At first glance, the Albert Lea High School wrestling team’s 45-24 loss to Faribault looks a bit lop-sided.

Saturday, December 11, 1999

At first glance, the Albert Lea High School wrestling team’s 45-24 loss to Faribault looks a bit lop-sided.

Until you analyze it anyway.

Upon further review, Thursday’s Big Nine dual on the Falcons’ mat is a lot closer than the score shows.

If the Tigers had won three matches they lost in the last seconds and not gotten pinned late in another, they would have upset Faribault.

&uot;We lost three matches by one point in the last seconds of the match,&uot; said coach Larry Goodnature. &uot;The score doesn’t show the true outcome.&uot;

The Tigers also gave the always-strong Falcons 12 points with forfeits at 112 and 135 pounds.

&uot;That didn’t help,&uot; said Goodnature.

Overall, though, the coach was satisfied with the Tigers’ performance.

&uot;Overall, I’m very, very pleased with the way the kids wrestled,&uot; he said. &uot;We wrestled much better than last weekend. The kids really wrestled with a lot of pride and heart tonight.&uot;

The Tigers started strong, getting a pin by Josh Hansen at 103 pounds, but they had to forfeit at 112.

Adam Elseth got those points back with a win by fall at 119, but the Falcons followed with pins of Adam Morreim at 125 and Jon Murray at 130. The Tigers forfeited at 135.

Jens Levisen kept the Tigers in it, scoring a fall at 140.

Then the Falcons won the matches that decided it.

At 145, Al Attig dropped a one-point decision to a strong opponent while Joel Busch lost a squeaker at 152. Blaine Swenson saw his lead disappear at 160 and lost 10-9. At 171, Jake Goodnature was pinned late in the third period by last year’s state runner-up.

Brody Page got the Tigers’ final points with a fall at 189.

Heavyweight Adam Lares lost by fall.

&uot;Our young kids are coming on strong, and our veteran wrestlers did well,&uot; said Coach Goodnature. &uot;I’m very pleased with the way we wrestled. I think we’ll see that as the year goes on our young kids will just get better and better. We still need to fill all the weight classes.&uot;

The Tigers, 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big Nine, face an even stronger opponent at Southwest Junior High School Thursday in Owatonna, the No. 2 ranked team in Class AAA.

Goodnature expects an exciting meet.

&uot;It’s a great Owatonna team coming to town, and we always wrestle Owatonna tough,&uot; he said. &uot;It should be an interesting match for the fans to watch.&uot;

It’s also T-shirt night, meaning the wrestlers will toss T-shirts into the stands.