For the second season in a row, the PEM wrestlers were invited to compete in the MN Christmas tournament, widely regarded as the toughest individual tournament held in Minnesota. This year’s event, the 32nd annual, included 40 teams from 4 states, including 28 teams ranked in their class in their home state. The Bulldogs battled very tough against the top notch field which featured numerous elite athletes including many state and nationally ranked wrestlers. Highlights for the Bulldogs included 8 out of 12 wrestlers winning matches including 4 wrestlers that won multiple matches. Three wrestlers made it to the blood round (top 12), and 1 Bulldog wrestler earned his way onto the podium, placing 5th.
Individual highlights for the Bulldogs included:
120: Sophomore Garrett Olson contributed 7 team points with a huge major decision victory over #9 ranked Kanin Hable of AAA power Owatonna
126: Sophomore Kael Lamb picked up his first career Christmas tournament victory over Josh Wagener of #7 ranked Waconia
132: Sophomore Cooper Hofschulte dropped 2 weight classes from the previous week and won 3 matches. After dropping his first match to eventual tournament champion Ryan Sokol of Simley, Hofschulte battled back to win his next 3 straight, including 2 by fall on Friday night. Hofschulte opened Saturday morning with another dominating victory over Mueller of #7 ranked Waconia, before falling in the blood round in a very well fought 3-1 loss to Cole Becker of AAA powerhouse STMA.
138: Sophomore Cael Marx lost his first match of the tournament to eventual 3rd place winner Hunter Lyden of East Ridge. Marx rallied with two victories Friday evening, and a 7-3 victory Saturday morning over #2 state ranked Peter Rolle of Edmund, OK. In the blood round, Marx would fall in overtime to #3 ranked Charlie Stuhl of Ellsworth, WI.
145: Senior Lafe Aarsvold, After getting behind 5-0, would battle all the way back to tie the match with his Anoka opponent, 8-8 in the consolation round. Unfortunately Aarsvold would give up the takedown in the final period to drop the match 10-8.
160: Senior Carter Marx fell 8-7 to #3 ranked Jimmy Brown of Cambridge-Isanti, then posted 3 victories Friday evening to stay alive including 1 over 2x state entrant Matt Waskey of Forest Lake. On Saturday morning Marx won his opening match to advance to the blood round, but fell to #3 ranked Josh Hidberg of STMA to finish the tournament with a 4-2 record.
170: Senior Connor Jones picked up his first career Christmas Tournament victory with a gutty 3-1 victory over Ethan Stockwell of #3 ranked Owatonna.
195: Sophomore Alex Rahman, bumped up a weight class to compete in the 195 lb. class and garnered his first career Christmas Tournament victory with a win over Dylan Ehmke of Westfield.
285: Junior Logan Wingert, For the 3rd week in a row would steal the show for the Bulldogs, winning a team high 6 matches for the Bulldogs, including 4 by fall, scoring 21 team points for PEM. After a 1st round victory by pin, Wingert would lose his first match of the season in the 2nd round to #9 ranked Marco Cavallaro of East Ridge. Wingert would make light work of his Z-M opponent in the final round of Friday evening, getting another 1st period pin. On Saturday morning, Wingert stood 2 victories away from earning the prestigious Christmas Tournament medal by placing in the top 8. In the opening round of Saturday morning, Wingert would overwhelm Section rival Moe Tucker of Kasson Mantorville with a 2nd period pin. In the blood round, Wingert needed one more victory to place and was unable to get a first period takedown. Heading into the 2nd period, Wingert’s Coon Rapids opponent chose the down position, which proved to be his downfall, as Wingert brought an incredible amount of pressure on top and was able to get the turn and pin, and advance to the podium. In the first round of Championship competition, Wingert would be pitted once again against Cavallaro but this time would reverse the result and win by a 7-2 decision. In the 5th place match, Wingert would pick up his team high 13th victory of the year with a 4-1 victory over #2 state ranked Charlie Farhat of Willmar.
Coach’s Comments: This tournament can be a very humbling experience for even the most seasoned wrestlers. I was very proud of the way our wrestlers competed and stepped up against some very elite opponents. While extremely challenging, the things that were learned this weekend will pay dividends in January and February.
Pictures of the Event can be located here!
Team Scores(rank,state, division):
1 Simley (#2, MN, AA) 204.5 2 Kasson-Mantorville (#1, MN, AA) 199.5 3 Shakopee (#1, MN, AAA) 176.0 4 Willmar (#6, MN, AAA) 175.5 5 Apple Valley (#2, MN, AAA) 166.5 6 Scott West (#5, MN, AA) 164.5 7 Owatonna (#3, MN, AAA) 157.0 8 Fairmont/MCW (#3, MN, AA) 147.5 9 Stillwater (#18, MN, AAA) 131.0 10 Waconia (#7, MN, AA) 127.0 11 Holmen (#2, WI, D1) 125.0 12 STMA (#4, MN, AAA) 120.0 13 Albert Lea (#13, MN, AAA) 118.5 14 Luxemburg-Casco (#4, WI, D2) 109.5 15 Anoka (#8, MN, AAA) 106.0 16 Kaukauna (#5, WI, D1) 99.5 17 East Ridge (#11, MN, AAA) 98.0 18 Edmond Memorial (#6, OK, 6A) 89.0 19 Prior Lake 87.0 20 Totino-Grace (#8, MN, AA) 86.5 21 Forest Lake 86.0 22 Mounds View (#9, MN, AAA) 82.0 23 Aurora Christian (#1, IL, 1A) 79.0 24 Wayzata 78.0 25 Hortonville, WI 75.5 26 Ellsworth (#2, WI, D2) 69.0 27 PEM 66.0 28 St. Francis (#20, MN, AAA) 64.5 29 St. Rita (#22, IL, 3A) 62.5 30 Zumbrota-Mazeppa (#13, MN, A) 62.0 31 Cambridge-Isanti (#19,MN, AAA) 60.0 32 Byron 56.5 33 Hastings (#16, MN, AAA) 54.0 34 Westfield 49.0 35 Eagan 46.0 36 Farmington 41.5 37 Coon Rapids (#15, MN, AAA) 38.0 37 Rochester Mayo 38.0 39 Minnetonka 21.0 40 Leo, IL 12.0
2018 MN Christmas Tournament Results
120- Garrett Olson (6-4) place is unknown and scored 7.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Garrett Olson (PEM) 6-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Garrett Olson (PEM) 6-4 won by major decision over Kanin Hable (Owatonna) 6-5 (MD 10-1),
Champ. Round 3 - Cael Swensen (Wayzata) 14-2 won by tech fall over Garrett Olson (PEM) 6-4 (TF-1.5 5:45 (23-8)),
Cons. Round 4 - Vito Massa (East Ridge) 12-7 won by fall over Garrett Olson (PEM) 6-4 (Fall 4:21)
126- Kael Lamb (5-6) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Kael Lamb (PEM) 5-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Ruben Saldivar (Simley) 3-4 won by decision over Kael Lamb (PEM) 5-6 (Dec 13-9), Cons. Round 2 - Kael Lamb (PEM) 5-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Kael Lamb (PEM) 5-6 won by decision over Josh Wagener (Waconia) 3-6 (Dec 4-2), Cons. Round 4 - Brock Harris (Edmond) 9-5 won by major decision over Kael Lamb (PEM) 5-6 (MD 14-0)
132- Cooper Hofschulte (8-6) place is unknown and scored 10.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Ryan Sokol (Simley) 13-0 won by tech fall over Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 (TF-1.5 2:55 (20-5)),
Cons. Round 2 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 received a bye () (Bye),
Cons. Round 3 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 won by fall over Jayden Engelken (Rochester Mayo) 3-4 (Fall 2:13),
Cons. Round 4 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 won by fall over Ben Hallin (St. Francis) 5-6 (Fall 1:14),
Cons. Round 5 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 won by decision over Gage Mueller (Waconia) 3-2 (Dec 12-5),
Cons. Round 6 - Cole Becker (STMA) 11-3 won by decision over Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) 8-6 (Dec 3-1)
138- Cael Marx (8-4) place is unknown and scored 10.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Hunter Lyden (East Ridge) 18-1 won by major decision over Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 (MD 13-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Cons. Round 3 - Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 won by fall over Romeo Nordquist (Cambridge-Isanti) 3-8 (Fall 2:10),
Cons. Round 4 - Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 won by fall over Cole Edwards (Prior Lake) 2-6 (Fall 0:34), Cons. Round 5 - Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 won by decision over Peter Rolle (Edmond) 7-3 (Dec 8-1),
Cons., Round 6 - Charlie Stuhl (Ellsworth) 13-3 won in sudden victory - 1 over Cael Marx (PEM) 8-4 (SV-1 3-1)
145- Lafe Aarsvold (0-4) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Nic VanOort (Kasson-Mantorville) 10-2 won by tech fall over Lafe Aarsvold (PEM) 0-4 (TF-1.5 5:38 (15-0)),
Cons. Round 1 - Lafe Aarsvold (PEM) 0-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Cons. Round 2 - Tyler Young (Anoka) 4-5 won in sudden victory - 1 over Lafe Aarsvold (PEM) 0-4 (SV-1 8-10)
152- Connor Ramthun (6-3) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Connor Ramthun (PEM) 6-3 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Gabe Tupper (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) 4-4 won by decision over Connor Ramthun (PEM) 6-3 (Dec 14-8),
Cons. Round 2 - Connor Ramthun (PEM) 6-3 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Austin Hamel (Farmington) 8-6 won by fall over Connor Ramthun (PEM) 6-3 (Fall 2:42)
160- Carter Marx (9-4) place is unknown and scored 6.0 team points
.Champ. Round 1 - Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Jimmy Brown (Cambridge-Isanti) 14-3 won by decision over Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 (Dec 8-7),
Cons. Round 2 - Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 won by decision over Mathias Waskey (Forest Lake) 4-4 (Dec 5-2),
Cons. Round 3 - Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 won by fall over Ethan Smith (Rochester Mayo) 0-3 (Fall 2:55),
Cons. Round 4 - Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 won in tie breaker - 1 over DJ Smith (Shakopee) 10-3 (TB-1 2-1),
Cons. Round 5 - Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 won by decision over Josiah Hedensten (Albert Lea) 7-8 (Dec 6-1),
Cons. Round 6 - Wyatt Lidberg (STMA) 11-3 won by major decision over Carter Marx (PEM) 9-4 (MD 10-2)
170- Connor Jones (3-6) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Connor Jones (PEM) 3-6 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Chase Dressel (Mounds View) 11-3 won by fall over Connor Jones (PEM) 3-6 (Fall 3:46),
Cons. Round 2 - Connor Jones (PEM) 3-6 received a bye () (Bye),
Cons. Round 3 - Connor Jones (PEM) 3-6 won by decision over Ethan Stockwell (Owatonna) 3-5 (Dec 3-0),
Cons. Round 4 - Jake Viloria (St. Rita) 12-6 won by fall over Connor Jones (PEM) 3-6 (Fall 2:58)
182- Martin Prieto (7-4) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Martin Prieto (PEM) 7-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Billy Trees (Prior Lake) 4-7 won by decision over Martin Prieto (PEM) 7-4 (Dec 5-4),
Cons. Round 2 - Kaden Streed (Willmar) 12-2 won by fall over Martin Prieto (PEM) 7-4 (Fall 2:17)
195- Alex Rahman (4-4) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Alex Rahman (PEM) 4-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Champ. Round 2 - Quincy Hill (Rochester Mayo) 5-3 won by decision over Alex Rahman (PEM) 4-4 (Dec 8-3),
Cons. Round 2 - Alex Rahman (PEM) 4-4 received a bye () (Bye),
Cons. Round 3 - Alex Rahman (PEM) 4-4 won by decision over Dylan Ehmke (Westfield) 2-3 (Dec 3-0),
Cons. Round 4 - Bram Fitzsimmonds (Waconia) 7-5 won by fall over Alex Rahman (PEM) 4-4 (Fall 2:38)
220- Riley Wingert (2-3) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Jacob Rahn (Farimont) 1-4 won by fall over Riley Wingert (PEM) 2-3 (Fall 5:30), Cons. Round 1 - Luke Effertz (Owatonna) 3-6 won over Riley Wingert (PEM) 2-3
285- Logan Wingert (13-2) placed 5th and scored 21.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by fall over Alex Kopischke (Kaukauna) 5-4 (Fall 1:09),
Champ. Round 2 - Marco Cavallaro (East Ridge) 6-4 won by decision over Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 (Dec 7-4),
Cons. Round 2 - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by fall over Trey Lexvold (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) 1-4 (Fall 1:36),
Cons. Round 3 - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by fall over Anthony Moe-Tucker (Kasson-Mantorville) 8-3 (Fall 1:52),
Cons. Round 4 - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by fall over Gavin Layton (Coon Rapids) 7-5 (Fall 2:01)
Cons. Round 5 - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by decision over Marco Cavallaro (East Ridge) 6-4 (Dec 7-2),
Cons. Semi - Tristan Rieken (Westfield) 8-2 won by fall over Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 (Fall 1:55), 5th Place Match - Logan Wingert (PEM) 13-2 won by decision over Charlie Farhat (Willmar) 10-4 (Dec 4-0)
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