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Villella, Holmgren advance to state tournament from NBBy Danielle Strenke Two North Branch wrestlers advanced to the state tournament after their impressive showings at last weekendís Section 6AA individual tournament. One will be going for the first time, the other will see state action for the second year in his young career. Freshman Jeff Holmgren, who boasts a 29-6 record at 103 lbs., emerged as the second place winner in his class at the tourney. Sophomore Josh Villella, at 140 lbs., went undefeated at sections to take his first section championship and earn his second state appearance. Holmgren started the action Friday with a pin in the quarterfinal round, against Ben Mead of Pine City. His semifinal match also ended in a pin, versus Jon Lavoi, a junior from Becker/Autumn Ridge. Those wins advanced Holmgren to the championship match, where he battled with the No. 1 seeded wrestler at 103 lbs., Tom Ollestad of Mora. Ollestad went on to win the match for the title, but the top two in each weight earn a trip to state competition. Villella, who came into the tourney with only five losses, did not allow a single point in three matches on his way to the 140 lb. title. He defeated Marshall Anson of Milaca/Faith Christian in quarterfinals, blanked Luke Bialke of Foley in semifinals, and took on Phil Meinert of Princeton in the championship round, emerging with the win and a trip to St. Paul. Head coach Tony Aho was expecting both wrestlers to do well at sections, and is confident the two will make strong showings at the state tournament. ìBoth of these young men have proven that they can wrestle with the best in the state, so we are expecting them to put on a good show at the Xcel Center,î he said. The state tournament starts Thursday, Feb. 28 at the Xcel Center in St. Paul. Holmgren and Villella will wrestle in Class AA, with individual preliminaries scheduled for noon, and quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Wrestlebacks will be Friday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m., with semifinals, consolation matches, and championship rounds at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Other North Branch wrestlers turned in tremendous performances at sections, but were unable to advance to state. At 112 lbs., Joe Lofboom wrestled two strong opponents but came away with two losses. He finishes with an 18-7 record on the season. At 119 lbs., John Buchanan came away with a third place finish, after winning the quarterfinal match and then going on to pick up two more wins in the consolation bracket. He ends the year with a 27-9 record. At 125 lbs., Jed Shanley took sixth place, completing a strong season. ìJed had a nice season,î Aho said. Joe Holmgren competed in a very tough 130 lb. class, coming away with fifth place. He turns in a 20-12 record. Quin Shanley won an early match at the sections, but was unable to place at 135 lbs. Senior Chris Engel wrestled in his last matches of his career, up against very tough opponents in the 145 lb. class. ìHe has been a fine team leader and will be sorely missed next year,î Aho said. He did not place at sections. Zeb Sims, at 152 lbs., won his first match against Evan Pemberton of Princeton, but was unable to advance. Sims avenged a loss to Pemberton in the regular season. ìZeb wrestled hard and put out a fine effort all year,î Aho said. At 160 lbs., Sam Suparat lost close matches to the eventual second place and fourth place finishers. ìSam had a fantastic season, improving from three wins in 2000-01 to 20 victories this year,î Aho said. Cody Ekstrom improved greatly throughout the year at 171 lbs., and capped off the season with fifth place at the sections. Josh Davidson went 3-1 at the tourney, and was just one win shy of earning a trip to state. ìHe had a great tournament. Josh is another fine senior whom we will miss very much,î Aho said. Heavyweight Joe Winberg, who has wrestled extremely well all year, was unable to compete at sections due to injury. Freshmen Jeremy Bergerson stepped up to fill in. ìHe surprised a lot of people, placing sixth in the tough heavyweight division,î Aho said. Earlier this week, Holmgren and Villella practiced against several teammates during the teamís regular practice time after school. ìI try to have four or five guys there, to keep bringing in someone fresh,î Aho said. But as a testament to the dedication of this team, more than 15 wrestlers turned out for the practices Monday and Tuesday, even though their own seasons were finished. Aho said Villella and Holmgren were both looking forward to state competition, and said they both have the talent to do well. ©ECM Post Review |