Wrestlers bring back second-place title

The North Branch wrestlers bounced back from the tough placement they received at the North Branch Invite to take second place last week in the South St. Paul Invitational.
The Vikings traveled to South St. Paul Jan. 18 and returned to North Branch with one 1st place, three 2nd place, one 3rd place, two 4th place, four 5th place and one 6th place titles.
Josh Villella, 145, brought home the only first place title for the team. His individual record was 14-1 going into the tournament. He defeated Ryan Hesse of North St. Paul and Dan Moret of Mankato East by pins and Eric Radziej of Mound West Tonka by a major decision score of 18-7.
Bringing in second place wins were Jeff Holmgren, 103, whose record climbed to 23-5; Joe Holmgren, 140, whose record of 19-7 jumped after his placement; and James Kvale, 189, with a record of 10-8.
John Buchanan, 125, beat Alec Winter from Cannon Falls by a technical fall, 16-0, to take third place. Buchananís record was 17-7.
In fourth place for the Vikings was Sam Suparat, 160, whose record is nearly neck and neck at 15-13.
Jeremy Bergerson, the Vikingís heavyweight competitor increased his 14-11 record by taking fourth place.
Luke Keocher, 171; Joe Lofboom, 130; Nat Rundhaug; and Jarrod Swanson, 215, also secured a fifth place standings.
Matt Krier, 152, finished in sixth place for the day.
ìAll of the guys wrestled great,î said head coach Tony Aho. ìKrier and Lofboom looked good coming off injuries.î
The Vikings entered the tournament after a loss Jan. 16 to Foley, 44-20.
Holmgren, 103, won by decision; Buchanan, 125, won by major decision; Holmgren, 140, won by decision; Villella, 145, won by major decision; Swanson, 215, won by fall.
ìThough the score was not all that close, I thought our guys looked great,î Aho said. ìWe won five matches and were close in two others.
ìSwanson came up with a huge win at 215, falling behind early and coming up with a pin.
ìJeff Holmgren dominated a state-ranked wrestler, while Buchanan and Villella also controlled their opponents.î
Joe Holmgren may have had the most satisfying win, Aho said, getting a last-second takedown to win the match.
The Vikings also lost Jan. 15 to Spring Lake Park in a close team match that ended 39-30.
Holmgren, 103, won by decision; Buchanan, 130, won by decision; Nate Rundhaug, 140, won by fall; Holmgren, 145, won by fall; Villella, 145, won by decision; Corey Haley, 160, won by fall; and Suparat, 171, won by decision.

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