Carl Elmer: All-state, All-Missota Conference and 100-career win club
Measured by wins and loses the 2010-11 FHS wrestling season was not an overwhelming success. Beyond the cloudy win-loss numbers, however, first-year coach Chad Olson found plenty of silver linings.
The Tigers didn't win a Missota Conference match and exited from the Section 2AAA tournament in the opening round, but Olson said the important thing was a foundation was laid for years to come.
"We started with over 50 wrestlers in the high school room," he said, "and we finished with more than 40.
"We fielded the youngest team in both the conference and section but the base was was set for the future and our wrestlers embraced it."
Twenty-two Tigers earned varsity letters this winter, including four seniors: Carl Elmer, Josh Iverson, Donnie Drewery and Tyler Beckett.
Underclassmen winning letters included juniors Trevor Breezely, Tyler Engel, Bret Hoffman, Dakota Louis-Dupay and Ridge Raddatz; sophomores Alex LaVictoire and Conner Phu; ninth-graders Jacob Gabbard, Joe Hoeve, Joe Liden, Chris McCue, Godfrey Mpetey, and Jake Rudeen; eighth-graders Kyle Benjamin, Brayden Chapman, Matt Rustad and John Walz and seventh-grader Taylor Venz.
Olson also acknowledged the contributions of five non-letterwinners: junior Nate Hruby; sophomore Alec Wilson; freshman Kelvin O'Brien and eighth-graders Logan Haakana and Marquis Irby.
Individually, the season belonged to Elmer who repeated as an all-Missota Confeernce selection, eclipsed the 100-win career mark, compiled a 36-9 record and won the consolation championship at the Class AAA state meet to earn all-state honors.
Benjamin received all-Missota Conference honorable mention. Iverson won the Most Dedicated, Sportsmanship and Tiger Adversiy awards and Mpetey was named the team's Most Improved Wrestler.
The Tigers had six place winners at the Section 2AAA individual tournament, four of them underclassmen. In addiiton the ninth grade team advanced to the state tournament where Hoeve won an indivudal title and three other Tiger frosh earned places.
Olson said he was also very proud of his team's efforts in the classroom. The Tigerscarried a cumulative 3.15 grarde point average.
"We were young and inexperienced," Olson said, "and we had some tough times this season. The wrestlers worked hard every day and improved as the year went on and I know many of them are excited about next season. Some of them are already wrestling this spring.
"The future of Farmington wrestling is very bright. We are probably still a season away from being competitive in our conference and section."
Olson cautioned that although the future is promising, some things still need to be addressed before a big step up the conference and section ladders can take place.
"We need better numbers in our middle school program," he said, "and I'd like to see more football players, especially linemen and linebackers, on the team. That would make both the football and wrestling programs better."
Olson also noted although his senior class was small, its contributions will not be forgotten.
"Carl (Elmer) had an outstanding career and the leadership he and Josh (Iverson) provided will be greatly missed," he said.
