Three Gator Wrestlers Place at Big Bear

Three Gator wrestlers place at Big Bear

By: Ryan Bergeron

To conclude its pre-holiday schedule, the Gator wrestlers traveled to Cass Lake to compete in the annual Big Bear Wrestling Classic on December 16 and 17, featuring 39 teams. The Gators advanced seven wrestlers into the second day, but only three came out with top-eight finishes, including Owen Novacek, fourth at 138 pounds, Devin Pries, fifth at 220 pounds, and Dominik Vacura, sixth at 195 pounds. At tournament’s end, the Gators placed thirteenth as a team.

“I thought it was a solid performance for our young team finishing thirteenth out of 39. The kids battled hard all weekend,” Gator Head Coach Todd Bergeron said. “(We’re) heading into the New Year which is the second half of our season. My hope for this team is they continue to work hard and have fun. It has been fun to watch their improvements already.”

Leading the way, Owen Novacek had to bounce back from a quarterfinal loss to come away with the Gators’ highest finish. Novacek advanced to the quarterfinals after pinning his first opponent and winning by technical fall against his second. In the quarterfinals, Novacek would face Crookston’s Colton Weiland. Trailing 3-0 heading into the final period, Novacek escaped and attempted to tie the match. He scored an additional point after Weiland was called for stalling for a second time, but couldn’t score that winning takedown in the wanning seconds, falling 3-2 to the eventual tournament runner-up.

The next day, Novacek responded with a 3-0 decision over Aitkin’s Jacob Hagestuen, a win ensuring Novacek would place in the top eight. Novacek continued his winning ways, pinning Hutchinson’s Cale Luthens in 38 seconds to set a match up with a section opponent in United North Central’s Austin Bacon. Novacek would secure a 13-5 major decision to advance to the third place bout versus another section opponent in Park Rapids’ Nolan Booge, ranked seventh in Class A at 138 pounds according to The Guillotine.

Leading at the time, Novacek would have to go down after Booge chose the top position to start the second period. Coming close to getting away, Novacek would eventually get caught and pinned in a cradle with 29 seconds remaining in the second period to finish the tournament with a fourth place showing.

Coming into the tournament ranked seventh in Class A at 195 pounds according to The Guillotine and undefeated, Gator senior Devin Pries would advance to the quarterfinals with two pins, both under one minute. In the quarterfinals, he would battle section opponent Jacob Bittman of Park Rapids. Pries would control the match from the top position en route to the 9-4 victory, advancing him to the semifinals and ensuring him a top six finish.

The next day in the semifinals, Pries faced Hutchinson’s Chandler Kurth. Trailing 4-1 in the final period, Pries would get ridden out in the third period and fell for the first time this season by the final 4-1 margin. Kurth would go on to win the title.

Dropping down into the consolation bracket, Pries would fall to United Clay Becker’s Sam Wamre 8-5 in a back and forth affair where both wrestlers rolled and reversed each other to their backs for five points. Now wrestling for fifth place, Pries would battle Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena’s Johnathan Smid, ranked ninth in Class A at 195 pounds according to The Guillotine rankings. Trailing during the match, Pries would gain the lead and ride out Smid in the third period for the 7-6 decision, giving Pries the fifth place finish.

Eighth grader Dominik Vacura rounded out the Gator placers while competing at the 195-pound weight class. Vacura would start his tournament with two first period pins, advancing him into the quarterfinals versus Hutchinson’s Tyler Stenzel, currently ranked fourth in Class AA at 220 pounds according to The Guillotine rankings. Vacura would fall in this match up 7-0 to end his first day. Stenzel would go on to win the weight class.

In the second day, Vacura ensured himself a top eight showing after recording another first period pin, this one over Crosby-Ironton’s Taylor Eigenheer. He ensured himself of at least a sixth place finish after recording his fourth pin of the tournament-- this one over section opponent Jack Hensel of Park Rapids at the 3:03 mark.

This advanced Vacura into a match up versus an opponent who pinned him at the Wadena-Deer Creek Invite earlier this season, Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale/ Parkers Prairie’s Ethan Kimber. Vacura would battle off his back numerous times in the match, not getting pinned, but falling by technical fall at the 4:30 mark. Dropping into the fifth place match versus a familiar opponent in Thief River Falls’ Brenan Peralta, Vacura would fall behind early and tried to throw Peralta late, but unsuccessfully in a 17-6 major decision loss, to finish sixth.

Four other Gators came one match away from finishing in the top eight, including Garrett Undeberg (106), finishing 3-2, Austin Maurstad (126), going 3-2, Seth Dostal (170), finishing 3-2, and Zach Evans (285), going 2-2.

Also competing for the Gators, but falling short of placing included: Tony Olson (113), going 1-2, Bryce Bergeron (120), finishing 2-2, Avery Augustson (132), going 1-2, Andy Dostal (145), finishing 0-2, Dade Melby (152), going 0-2, Tyler Isane, finishing 1-2, and Colby Wooten (182), going 1-2.

The Gators’ next action won’t come until January 10 at home versus the Bemidji Lumberjacks, followed by a trip to Bemidji to compete in the annual Rick Lee Invite on January 13 and 14.