In a word: Outstanding

A record five Tigers qualified for the state meet

Many adjectives could be used to describe the 2013-14 Tiger wrestling season. Record-breaking, remarkable and unparalleled immediately come to mind. 

But maybe it's best to just keep things simple and say that the season just completed was nothing short of outstanding.

Coach Chad Olson ticked off a long list of numbers from the campaign to back that descriptor.
  
"For starters we had a full line-up all season and more than 50 wrestlers in the high school room," he said. "We wrestled the toughest schedule in Farmington history and still finished 16-12 and beat four ranked-teams in dual meets.

"We finished seventh out of 65 teams at the Rumble on the Red in Fargo and in the top half of the prestigious Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester."

All of those accomplishments came during the regular season but the post-season is where this Tiger team really excelled.

Jamin LeDuc finished state runner-up at 113 pounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

It hosted a section team meet for the first time in recent memory and in the section individual competition had place-winners in 13 of the 14 weight classes, 12 of them finishing in the top four spots.

A program record five individuals (Jamin LeDuc, Taylor Venz, Joe Hoeve, Victor Gliva and Kyle Benjamin)  qualified for state and another record three (LeDuc, Venz and Hoeve) placed at the state meet. As a team the Tigers placed ninth overall in the point standings, another program record.

If all of those facts weren't enough to earn "outstanding" status, the team had a section grade-point-average of 3.64 (on a 4.00 scale) with 24 team members posting a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

"We had one of the most successful seasons in the program's history," Olson said. "I can't wait for next year to start."

Twenty-four wrestlers eared varsity letters for their efforts this winter, including eight seniors: Brian Caravantes, Joe Hoeve, Joe Liden, Chris McCue, Godfrey Mpetey, CJ Wynings, Santana Perdomo and Jake Rudeen.

"We have a great group of seniors who have played a major role in making the wrestling program successful," Olson said. "A coach is only as good as his athletes and luckily for me they bought into the program four years ago.  

"It is going to be a very difficult to say goodbye. Most of them started out with me five years ago as eighth graders. Over those years they have matured and grown into outstanding young men."

Matt Rustad was named "Outstanding Wrestler" (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Underclassmen letterwinners included juniors Kyle Benjamin, Brayden Chapman, Seth Nechville, Matt Rustad, John Walz and Waiel Yusuf; sophomores Jamin LeDuc, Taylor Venz, Victor Gliva, Trevor Frost, Mason Hawkins, Hayden Kendall and Zach Seufer and freshmen Griffin Davies, Eric Heusbourg and Skylar Raymond.

LeDuc (38-6), who finished runner-up at the state meet, earned Most Valuable Player honors and joined Hoeve (37-8), a fourth place finisher at state, and Mpetey (25-17) on the all-Missota Conference team. Gliva (29-14) and Venz (36-9), third in the state meet, received all-conference honorable mention.

Rustad (29-10) won the Outstanding Wrestler Award and Mpetey was tabbed as the team's most improved performer. Venz won "Most Dedicated" honors while Walz (11-5) received the Tiger Adversity Award. The Sportsmanship Award went to Caravantes.

Taylor Venz, third place finisher at state, joined the 100-Win Club (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Despite the loss of a strong senior class, Olson said the outlook remains bright for the Tiger mat program.

"We lose the eight seniors, but have some depth behind them," he said. "Expectations are we should be better next year, but our schedule is shaping up to be even tougher then this year.  

"We have good numbers coming up with some high caliber wrestlers, but they will need to keep working hard to make a name for themselves at the varsity level."

One thing that will be noticeably different next winter will be the caliber of the opposition as the Tigers make their debut in the South Suburban Conference.

"The South Suburban had six teams in the top 12 in the team standings for the individual state tournament with 32 state place winners," Olson said. "There is not an easy dual in the conference.  

"But we have been competing with those schools for the past four years and have been competitive and successful, so I am not overly concerned with the move. It will definitely make us better at the end of the year."

Senior Joe Hove finished 4th at the state meet (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Three Tigers bring home state medals

Jamin LeDuc

Last winter Taylor Venz won  the Class AA 106-pound state title and Jamin LeDuc reached the medal stand for his sixth place finish in the 113-pound division.

The 2014 state finals didn't produce a Tiger champion but it did mark Farmington's best-ever overall performance at state with three Tigers finishing among the top four in their respective weight classes.

"The program has never had three place winners in the same year," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. 
"We finished ninth overall in the team points. It is a great way to finish a very successful year."

LeDuc lead the way this time, cruising to three lopsided wins before losing a hard-luck 10-7 verdict to Lakeville North's Wade Sullivan in the 113-pound title match. LeDuc, who finished his sophomore season with a 38-6 record, defeated his first three opponents by a combined score of 29-0.

"To get to the state tournament and shut out your first three opponents is dominating," Olson said.

"I know Jamin's goal all season was to be a state champ and it is always heart-breaking to see your athlete come so close. Jamin had one of the best seasons in program history."

Sophomore Venz (36-9), who wrestled up three weight classes this season, won won four of five matches to take third place in the 126-pound bracket. The former state champ easily won his first two matches before losing to eventual runner-up George Farmar of Eastview in the semifinals. From there he rallied for two more victories, defeating Travis Swanson of Cambridge-Isanti in the third place bout.

Taylor Venz

"Taylor had another great state tourney," Olson said. "His win in the the third place match was over the second-ranked wrestler who had beaten him earlier this year....He is now a three-time state entrant and two-time place winner."

Joe Hoeve

Hoeve (37-8), making his second trip to state, followed a similar trail to that of Venz, winning his first two contests at 182 pounds before dropping a 6-3 verdict to meet runner-up TJ O'Hara of Tartan. Hoeve then beat Mound-Westonka's Bryan Tierney 2-1 before losing to once-beaten Kade Carlson of Bemidji in the third place match.

"Joe wrestled the best he has this year," Olson said. "He lost to the No. 2 and  No. 3 ranked wrestlers.  Joe finished his career with 113 career wins. He is going to be hard to replace."

Two other Tigers wrestled at state. Victor Gliva drew the short straw in the 106-pound division and had to wrestle unbeaten Brent Jones of Shakopee who went on the win the state title. Gliva was eliminated by St. Michael-Albertville's Aaron Dick in the wrestlebacks. Dick went on to place fifth.

Benjamin also received a tough draw and lost 5-0 to Carlson Brolsma of Osseo who went on to finish second in the 145-pound bracket. Benjamin lost in the first round of wrestlebacks to Brock Morgan of Apple Valley who eventually took third place.

"Victor wrestled his best two matches of the year with a couple of tough draws," Olson said, "and Kyle was a takedown away from beating the AV wrestler. He is right there with the best in the state."

Three Tigers in state wrestling semis

Three Farmington wrestlers went unbeaten on the first day of the state Class 3A wrestling tournament on Friday to advance to today's semifinal round.

Defending state 106-pound champion defeated Theo Gee of Maple Grove and December Htoo of Roseville in the opening rounds of the 126-pound competition.

Jamin LeDuc, a sixth place finisher at last year's state meet at 113 lbs., scored back-to-back shutouts over Mound-Westonka's Lee Schmalz and St. Cloud Tech's Austin Brenner in the same weight class.

Joe Hoeve, another state meet veteran, scored a pin over over Luke Dodd of Eastview and a major decision over Aaron Hannan of Elk River to make the final four in the 182-pound division

Two other Tigers, Victor Gliva (106 pounds) and Kyle Benjamin (145 pounds), wrestled on Friday but did not advance.

Venz, Hoeve section champs; 5 to state

Five Tigers to wrestle in Class AA state meet

Farmington coach Chad Olson said he didn't know where to start in describing how well his team performed at this weekend's Section 1AAA Championships in Rochester.

"It was the best section tourney in program history," Olson said. "The guys wrestled the best they ever have.

"Five state qualifiers, 13 medal winners, 12 top-four finishers. We peaked at the right time and it was a lot of fun to watch. I am so proud of how they competed."

Defending state106-pound champion Taylor Venz and state meet returnee Joe Hoeve each finished a perfect 3-0 at the section meet to punch their return tickets to state.

Venz rolled to a 13-2 win over Owatonna's Logan Soltau in the 126-pound final while Hoeve out-pointed Northfield Sam Minske 5-3 in the 182-pound championship bout.

Defending state Taylor Venz 126 returning to state (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Two of the other three Tigers state qualifiers are also state meet veterans. Jamin LeDuc, who won a sixth place medal last year, earned a second state berth after losing a 7-3 decision to Tanner Cole of Owatonna in the 113-pound section finals.

Kyle Benjamin lost a tough 3-2 decision to Jake Anderson of Hastings in the 145-pound championship match to garner his second straight state meet berth.

The final state qualifier, 106-pounder Victor Gliva, earned his first-ever ticket to state the hard way, coming all the way through the consolation bracket to win an 8-5 decision over Hastings' Adam McSorley in the true second match.

Two other Tigers, John Walz (170) and CJ Wynings (285) also made it to a true second match and barely lost their state tournament bids.

Matt Rustad capped off his fine season with a third place finish in the 132-pound bracket and Godfrey Mpetey took third place in the 220-pound division.

Three other Farmington grapplers finished in fourth place: Skyler Raymond (120); Brayden Chapman (138) and Trevor Frost (195). Joe Liden ranked sixth among 152-pounders.

The state meet will be held next Friday and Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Joe Hoeve went 3-0 to win 182-pound title (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Wrestling: Tigers send 10 to semifinals

The Tigers advanced 10 wrestlers to Saturday's semifinals (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington had a big day at the first day of the Section 1AA individual wrestling championships held Friday in Rochester.

The Tigers advanced 10 of their 14 entrants to Saturday's semifinal round and three more assured themselves of a medal.

Semifinalists included Victor Gliva (106 pounds); Jamin LeDuc (113); Taylor Venz (126); Matt Rustad (132); Brayden Chapman (138); Kyle Benjamin (145); John Walz (170); Joe Hoeve (182); Godfrey Mpetey (220) and CJ Wynings (285).

Skyler Raymond (120), Joe Liden (152) and Trevor Frost (195) each earned a spot on the awards podium and will also wrestle on Saturday.

Wrestling: No. 7 Huskies beat Tigers in semis

Taylor Venz won a major decision over Chandler Bauer (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Seventh-ranked Owatonna won nine of 14 matches to defeat the Tigers 42-16 in the semifinals of the Section 1AAA tournament held Saturday afternoon at the Rochester Civic Center.

Later in the day the Huskies dropped a 33-24 decision to Hastings in the championship match.

Eleven of Owatonna's point total against the Tigers came on bonus points on four pins, a technical fall and a major decision.


"Our wrestlers gave great effort, but we came up short." coach Chad Olson said. "It was a great learning experience for our wrestlers. This group of wrestlers (and the program in general) has not been in a semifinal round of sections and have not competed in the environment of the Mayo Civic Center."

The big win of the day for Farmington came in the 126-pound bout where sixth-ranked Taylor Venz rolled to a 17-4 major decision over Chandler Bauer.

Two other state-ranked Tigers scored three-point decisions. Matt Rustad (No. 7) defeated Alex Green 8-4 at 132 pounds and Joe Hoeve (No. 7) defeated Hunter Jirele 8-5 in the 182-pound bout.

In a battle of state-ranked foes Owatonna's Tanner Cole defeated No.3 Jamin LeDuc for the second time this year, this time by a 3-1 margin.

Kyle Benjamin was a 3-1 winner over Jake Woodrich (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kyle Benjamin continued to wrestle well since his return to the lineup, scoring a 3-1 decision over Jake Woodrich in the 145-pound match.

Godfrey Mpetey scored the final Farmington points of the day with an 8-5 victory over Logan Johnson in the 220-pound match-up.

The Tigers now turn their attention to next week's Section 1AAA individual championships slated for next Friday and Saturday back at the Rochester Civic Center. The top two finishers in each weight class advance to the Class AA state meet the following week.

"The only real goal for next weekend is to make sure our wrestlers are peaking," Olson said. "If we can get them to wrestle the best they have all season, the results will take care of themselves."

Wrestling: Tigers pin Rockets in section oepner

Taylor Venz defeated 10th-ranked Logan Soltau in the 126-pound bout (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Third-seeded Farmington hammered sixth-seeded Rochester John Marshall 60-12 in the quarterfinals of the Section 1AAA team tournament held Thursday night at FHS.

The Tigers won 11 of the 13 individual matches contested on the mat and scored bonus points in 10 of them. The winners also picked up six points by forfeit.

Seven different Farmington wrestlers scored six-point falls: Victor Gliva (106 pounds); Jamie LeDuc (120); Brayden Chapman (138); John Walz (170); Joe Hoeve (182); Trevor Frost (195) and CJ Wynings 285).

Kyle Benjamin registered a technical fall in the 145-pound bout and in the most anticipated match-up of the night, Taylor Venz scored a dominating 14-6 major decision over Logan Soltau, the state's 10th ranked 126-pounder. Venz is ranked sixth at 120 pounds.

Santana Perdomo won the only straight decision of the night for the winners with a 7-5 verdict over Darnell Wheatley in the 160-pound match. Joe Liden (160) picked up Farmington's final six points with a forfeit win at 152 pounds.

The win vaulted Farmington (15-11) into a semifinal match-up with Owatonna (20-3), the seventh-rated Class AAA team in Minnesota, Saturday afternoon in Rochester. The two teams met during the regular season where the Huskies scored a 36-15 victory. 

John Walz won by pin the the 170-pound match (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Wrestling: No. 5 Anoka edges Tigers

Joe Hoeve scored a pin in the 195-pound match (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Fifth-rated Anoka (Class AAA) edged Farmington 33-29 in a hotly-contested non-conference dual meet held Friday night in Anoka.

Although coach Chad Olson's grapplers didn't come home with the upset win, the visitors gave the perennial state power all it could handle.

"Each team won seven matches, but they earned more bonus points," Olson said. "It is a great reminder for us heading into next weekend at team sections."

Anoka jumped to a quick 7-0 lead after two matches before the Tigers reeled off four straight of their own to forge a 17-7 advantage.

Included in the run were a pin by Jamin LeDuc (120), major decisions by Taylor Venz (126) and Matt Rustad (132) and a three-point decision by Brayden Chapman.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Tornados turned the tables again by taking the next four matches to go back on top 27-17.

John Walz won a decision at 182 pounds and Joe Hoeve followed with a win in the 195-pound bout to cut the deficit to a point at 27-26 before a pin in the 220-pound match sealed the victory for Anoka.

Godfrey Mpetey closed out the night on a positive note for the Tigers with a win in the 285-pound match.

The Tigers will now wait for the Section 1AAA tournament seeding and their opponent in next Thursday's opening round.

Wrestling: Tigers sweep at Stillwater

Kyle Benjamin went 2-0 at the Stillwater triangular (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers began their taper toward the post-season with a sweep of Central (Norwood-Young America) and Stillwater at a triangular meet held Thursday night in Stillwater.

Farmington dominated Central 64-6 in the opener and then downed host Stillwater 39-25 in the nightcap.

Six of the 13 Farmington wins against Central came via pins, including Victor Gliva (106 pounds), Jamin LeDuc (113), Taylor Venz (126), Bryaden Chapman (138), Joe Liden (152) and John Walz (170).

Kyle Benjamin scored a major decision in the 145-pound match and four other Tigers posted three-point decisions: Matt Rustad (132), Santana Perdomo (160), Trevor Frost (195) and Godfrey Mpetey (220).

Joe Hoeve (182) and CJ Wynings (285) each picked up six team points on forfeits. The only Central points came in the 120-pound class where the Tigers elected to forfeit.

In the win over the Ponies, LeDuc and Hoeve provided the only falls for the winners although they did pick up six points in a forfeit in the scheduled 126-pound bout. Gliva scored a technical fall.

Farmington led 12-9 after five matches before Chapman, Benjamin and Liden rattled off consecutive decisions and Walz scored a major to give the visitors a comfortable 31-15 advantage. Mpetey wrapped up the victory with a decision in the 220-pound match.

"We had a great night of wrestling," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. " We challenged our wrestlers to be more aggressive and go for bonus points and they responded well.

The Tigers get back on the mat tonight (Friday) when they travel to Anoka for their regular season finale. The Section 1AAA team tournament begins next Thursday.

Wrestling: Tigers spilt at Mayo

Taylor Venz went 2-0 at the Mayo triangular (photo by Jim Lindquist)

After three head-to-head meets at Northfield on Thursday night the Tigers got back on the bus and traveled to Rochester Friday for a triangular meet with Section 1AA rivals Owatonna and Rochester Mayo.

The meet produced mixed results, a one-sided 50-18 win over Mayo and a 36-15 loss to the No. 6-rated (Class 3A) Huskies.

Farmington piled up pins like cord wood in the win over Mayo with seven Tigers scoring six-point falls: Victor Gliva (106 pounds), Skylar Raymond (113), Jamin LeDuc (120), John Walz (170), Joe Hoeve (182), Godfrey Mpetey (225) and CJ Wynings (285).

Taylor Venz added five points with a technical fall in the 126-pound bout and Brayden Chapman scored a decision in the 145-pound match.

Victories were scarce in the loss to Owatonna who won 10 of the 14 individual match-ups.

Hoeve logged a tech fall to run his season record to 26-6 and Matt Rustad scored a major decision in the 132-pound contest. The other six Farmington points came on decisions by Venz and Wynings.

LeDuc, rated No. 3 in the state at 113 lbs, lost for just the third time this season, a 7-4 decision to second-ranked Tanner Cole.

The Tigers close out their regular season next Thursday and Friday with road dual meets at Stillwater and Anoka. The Section 1AA post-season tournament begins the following week.

Wrestling: 3 Tigers earn all-Missota honors

Joe Hoeve 100th career win and all-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers win one and lost two at a de facto Missota Conference meet held Thursday night in Northfield. The quadrangular featured all four members of the conference offering wrestling as a varsity sport.

Farmington routed host Northfield 64-9, lost 29-28 to New Prague on a tie-breaker and fell to state-ranked Shakopee 43-20.

"We wrestled well, just came up on the short end," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.

Jamin LeDuc (113 pounds), Joe Hoeve (182) and Godfrey Mpetey (285) each finished a perfect 3-0 for the night to earn all-Missota Honors.

Two Tigers, Hoeve and Brayden Chapman, also reached personal milestones at the meet. Hoeve became the second Farmington grappler to post his 100th career win this season and Chapman reached the 60th career win plateau.

Jamin LeDuc All-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The New Prague match was a close as the final score indicated with the teams actually tied 28-28 after the 14 matches with the Trojans granted the deciding extra point for having more six-point wins (2-1).

Hoeve recorded the Farmington fall and Taylor Venz (120) scored a five-point technical fall. Victor Gliva (106) and LeDuc each won major decisions and Chapman (138), John Walz (170) and Mpetey won by decision.

In the lopsided win over Northfield, The Tigers won 12 of the 14 matches, eight of them by fall.

Gliva, LeDuc, Venz, and Brian Caravantes (126) opened the meet with pins for a quick 24-0 lead. Joe Liden (160), Trevor Frost (195), Walz and Mpetey later supplied six-point falls.

Jake Rudeen (152) scored a major decision and Hoeve and CJ Wynings (220) each won by decision.

Shakopee scored only two falls against the Tigers but the 11th-ranked Sabers won 10 of the 14 bouts to score an impressive win.

The Farmington points came on pins by Hoeve and Wynings and major decisions by LeDuc and Mpetey.

Friday the Tigers head to Owatonna for a triangular meet against a couple of Section 1AAA rivals, Owatonna and Rochester Mayo.

Godfrey Mpetey all-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Wrestling: Tigers place six at Eastview

Jamin LeDuc went 3-0 to win the 113-pound title (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Despite competing without three of their four state-ranked wrestlers, the Tigers finished eighth in a quality 12-team field at Saturday's Eastview Invitational in Apple Valley.

Taylor Venz, Matt Rustad and Joe Hoeve sat out the meet because of concerns about excess matches for the season.

"It was a great day of wrestling for us," Farmington coach Chad Olson said. "Last year we scored 42 points and this year we had 85.5. The past two years we have had three place winners. Today we had six."

Jamin LeDuc continued his dominant 2013-14 season, winning the 113-pound division with three straight wins to run his season record to 26-2.

Victor Gliva won three of his four matches at 106 pounds to grab third place honors. Gliva owns a 19-9 season mark.

According to coach Olson, Joe Liden wrestled "the best tournament of his career'' in finishing fourth in the 152-pound bracket. Liden went 3-2 with both losses to the No. 5 state-ranked wrestler in Wisconsin.

Three other Tigers came home with fifth place medals: Brayden Chapman, 3-2 at 138 pounds; Mason Hawkins, 3-2 at 145 pounds and Godfrey Mpetey, 3-2 at 285 pounds.

Brian Caravantes (0-2); Santana Perdomo (1-2); Jake Rudeen (0-2); Trevor Frost (0-3) and CJ Wynings (1-2) also wore the Tiger colors at the  Eastview meet.

After a busy two-month schedule the Tigers are now idle until Thursday, Jan. 30, when they travel to Northfield for a Missota Conference quadrangular.

"We have earned a well-deserved 12 days off," Olson said.

Wrestling: Venz hits 100 in win over Faribault

Taylor Venz (w/coaches Chad Olson and Jon Lund) reached 100 career wins (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers sandwiched a dual meet between Thursday's triangular and a Saturday tournament, making short work of Faribault Friday night at FHS.

Farmington won nine of 12 matches contested on the mat and added 12 more points via forfeit on the way to a 52-15 victory.

The winners built up a commanding 36-0 lead through the first eight bout to take control of the match.

"We are in a tough stretch of three weigh-ins in a row," coach Chad Olson said. "Our guys showed up with good energy and intensity again tonight."

Victor Gliva (106 pounds) started the night with a second period fall and then Skylar Raymond (113) followed with a four-point major decision.

After Jamin LeDuc (120) scored a six-point fall and Brian Caravantes won by forfeit at 126 pounds. Taylor Venz (132), Matt Rustad (138) Brayden Chapman ( 145) won consecutive decisions and Joe Liden (152) tacked on a major decision.

Sophomore Venz's victory was the 100th of his varsity career that includes winning the state Class 3A 106-pound title last season..

Later in the match CJ Wynings earned a major decision at 220 pounds and 285-pounder Godfrey Mpetey won on a first period pin. Joe Hoeve earned six points the easy way with a forfeit in the scheduled 195 pound bout.

The victory boosted Farmington's dual meet season record to 10-7.

The Tigers, ranked 11th in the most recent state Class 3A poll, travel to Apple Valley Saturday for the Eastview Invitational tournament.

Godfrey Mpetey scored a pin in the 285-pound bout

Wrestling: Tigers take two

Brayden Chapman 2-0 at Eagan triangular (photo by Jim Lindquist)

A year before a move to the South Suburban Conference the Tigers got a preview of that league's wrestling Thursday night in a triangular meet at Eagan.

Based on its performance Farmington appears to be up for the change. The Tigers downed Rosemount 31-29 and handled host Eagan 35-27.

The Eagan match was a nip-and-tuck affair with a late decision by Jake Rudeen (170 pounds), a pin by Joe Hoeve (182) and Godfrey Mpetety's forfeit victory at 285 pounds enough to preserve the win.

Earlier in the match the Tigers reeled off four straight wins after falling behind 8-0 after the first two bouts of the night.

The four straight victories came on a pin by Matt Rustad (132) and decisions by Jamin LeDuc (120), Taylor Venz (126) and Brayden Chapman (138). The other Tiger win came from Joe Liden who scored a major decision in the 152 pound match.

Farmington fell behind early again (0-9) in the squeaker of a win over the Irish. Following the same recipe as the Eagan match, the Tigers rallied quickly, posting five straight wins to go up 18-9.

Venz won his match by pin and LeDuc, Rustad, Chapman and Eric Heusbourg (145) each scored three-point decisions.

Later in the match, a pin by John Walz (170) and a decision by Rudeen at 182 lbs. sealed the victory.

Six Tigers finished the night with perfect 2-0 recordd: LeDuc, Venz, Rustad, Chapman, Rudeen and Hoeve.

The triangular was just the start of a busy three days for the Tigers who entertain Faribault in a dual meet Friday before traveling to Apple Valley Saturday for the talent-filled Eastview Invitational.

Wrestling: Tigers 2-1 at Monticello Invite

Tiger coach Chad Olson has four wrestlers rated among the top ten in their weight class

Farmington won two of three matches at the Monticello Invitational Tournament held Saturday in Monticello.

In pool play coach Chad Olson's grapplers routed Minneapolis Roosevelt 71-0 and fell to Willmar 48-23. In second round action the Tigers downed host Monticello 41-27.

Willmar, the ninth-rated Class 3A team in Minnesota, won nine of the 14 individual matches against the 11th-ranked Tigers.

Farmington won the first three bouts with Victor Gliva (106) winning a decision and Jamin LeDuc, the state's fourth ranked 113-pounder following with a technical fall. Fourth-rated Taylor Venz then won by decision in the 126-pound match-up.

Two more state-rated Tigers, Matt Rustad (No. 5 at 132 lbs.) and Joe Hoeve (No. 7 at 182 lbs.), closed out the Farmington scoring with six-point pins. Seven of Willmar's nine wins came by pin.

"We  can't give up big bonus points against good teams and expect to compete," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.

In the shutout win over Roosevelt, Olson wrestled only a few of his regulars. Seven of the Farmington wins came on falls, including Gliva (113), Chris Erickson 120), Brian Caravantes (120), Seth Marshall (132), Marshall Heyda (152), Zack Seufer (160), Seth Nechville (170) and Jake Rudeen (182).

Mason Hawkins (145) and Hayden Randall (138) won by decision and the Tigers picked up six points via forfeit at 106 lbs.
  
Farmington closed its day with a solid win over host Monticello. The Tigers roared to a 26-3 lead on pins by Gliva, Skyler Raynond (113) and Rustad and major decisions by LeDuc and Brayden Chapman (138). Later in the match, Rudeen and Hoeve scored falls and Godfrey Mpetey gained 
an 8-4 decision over seventh-ranked Brent Riddle.

"Godfrey has always shown flashes of being really good and this was the first match he
did that for six minutes," Olson said.

"We wrestled very well against Monticello, back to wrestling the way were capable."







Farmington has a three meets-in-three nights scheduled this week, a Thursday triangular at Eagan and a Friday home dual with Faribault followed by a Saturday appearance at the Eastview Invitational.

"Then we get 13 days off," Olson said, "and that will be much-needed break."

Wrestling: Tigers take third in Koda Classic

Brayden Chapman finished 3-0 at Koda Classic (file photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington was oh-so close to competing in the championship match of last Saturday's Koda Classic at FHS but in the end had to settle for a third place finish in the eight-team meet. The Tigers were seventh in the same meet last season.

Farmington went 2-1 in pool competition, its only loss a narrow 33-31 decision to eventual runner-up Lakeville North, and then beat Milaca 47-31 to grab third place honors.

 "We wrestled well for three of the four rounds," coach Chad Olson said. "North just out wrestled us."

The No. 11-rated Tigers started their long day with a 59-16 rout of Missota Conference rival Northfield in which no less than nine Farmington grapplers recorded six-point falls.

Victor Gliva (106 pounds), Skyler Raymond (113), Jamin LeDuc (120), Bryan Caravantes (130), Brayden Chapman (138), Zach Suefer (160), Jake Rudeen (171), Trevor Frost (195) and Godfrey Mpetey (285) all recorded pins.

The second match of the day against Paynesville was also a one-sided affair with the Tigers winning the first eight bouts on the way to a 53-21 win.

Bonus points again played a major role in the Farmington win with Raymond, LeDuc, Rudeen, Mason Hawkins (138) and Eric Heusbourg (145) all scoring pins. Gliva and Venz each added five-point technical falls and Joe Liden scored a four-point major decision. Caravantes scored a decision and Farmington won by forfeit at 182 pounds..

The competition got a little stiffer in the final round of pool action against Lakeville North. Farmington led 28-21 with three matches left but the Panthers scored a pin and earned six points via forfeit to pull out the victory and earn a spot in the title match against Chatfield.

Twelve of the Tiger points came on a pair of forfeits. Matt Rustad won by fall and Chapman scored a major decision. The other nine points came on three-point decisions by LeDuc, Venz and Mpetey.

The roar was back for the third place match with Milaca, the 10th ranked Class 2A team in the state.
The Tigers again started quickly, claiming the first eight matches to race to an early 38-0 advantage.

Farmington got pins from Gliva, Raymond, LeDuc and Joe Hoeve (182) and another tech fall from Venz. Chapman, Heusbourg, Liden and Rudeen each chipped in with decisions. The winners also picked up six points on a forfeit in the 138-pound match.

LeDuc and Venz each finished the day with perfect 4-0 records. Gliva and Champan were 3-0.

The Tigers return to the mat next Saturday when they head north for an appearance at the Monticello Invitational.

Wrestling: Tigers a big hit in Fargo

Jamin LeDuc finished runner-up in the 113-pound division (photo by Jim Lindquist)

For four years coach Chad Olson has taken his Tiger wrestling team to the multi-state Rumble on the Red marathon at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota, and each year the team's point total has trended upward.

This year it took off like a rocket.

Farmington racked up up 115.5 points over the weekend to place seventh among 69 teams in the mega-meet that featured competition from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Last year the Tigers scored 69 points and placed 27th in a 65-team field.

"To compete in a tournament of this size and competition and to be in the top seven is amazing," Olson said. "I received a lot of compliments from other coaches about how much our wrestlers have improved.

 "As their coach, I am so proud of how hard our young men competed against great competition for the third weekend in a row. It is only going to make us better in February."

Four Tigers found their way to the medal stand with 113-pounder Jamin LeDuc leading the way. LeDuc won his first four matches before losing a 4-3 decision to Owatonna's Tanner Cole in the championship bout. Leduc will take a 14-2 record into the 2014 portion of the schedule.

Joe Hoeve (182 lbs) finished 6-1 and placed third (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Joe Hoeve had a busy weekend for Tigers, winning six of seven matches to take third place in the 182-pound division. Hoeve won the his first two, dropped the third and then reeled off four straight, including a 4-1 verdict over United South Central's Colten Carlson in the third place match-up. In his last four matches Hoeve defeated opponents ranked in the top five in their respective states.

"Joe wrestled with confidence and was fun to watch," Olson said.

Defending state champion Taylor Venz (106 lbs.) provided a fourth place finish in the 120 lbs. bracket. Venz followed the same path to the third place finals as Hoeve, losing to Windom's
Joe Fischenich on a 9-6 decision in his last match of the weekend.

Matt Rustad won four of his first five bouts before losing the final two in the 132 lbs. bracket to finish in sixth place. Rustad dropped a 5-1 decision to Owatonna's Brandon Moen in the fifth place match.

Farmington filled 13 of 14 spots in their lineup for the big meet. Other Tigers competing included Victor Gliva (106 pounds), 2-2 ; Brian Caravantes (126), 0-2; Brayden Chapman (138), 2-2; Eric Heusbourg (145), 0-2; Joe Liden (152), 0-2; Jake Rudeen (160), 2-2; Zach Seufer (170), 0-2; Trevor Frost (195), 0-2 and Godfrey Mpetey (285), 2-2.

Farmington now takes a short break from its busy schedule. The Tigers return to action next Saturday when they host their annual eight-team Tiger Duals.

"We have had guys wrestle 15 or 16 matches in the last two weeks and are looking forward to some rest," Olson said.

Wrestling: A good showing in Rochester

Jamin LeDuc placed second in the 113 lbs. division (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington continued its rugged December schedule this weekend with their first-ever appearance in the prestigious Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester.

The 33-team, multi-state event featured top notch competition and the Tigers did more than hold their own, finishing 15th in the final team standings with 87 points. National power and defending Minnesota champion Apple Valley led the talented field with 292.5 points. Fargo West (North Dakota) placed second with 179 and Prior Lake ranked third with 169.

"The weekend was very enjoyable," coach Chad Olson said. "Our wrestlers competed hard in a tournament which is much tougher then the state tournament...We placed ahead of 4four state-ranked teams even though we had some wrestlers who were fighting some illnesses."

113-pounder Jamin LeDuc led the effort at Rochester, winning his first four matches before losing by decision to Hunter Marko of Amery, Wisconsin in the title bout. Marko is a returning Wisconsin state champion and the No. 1 ranked 120-pounder in the state this season. Three of LeDuc's four wins came against state-rated opponents.
 

Matt Rustad took fifth place at 132 lbs. (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Matt Rustad may have had the best tournament of any of the Tiger grapplers. Despite missing most of the week to illness, the 132-pounder won six of eight matches to win a fifth place medal. Three of his wins came against ranked opposition.

"Matt showed his mental toughness this weekend," Olson said.

Defending state champion Taylor Venz, who is wrestling up a couple of weight classes this season, went 3-3 at Rochester to finish sixth in the 126-pound division.

""Taylor wrestled well," Olson said. "He just ran into some really good competition."

Olson also praised the efforts of Brayden Chapman (2-2) and freshman Eric Heusbourg (0-2), both of whom wrestled well against stiff competition.

Other Farmington results from the meet: Victor Gliva (106), 3-2; Jacob Gabbard (120), 2-2; Joe Liden (152), 1-2; Zach Seufer (160), 0-2; Jake Rudeen (170), 1-2; Joe Hoeve (182), 2-2; Trevor Frost (195), 0-2 and Godfrey Mpetey (285), 1-2.

Over the holidays the Tigers take their annual trip to Fargo, North Dakota for the multi-state Rumble on the Red at the Fargodome.

Wrestling: Hanging with Minnesota's Best

Jamin LeDuc went a perfect 4-0 at Prior Lake (photo by Jim Lindquist)

It's not often that a coach can walk away from a tournament where his team came out on the short end of the score in all four matches and still feel good about the day.

But that's exactly the way Tiger coach Chad Olson felt following Saturday's Prior Lake Invitational that featured some of the best teams in Minnesota.

Farmington matched up with four of the state's finest and lost by fewer than eight points to each.

The Tigers opened with a 32-24 loss to No. 4 (AAA) ranked St. Michael-Albertville and then led going into the final match in a tough 30-28 loss to ninth-rated (AA) Albert Lea.

Later in the day No. 4-rated (AA) Simley downed Farmington 37-29 before the Tigers fell to No. 2 (AAA) Prior Lake 34-30 in the finale.

"It was a grinder today, but our wrestlers were awesome," coach Olson said. "We had a chance to win three of the four duals going into the final match.

"It is exciting to know we can compete with the best programs in the state. Our wrestlers have put a lot of work in during the springs and summers the last three years  to get to this point... It is great to see all their hard work paying off.  We are not far off from being able to beat the best teams in the state."

Joe Hoeve (182) and Jamin LeDuc (126) scored six-point falls and Victor Gliva (106), Brayden Chapman (138), Jake Rudeen (170) and CJ Wynings (220) provided decisions in the opening round loss to St. Michael-Albertville.

In the Albert Lea match Farmington got pins from Hoeve and Rudeen, a major decision by Taylor Venz (126) and three-point victories from LeDuc, Kyle Benjamin (152), Matt Rustad (132) and Joe Liden (160).

Jake Rudeen won 3 of 4 matches (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Against Simley, the Farmington points came from pins from Rustad, Hoeve and Rudeen, major decisions by LeDuc and Godfrey Mpetey (285) and a decision by Venz.

The Prior Lake match was another nail-biter not decided until the heavyweight match. Farmington winners included LeDuc and Chappman by fall; Gliva by technical fall; Rustad by major decision and Venz, Joe Liden and Mason Hawkins (145) by decision.

LeDuc finished the tournament a perfect 4-0. Venz, Hoeve, Rudeen and Rustad were 3-1 while Chapman, Liden and Gliva each finished 2-2.

Farmington 49 Tri-CityUnited
The Tigers tuned up for the Prior Lake tourney with a 48-16 dual meet win over Tri-City Central Friday night at FHS.

Skylar Raymond (113), Brian Caravantes (126), Hoeve and Wynings each recorded falls and the Tigers picked up a free six points on a forfeit.

Gliva scored five team points with a technical fall in the first bout of the night. Chapman and Trevor Frost (182) each won by major decision while Rustad and Liden claimed three-point decisions.

Next Friday and Saturday the Tigers will make an appearance at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament held at the University of Minnesota.

Wrestling: Raiders rally past Tigers 40-18

Matt Rustad scored a second period fall in the 132-pound bout (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Through five matches things were looking rosy for the Tigers in Friday night's non-conference dual meet with state-ranked Hastings at FHS.

Farmington claimed four of the first five bouts and with the Raiders losing two team points to unsportsmanship-like conduct infractions, the home team was on the right side of an 18-1 count.

But that would do it for the Tigers for the rest of the night as the Raiders, who had five state top-ten ranked individuals in their lineup, reeled of eight straight wins to take control.

Victor Gliva got the home crowd excited early with a solid 8-4 victory in the 106 lbs. bout. Skyler Raymond competed well in a 10-3 loss at 113 lbs. before the Tigers won three straight to take their big lead.

Jamin LeDuc started the run with a 6-2 decision in the 120 lbs. match and defending state champion Taylor Venz followed with a first period pin of the Raiders' Kyle Erickson. Matt Rustad made it three straight with a second period fall over Cody LeFlay for the last Farmington win of the night.

"I was feeling good after the first five matches but I also knew what was coming up," Tiger coach Chad Olson said of Hastings' dominant middle weights.

"We wrestled OK overall. I would have liked to have seen a few more points on our side of the scoreboard, but they (Hastings) are tough. We now have a pretty good idea of things we need to work on."

One thing Olson liked about his team's performance was its ability to not give up bonus points. The Raiders did finish with three pins but the Tigers had two of their own.

"We also had three starters--Jacob Gabbard, John Walz and Chris McCue--out tonight," Olson said, "so all in all, we competed pretty well."

Next Friday the Tigers entertain TCU (Tri-City United) before heading to Prior Lake on Saturday for what Olson termed a "grinder" of an invitational tournament at which several state-ranked teams will be participating.

"When we get to the section, we will have to wrestle back-to-back days," Olson said, "so this is good preparation for us. It's only December and going up against these good teams will only make us better."