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NB wrestlers improve record, come back from injuriesBy Barbara Brown North Branch wrestling has not only improved its record so far this season, but individual wrestlers are shining on the mats. Take Boyd Suparat for example. The 7th grader at North Branch Middle School has a fighting chance to take a permanent spot on the high schoolís varsity squad should he maintain the skill and drive he has shown so far this season. In the last four individual competitions, Suparat has won three. In the matches against Spring Lake Park and Hinckley-Finlayson on Jan. 9, he won by decision. The Jan. 8 match against Zimmerman brought a win by fall and a match the same night against Princeton resulted in a loss by fall. Senior John Buchanan earned his place in school history last week by becoming the second wrestler to mark 100 career wins. (See page 19) The Tigers earned a 51-21 win over Zimmerman on Jan. 8 and lost by only two points, 32-30, in the second match of that night against Princeton. ìThese two wins were huge for us because they were the first of the year,î coach Tony Aho said. ìWe have had lot of serious injuries and those guys are starting to come back and we are showing steady improvement,î Aho said. The North Branch Invitational brought eight teams to North Branch High School. Although the host team took fifth, Aho said he was pleased with the way the guys worked hard for themselves and the team. ìAll of the guys battled hard and two became champions,î Aho said. ìJeremy was probably the best 215-pounder at this tournament, but was unfortunately caught and pinned in the finals,î Aho said. Senior Sam Suparat secured 3rd at 160 and Ed Meier shared the podium with a third place win at 189. At 171, Zack Backus took fourth. Matt Newham, at 112, and Cody Gallmeier, at 145, both earned 5th place. Josh Schwab (119), Matt Krier (152) and Jarrod Swanson (HWT) all earned 6th place. North Branch earned 130 points for 5th place. Willmar pulled down 178 points for the team win, followed by Champlin Park with 144.5 and Wayzata with 143 to round out the top three. Boyceville, Wisc., took fourth with 136. Litchfield #2 earned 82 points for 6th and Menomonie, Wisc., earned 57.5 points for 7th while Andover brought in 42 points. Aho said the schoolís junior varsity also had a good day. Dustin Allen, Justin Pinna, Cory Haley, Chris Newham, Nick Sokol and Matt Davidson all earned championships in their weight classes. The Viking wrestlers next host Virginia at 6 p.m. Friday then face another day of tough competition at the Cambridge tournament which starts at 9 a.m. Jan. 17. The team will travel to Braham next Tuesday for a tri-meet starting at 6:30 p.m. ©ECM Post Review |