Cardinals wrestle tough in duals, tournament
The Staples Motley wrestling team stayed right with two tough teams on Jan. 7, losing to Park Rapids 34-31 and to Pequot Lakes/Pine River/Backus 41-28.
The Cardinals were short handed because of injuries but still managed to push their opponents to the edge. The Park Rapids match came down to an overtime loss for Kyle Serich.
The team finished third in the Praire Valley Nighthawk Tournament at Parkers Prairie on Jan. 9. Owen Bjerga and Alex Erpelding were both champions in their weight class, with Erpelding being named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler.
Team results
Staples Motley 31, Park Rapids 34
106 Spencer Miller L 7-0; 113 Owen Bjerga W 11-4; 120 Blake Gerard W ff; 132 Eric Lisson W fall; 138 Jasiah Paskewitz L fall; 145 Dalton Holmberg W ff; 152 Isaac Swensrud L 10-1; 160 Alex Erpelding W 12-3; 170 ff; 182 ff; 195 Braden Tyrell W 8-3; 220 Nathaniel Rodrigues L fall; 285 Kyle Serich L 2-1
Staples Motley 28, Pequot Lakes/Pine River/Backus 41
106 S. Miller W 10-2; 113 Bjerga W fall; 120 Blayne Dumprope L 3-0; 126 Gerard W 7-3; 132 Lisson W 6-0; 138 Paskewitz L 17-2; 145 Matt Miller L fall; 152 Shawn Trantina L fall; 160 Swensrud L fall; 170 Erpelding W fall; 182 ff; 195 Tyrell L 701; 220 ff; 285 Serich W ff
Prairie Valley Nighthawk Tournament
Team Scores:
Park Rapids Area 229, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle-Browerville 203, Staples-Motley 154, Benson 147.5, Breckenridge 82, Prairie Valley 76, Crosby-Ironton 68.5, Pelican Rapids 30
106 S. Miller 2-1 3rd
113 Bjerga 3-0 1st
120 Dumprope 2-1 3rd place
126 Lisson 2-1 2nd place
138 M. Miller 2-1 3rd place
145 Trantina 1-3 6th place
152 Swendsrud 1-3 4th place
160 Erpelding 3-0 1st place
182 Tyrell 2-2 5th place
285 Serich 2-1 2nd place