Wrestling with the unknown

As has been the case the last few seasons it's anyone's guess if the lakes area will be represented in the state wrestling tournament.

A quick glance at the five sections that house area teams shows no clear-cut favorite, except for in Section 6-2A and maybe 6-1A.

Even in 6-2A, which has Foley, New London-Spicer, Dassel-Cokato and Little Falls, anything could happen, although Foley is 25-2 overall and 7-0 against section opponents, including a 51-15 win over D-C and a 39-13 win over NL-S.

The real mystery lies in Section 8-2A where the Staples-Motley Cardinals stand at 16-1 overall and 2-0 against section opponents.

How good are the Cardinals? What seed will they garner after facing only two section opponents? And, did their regular season prepare them for the likes of Perham, Thief River Falls and Fergus Falls?

"That's tough," said Cardinals first-year head coach Dan Bjerga. "We've only wrestled a couple of teams in the section head-to-head, but we're hoping to get a top three seed. That's what we're hoping for anyway."

The 8-2A seed meeting is Monday morning. Coaches will seed teams by e-mail.

"I think when we go ahead and dual with teams like Perham and Fergus we'll be right in the match," Bjerga said. "If our team comes out and wrestles the way they have been doing we'll be fine."

The Cardinals haven't lost since a 38-26 defeat to Badger/Greenbush-Middle River Dec. 11. Since then they've rattled off 13 straight wins. Aside from two close matches at the Kimball triangular, none of those wins have been close.

"We've seen improvement throughout the season," said Bjerga. "Hopefully, we can continue to show improvement in the next three or four weeks. I think the wrestlers' attitudes are high. They're right where they need to be and I think we'll do well."

Section 7-1A is even cloudier.

The Aitkin Gobblers fell to Royalton/Upsala 38-25 Jan. 22, but beat Mille Lacs 42-25. They will wrestle Pierz Tuesday. That outcome will determine if Aitkin or Pierz will get the No. 3 seed vs. the No. 4 seed.

"There really isn't a favorite," said Aitkin head coach Kevin Lamke. "I still see Mill Lacs as the favorite with Royalton and probably Pierz and us. It's going to be a matter of who is wrestling well at the time."

Getting senior Levi Stifter back from injury will be a key for the Gobblers, who have counted on the 189-pounder, along with sophomore Jordan Chouanard and junior Dalton Stevens, to score big points.

Scoring big is the key to section success, said Lamke.

"There are a few guys we might shift around depending on the team we're wrestling, but the key is not to give up points. If you lose, lose little. You need to save points anyway you can. That's pretty much what all the coaches will be saying. Win big. Lose little."

Pierz coach Simon Waltman will be telling his team to stay healthy. Since the return of heavyweight Dylan Peterson to the lineup, Pierz has won eight of its last nine matches, including seven straight. The one loss came against Staples-Motley.

"It's been really big to have someone on top you can count on to close things out for you," said Waltman. "We have come together as a team lately. For the most part the key thing is we're healthy right now. Our kids have always had the talent. We just need them out there on the mat. That's what it comes down to. We just needed to get healthy."

Prior to Pierz's 8-1 run, the Pioneers were 6-13 overall. Now they stand at 14-14 heading into Tuesday's match with Aitkin.

"This one is most likely for the No. 3 and 4 seeds," said Waltman. "I would say as a whole the section tournament is going to be a pretty hotly contested event."

For the Brainerd Warriors the question isn't health, but bodies.

The season-long favorite to win Section 8-3A has been St. Cloud Apollo, but the Warriors owned the Eagles Feb. 5 as they held a 29-18 lead before forfeiting the final two weight classes to fall 30-29.

Brainerd, (11-3 overall, 6-1 section), and Apollo (9-0, 21-3) each won seven matches, but the Warriors gave up just one pin and the two forfeits, while they picked up two pins and two major decisions.

The same teams squared off in last year's section final with Apollo claiming a 39-25 victory.

jeremy millsop, sports writer, may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5856.