Tigers find silver lining at state

Staff

Published Monday, February 28, 2005

By Jim Lutgens, Tribune Sports Editor

ST. PAUL - Somebody finally found a way to stop Brandon Klukow.

Ben Berhow nearly knocked off his unbeaten rival.

Going for the gold, they settled for silver.

Klukow and Berhow finished second at their respective weights in the state wrestling tournament, leading the strongest showing for an Albert Lea High School squad in at least 24 years. The Tigers' Zach Hansen and Logan Kortan placed third and Zach McGinnis was fifth in the three-day spectacle that concluded Saturday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

"We had a great tournament," said ALHS coach Larry Goodnature. "To bring eight boys up here and have five placewinners is phenomenal. Our motto all year has been, 'NGU: Never give up.' These guys sure showed it up here."

The last time the Tigers had two finalists was 1981, when Mark Indrelie and Scott Hanna did so.

To find more individual success for the Tigers at the big show you have to go even farther back, to 1971, when Goodnature capped an undefeated season with a state title.

Klukow, a senior, brought a record of 39-0 into the Class AAA 152-pound title match against Tim Matheson, a senior from Centennial rated No. 1 in the state.

Matheson scored the first points with a takedown and led 2-1 after the first period, adding an escape in the second and a near fall in the third for a 6-2 final.

"That boy just played good defense and slowed Klukow down," said Goodnature. "He's a good kid, we wrestled him well. There's not much you can say. State finals, 39-1, that's a good year."

"It's a little disappointing," said Klukow. "I just wrestled a little bit flat and couldn't get any offense going."

Added Goodnature, "No matter what the ending, 39-1 is a great season and he should be proud of himself. It's a tremendous achievement."

Berhow, a junior, met a familiar foe in the 189 finals - unbeaten Apple Valley senior Steve Larson. It was a battle, and closer than the first two times they met this season, but Larson prevailed 10-7. Berhow finished 35-5, Larson 31-0.

"We got a little closer than the other two times," said Goodnature. "That boy, he's a moose, it's tough to get position on him. We left it all out on the mat, that's for sure."

"He's a great wrestler, that pretty much sums it up," said Berhow. "One of my goals was to get another shot at Steve. It's been closer every time. It's just the way it happens. I'm a junior, I've

got one year left."

Hansen ended his high school career the way few can - with a win. He pinned Matt Mincey of Apple Valley in 2:31 for the bronze medal at 112, finishing the season 26-9.

"Overall, it was a heck of a tournament," said Hansen. "We all came to wrestle. Placing five out of eight is a great tournament."

Kortan brought home the bronze at 103, edging Minh Huynh of Eastview 6-5 in the third-place match. The only loss in the tournament for Kortan, an eighth-grader, was 10-9 in the semifinals to eventual champion Trey Bertram of Hastings. Kortan finished the season 35-6.

The other Albert Lea medalist is another underclassman, sophomore Zach McGinnis, who took fifth at 130 with a 6-3 victory over Bryce Mackey of Burnsville. McGinnis finished 37-10.

Kortan and McGinnis won in dramatic fashion, scoring last-second takedowns.

"They were behind for five minutes and 59 seconds," said Goodnature. "That's something we

really work on at the end of the season. That's why we get them in shape."

Two Tigers survived Thursday's opening round before being eliminated in Friday's wrestlebacks.

Sophomore Eric Johnson, 119, finished 19-5 and Alex Paul, 189, ended his junior season 24-20.

Cory Frerk, a senior, dropped his opening match at 152 and did not have a shot at the wrestlebacks because his first-round opponent lost in the quarterfinals.

While Goodnature felt great about the Tigers' showing in St. Paul, he feels even better about something else.

"We brought eight guys up here," said the coach. "Only three of them are seniors."

(Contact Jim Lutgens at tribsports@albertleatribune.com or 379-3437.)

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