIFINALS: Mitchell Hagen dec Manderscheid 11-9 ... Martin Hagen dec Jochum 10-3
CONSOLATION: Swayer dec Glawe 6-4 ... Beckendorf pin Walter :29 ... Jochum dec Swayer 7-1 ... Manderscheid 4:30 ... 5th place: Swayer dec Beckendorf 11-7 ... 3rd place: Manderscheid majdec Jochum 9-1
CHAMPIONSHIP: Mitchell Hagen dec Martin Hagen 5-2
189 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Joel Bauman, KMS, pin Nate Bloomquist, Wil, 1:20 ... Aaron Halgeson, SC, pin Marly Kramer, EVW, 2:47 ... David Cowen, Min, dec Jake Freiborg, RCW, 7-2 ... Chris Carruth, Ben, pin Ethan Sander, YME, 2:49
SEMIFINALS: Bauman majdec Helgeson 16-6 ... Carruth dec Cowen 8-6
CONSOLATION: Kramer pin Bloomquist 2:14 ... Freiborg pin Sander 1:40 ...Cowen pin Kramer 2:09 ... Freiborg dec Helgeson 7-0 ... 5th place: Cowen pin Freiborg 4:15 ... 3rd place: Helgeson dec Kramer 8-4
CHAMPIONSHIP: Bauman majdec Carruth 21-8
215 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Evan Stock, YME, bye ... Nick DeVires, Wil, pin Justin Golden, Ben, 1:30 ... Cole Gigstad, RCW, pin John Erickson, Min, 5:20 ... Adam Wentzel, KMS, bye
SEMIFINALS: Stock pin DeVries 2:29 ... Wentzel majdec Gigstad 16-6
CONSOLATION: Golden bye ... Erickson bye ... Gigstad dec Golden 7-0 ... DeVries dec Erickson 4-3 ... 5th place: Erickson pin Golden 4:32 ... 3rd place: Gigstad majdec DeVries 8-0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Stock majdec Wentzel 11-2
275 pounds
QUARTERFINALS: Cody Kinney, KMS, bye ... Austin Otto, Min, pin Blaine Countryman, RCW, 3:15 ... Justin Allen, YME, won by disqualification over Rene Vallejo, Wil ... Dalton Staton, Ben, bye
SEMIFINALS: Kinney pin Otto :30 ... Staton pin Allen 3:20
CONSOLATION: Countryman bye ... Vallejo bye ... Allen pin Countryman 1:30 ... Otto won by disqualification over Vallejo ... 5th place: Countryman won by disqualification over Vallegjo ... 3rd place: Otto pin Allen 2:17
CHAMPIONSHIP: Kinney pin Staton 3:28
