Caledonia Argus

Caledonia Wrestling Tourney proves inhospitable for Warrior opponents

Posted: 12/17/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus Sports Writer

There is a certain honor in hosting a tournament on your home turf. A team feels compelled to welcome others into its hometown, treat them to some local hospitality, and then savagely brutalize them with the maximum amount of force allowable under Minnesota law. The Warriors did as such at the Caledonia Tournament on Saturday, December 14, plundering the ranks of Kasson-Mantorville, Dassel-Cokato, Plainview, and Austin, all to the delight of the hometown crowd.

The Warriors went 3-0-1 in round robin play, edging out Kasson-Mantorville by a narrow margin, laying waste to Plainview 48-24, and causing area coroners to inquire as to Austinís well-being after a 59-13 flogging.

Dassel-Cokato forced a tie pointwise, though the Warriors won eight of the 14 matches. So it was, all in all, a bittersweet road trip for the four teams that travelled to Caledonia on Saturdayñ though their hopes of glory on the mat were dashed by an ever-explosive Warrior squad, we can only hope that other parts of their weekend were less traumatic. Perhaps they happened upon Beaver Creek Valley State Park, which is quite lovely this time of year. Or maybe they chanced upon the local Kwik Trip, which serves up some mean bratwurst. It goes without saying that Caledonia has much more to offer than the vicious beatings our wrestlers dealt out on Saturday morning.

Though, at least for me, the beatings are a major draw.

The triumvirate of Kasey Meiners, Kevan Meiners, and Mitch Lange went undefeated at the tournament, posting an overall record of 12-0. None of the three could be reached for comment afterwardsñ it was assumed they were off in the hills somewhere preparing for their next meet, bench-pressing fallen oak trees and wrestling grizzlies into submission.

In other action, Chris Carlson garnered his first two varsity victories, and against Austin he got his first varsity pin. Jacob Foellmi had the ìupset of the day,î according to Coach Jay Tolleson, pinning state-ranked 119-pounder Matt Hohenstein of Dassel-Cokato. Justin Conway posted wins against Kasson-Mantorville and Dassel-Cokato, and heavyweight Aaron Mitchell preserved the Warriorsí win against Kasson-Mantorville, resisting a pin that would have cost the Warriors the match.

ìWe wrestled really well,î said Tolleson. ìAgainst Kasson-Mantorville, we were a little sluggish, but overall there was a night-and-day difference from Tuesday against La Crescent.î

The Great Caledonia Barnburner

Somewhere, in some remote realm of the space-time continuum, there is a star named ìCaledonia-La Crescent Rivalry.î And on December 10, the star began to burn a little brighter, a little hotter, the light and heat from which could be felt by those sitting on the edges of their seats in the CHS gymnasium, watching with bated breath as the two wrestling squads duked it out for annual bragging rights.

At eveningís end, when the wrestlers had retired to the locker rooms, the spectators had ambled out of the gym, and custodians had begun the lengthy process of bleaching the mat, onto which quart upon quart of blood had been spattered, the scoreboard told a very shocking taleñ La Crescent, thanks to some strategic shifts in its lineup, had prevailed 42-34.

ìWeíve got to give credit to La Crescent,î said Tolleson. ìThey came out and wrestled well. They got the momentum and kept it. Overall, we didnít wrestle well at allñ itís a loss, and weíre going to use it to learn from.î

Kevan Meiners and Kasey Meiners each earned victories without stepping foot on the mat. La Crescent made changes in their lineup so as to avoid having to face either of them. The move proved auspicious for La Crescent, pulling out a victory that local media pundits thought nearly impossible.

The Warriorsí performance was not without its highlights, however. Mitch Lange pinned his opponent in a matter of seconds, Lee Rohrer and Ryan Feller both earned wins, and Colin Pitts disposed of his competitor in quick time, as if he was in a hurry to get home before his supper went cold.

The teamís next meet is against Lewiston at home on December 19 at 7:30 p.m.

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