Wrestling: Perham wins at Frazee in battle of ranked teams

By Jason Groth

January 13, 2015 at 11:22 PM

An overflowing crowd watched as the Perham Yellowjacket wrestling team defeated the Frazee Hornets 28-26 Tuesday night at the Frazee High School gymnasium.

The Hornets entered the contest ranked second in Class A, while the Yellowjackets were ranked seventh in Class AA.

“It was really exciting. It was awesome for the sport of wrestling to bring two teams like that, and have the communities come together,” Perham Head Coach Robb Moser said. “It was fun. It’s a lot more enjoyable when you win, but, it’s great for the sport of wrestling. Obviously, it’s great for our program. I’m really proud of how those kids came together.”

The Yellowjackets fell behind, 20-6, after dropping five of the first six matches, before starting their rally.

Perham’s Dylan Fudge earned a win by pin at 113. He grounded out the victory over Blaine Beaty in the third period, for the lone Perham win in the first six matches.

Frazee’s Tanner Schemerhorn earned a technical fall win at 106, while Tanner Reitz won by decision, 5-0, at 120. Ethan Byer earned a technical fall win at 126, which was followed by a decision win, 6-0, for Byron Byer at 132. Grant Jepson earned a major decision, 10-0, win at 145.

The Yellowjackets turned the momentum at 145. Ty Moser used a late two-point takedown, erasing a deficit in the closing seconds. He earned a two-point near fall as well, picking up the 9-6 victory over Isaac Schemerhorn.

“Their starting guy was out, but it’s the next man up in wrestling. I thought our guy (Ty Moser) did a great job, and kept the pressure on,” Robb Moser said. “He kept on working, and it was a nice signature win for him. Our young guys, it’s not just him, have learned that if you give it your all every time, you expect to win. It doesn’t matter if you are an eighth or a ninth grader, you expect to win. I think that mindset has been really awesome for our team.”

Colin Neitzke followed with a major decision victory over Austin Beaty at 152. Neitzke built up a 6-2 lead after two periods, before breaking it open in the third, with a 3-point near fall for an 11-2 major decision.

Perham’s Zach Peterson and Frazee’s Calvin Streeper needed overtime to determine a winner at 160. Peterson wore down Streeper, and recorded a takedown for the 3-1 decision win.

Patrick Glynn followed suit with a 5-3 decision victory at 170. Glynn broke a 2-2 tie with a takedown and an escape in the third period.

Frazee returned to the win column at 182. Jonah Lange defeated William Parks by decision, 5-2.

Cole Schmitz gave the Yellowjackets the lead for good with a technical fall victory. Schmitz defeated Alex Splonkowski. Schmitz used a big second period to build up a 17-4 lead, before finishing it off in the third. Schmitz out-pointed Splonkowski, 13-3, in the second period. The victory gave the Yellowjackets a 24-23 lead.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen. We knew it was going to be a hard pin. What was good about him (Schmitz) is that he kept coming. He got that extra two bonus points with the technical fall,” Moser said. “I thought it was really cool how all the seniors rallied around each other, even the guys that lost. This is the happiest I have seen them in a long time.”

Jesse Klatt followed with a major decision win at 220 over Tanner Tappe. Klatt’s victory gave the Yellowjackets a bonus point, and a 28-23 lead.

“We thought if we could get a big win there, we would put them in a bad situation and that’s exactly what he (Klatt) did,” Moser said. “He had a nice major decision win for us.”

With the edge heading into the final match, the Yellowjackets adjusted their plan against Garrett Malstrom. Jesse Bucholz prevented any take downs from Malstrom. Malstrom earned the lone point on a reversal, picking up the 1-0 decision win. However, the win wasn’t enough for Frazee to overcome the five-point margin.

“We wrestled that match completely different. If that was an individual tournament we would have told him to cut it loose and see what you got,” Moser said. “As the ultimate team player that he is, he said yes and wrestled it perfectly. He is a lot of man to push around. Malstrom is a beast, and there is no question about it. It’s amazing how much he (Bucholz) has improved in two years. I’m so proud of that kid.”

It will be a quick turnaround for the Yellowjackets. The Yellowjackets take on Detroit Lakes on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.

“We are excited about today but this doesn’t make us get closer to state. It’s a good practice to sharpen us up for the end,” Moser said. “We have a tough schedule, but they are getting better, and that’s what you want to see-improvement every day.”

Hornet results

Perham 28, Frazee 26

106: Tanner Schemerhorn (FR) over Leighton Rach (PER) (TF 20-5)

113: Dylan Fudge (PER) over Blaine Beaty (FR) (Pin 5:32)

120: Tanner Reitz (FR) over Ben Nelson (PER) (Dec. 5-0)

126: Ethan Byer (FR) over Patrick Johnson (PER) (TF 5:18)

132: Byron Byer (FR) over Chase Curtis (PER) (Dec. 6-0)

138: Grant Jepson (FR) over Tyler Fudge (PER) (Maj. Dec. 10-0)

145: Ty Moser (PER) over Isaac Schermerhorn (FR) (Dec. 9-6)

152: Colin Neitzke (PER) over Austin Beaty (FR) (Maj. Dec. 11-2)

160: Zach Peterson (PER) over Calvin Streper (FR) (Dec. 3-1)

170: Patrick Glynn (PER) over Tanner Bachmann (FR) (Dec. 5-3)