Ohman joins elite group of wrestlers

Chad Ohman entered the Elk River tournament with a swagger and backed it up.

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In the process of successfully defending his 171-pound championship, he joined an elite group of Brainerd Warrior wrestlers who have won 100 matches.

"It's a big goal to reach," Ohman said of 100 wins. "Only (10) wrestlers from Brainerd ever got 100 wins. Being up there with an elite group of wrestlers, knowing I could be at that level, and competing at that level ... I'm just hoping to get to state and win the section.

"My main goal is to place at state. The 100th win set me up for succeeding."

Warriors co-head coaches Jim Kath and Mike Boran said 100 wins is a substantial milestone.

Warriors wrestling

100-win club

Andy Pickar 149

Tyler Jensen 132

Chris Studer 132

Nick Lingwall 123

Tom Zelinske 118

Kyle Dukowitz 111

Jim Caughey 111

Jake Patnode 110

Ryan Smith 101

Matt Ostrowski 100

Chad Ohman 100

Chad Ohman

Sport: Wrestling

Weight: 171 pounds

Year: Senior

Age: 18

Height: 5-11

Other sports: Football

Career highlight: Playing in 2009 state football semifinals at Metrodome

Grade-point average: 2.75

Favorite class: Physical education

Favorite food: Ribs

Favorite movie: King Pin

Favorite TV show: Reno 911

Favorite Web site: YouTube

Hobbies: Fishing

Future plans: Undecided on a college

Favorite wrestler: Dan Gable

Parents: Greg and Pam Ohman

"That's pretty monumental," Kath said. "A fairly small group of kids (in Brainerd) have done that."

"Any time you get 100 wins in a high school career you've been doing something right," Boran said. "Chad's been wrestling a long time and has been successful. He's been wrestling varsity since ninth grade. He's wrestled middle to upper weights all those years. Even when he was a freshman and sophomore he was still successful at the upper weights, which can be tough."

Ohman opened the Elk River tournament with a pin at 1:44 against Deandre Robinson of St. Paul Harding. In the semifinals he pinned Mike Carey of Osseo at 3:55.

"I kind of took it to both those guys, they didn't really have a chance," he said. "I scored a whole of bunch points, turned them and pinned them."

In the finals, he beat Grant Petersen of Dassel-Cokato 8-1.

"I knew he would be a tough kid," Ohman said. "I was little cautious right away. I got my motions down and I was able to take him down. After that, I knew I could take it to the guy. I wrestled smart, taking my shots when they were there, and I was able to get it to 8-1. It was not quite what I wanted for my 100th, but I'll definitely take the win there."

The victory over Petersen lifted Ohman's season record to 27-6.

"Chad won 33 matches last year, and he was a state entrant, so he's got state experience," Boran said. "He's just picking up where he left off last year and we hope he raises that level a little bit.

"He has some high goals set. He wants to get back to state and be a placewinner, and he's certainly capable of doing that. He's got a good season going so far."

Chad Ohman

Kath said Ohman is one of the hardest-working Warriors and is steadily improving.

"Chad's in a tough weight class for sections so he knows he has to pick it up at the end of the season," Kath said. "He's a great leader in our room. He's very deserving of the (athlete of the week) award."

Boran added that Ohman is all about team, a captain who pushes teammates in the wrestling room.

"He will wrestle wherever we want him to," Boran said. "He's been mostly at 171, sometimes at 189. He's willing to bump up a weight class. Even though he just makes 171 he will bump up and wrestle a heavier wrestler. He never complains about that. He just goes out and wrestles. That's what we like."

One final thing Ohman would like to attain is helping the Warriors qualify for state as a team for the first time since 1989.

"We haven't been to state for a long time," he said. "I think we have the potential to do it, we've just got to keep working hard."

Other notable efforts:

• Matt Pohlkamp, hockey, had a hat trick against Tech.

• Amanda Finstad, Nordic skiing, won the girls' title in the North Star Conference meet.

• Becky Walker, gymnastics, won two events and the all-around title against Little Falls.

• Wes Blomberg, floor hockey, had a hat trick against Maple Grove.

• Kelsi Ring, gymnastics, won three events and the all-around title against Apollo and scored a career-high 36.075 to finish fifth in the all-around at the Park Invite.

• Ryan Weihemuller, Alpine skiing, won the boys' title in the Moose Mountain Invite at Lutsen.

• Britton Murrey, diving, scored a career-best 253.5 points for first place against Fergus Falls.

• Brett Jenkins, hockey, had a hat trick and two assists against Apollo.

• Kierra Howard, girls' hockey, made 31 saves in a shutout against St. Cloud Icebreakers.

• Matt Solid, Tyler Kohlmeier and Sam Pagel, wrestling, won titles at the Elk River Invite.

MIKE BIALKA may be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.