Triton  - Venom Wrestling

Lucas Etchason entered the state tournament last weekend with one goal, to place in the top six. He achieved this goal with the same heart and determination that got him to state the past two seasons. Lucas wrestled five matches throughout the tournament winning three of them and dropping two. All five matches were extremely close with three of the five going into overtime. When the dust settled Lucas ended up placing fourth.

In the first match of the tournament Lucas wrestled Tyler Patron from New York Mills. Patron was the section champion in section 6 and proved to be a fierce competitor. The match began with a scoreless first period. In the second period Etchason took a 1-0 lead with an escape. Patron answered with an escape of his own in the third period. At the end of regulation the two were tied 1-1. In the first overtime, which is a one minute first take down wins, neither wrestler scored. In the second and third overtimes each wrestler has an opportunity to start from the bottom for thirty second periods. Both wrestlers earned an escape sending the match into the fourth overtime. The fourth overtime is called “sudden victory” and is decided by another 30 second period. This time whoever scores first in the match, which was Lucas with an escape in the second period of regulation, gets the choice for the top or bottom position. If you choose bottom you have thirty seconds to get out for the win. If you choose top and you remain in that position you win. Lucas choose bottom and within ten seconds got away to secure the match victory. The match was a perfect example of the heart and will that Lucas shows as a wrestler.

The second match of the tournament would be equally as tough. The next opponent for Lucas was Jacob Peterson of ACGC who was the section five champion. The match once again headed into overtime, this time tied at four. The first overtime came and went without a point scored sending Lucas to the second and third overtimes. In the second overtime, Lucas scored a reversal to take a 6-4 lead. In the third overtime, Lucas was able to ride out his opponent to secure the match victory. At the end of the first day Lucas was headed to the semi-finals after two victories and seven overtimes securing him a spot in the top six at state.

Day two of the tournament would not be any easier in search of a state title. In the semi final match Lucas faced off against Kysten Zierke of Blue Earth Area who was the section two champion. For the third match in a row, Lucas would find himself in overtime. Once again there was not a takedown in the first overtime sending the match into overtimes two and three. In the second overtime Lucas was on the bottom and was not able to get away. In the third overtime his opponent earned an escape and match victory. Lucas wrestled very well throughout the match, coming all so close on many moves. Knowing how close he was to the state finals will motivate him to get there next year.

Although he lost in the semi-finals, Lucas had to bounce back for another tough match. This time Lucas would face a common opponent in Justin Viss of Chatfield. Lucas had wrestled Viss twice this season beating him once and losing the section championship match to him another. Lucas was focused on avenging his section loss and came through with a 4-2 victory. Although the match didn’t go into overtime, the match was decided in the last ten seconds of the third period when Lucas secured a takedown.

The final match of the tournament was against Patron from New York Mills. Lucas won the first meeting with him in the first round of the tournament in sudden victory. It was another tightly fought contest with Patron winning 3-2 in the final seconds of the match. Although Lucas lost this last match, nothing can take away from the great tournament he wrestled!

On the season Lucas ended up 35-7. He was named All Conference in the HVL, took second in the section 1A tournament, and placed fourth at state. It was a season to remember, and the best part is that he will be back next season for his senior campaign. Congratulations Lucas we are all very proud!

by Coach Shane VanBeek

The Cobra wrestling team’s regular season is drawing to a close this Thursday with the final regular season dual against Blooming Prairie. The last few weeks have been hard on the team with injuries and illness that have kept many starters out of the lineup. The team took advantage of the situation by giving younger wrestlers an opportunity to gain valuable experience at the varsity level. These experiences will benefit the program in years to come, and the team is anxious to return everyone in time for the section team and individual tournaments.

On January 30th, the Cobras headed to Saint Charles for a triangular with Wabasha-Kellogg and Saint Charles. The Cobras lost both duals on the evening. Winning for the Cobras against Wabasha-Kellogg was Charlie Groll by pin, Patrick Ramirez by pin, Alex Head by decision, and Randy Henderson by pin. Against the Saints of Saint Charles Patrick Ramirez earned another pin, Ethan Otterbein received a forfeit, Max Henderson pinned his opponent as did Cody Saxton, Casey Lang, and Adam Vacura. Although the team came up a few points short on the evening, it was great to see so many underclassmen step up to the plate and win matches against section opponents.

The team also competed in two individual tournaments the past two Saturdays. On January 26th the Cobras traveled to Rochester and competed in the Century Panther Invite. Ten Cobras entered the tournament with the highest finish coming from Patrick Ramirez as he claimed the 126 pound title. Lucas Etchason took second place in the 195 pound bracket dropping a decision to Tommy Peterson in the finals. Peterson is the defending AA state champion at the weight class. Alex Head came back to take third place after suffering a close loss in the semi-final match at 145 pounds. Casey Lang took home fourth place at 182. Adam Vacura pinned his final opponent to take fifth on the day in the heavyweight bracket. Gavin Bowman also earned fifth place with three wins on the day. Randy Henderson and Colton Chicos both earned sixth place in their brackets to finish up an overall good day for the Cobras.

On February 2nd the team loaded up and traveled to Janesville for another individual tournament. With illness, injuries, and match count the team only entered eight wrestlers into the tournament. With teams from Chatfield, Owatonna, Jackson County, Totino-Grace, WEM/JWP, St. Clair, Northfield, Medford, and Saint Charles the coaches and wrestlers new this would be a great test for the team. The highlight of the day once again came from Patrick Ramirez as he won his second championship in a row and third of the season. On route to the title in arguably the toughest bracket, Ramirez defeated opponents from Jackson County, Chatfield, and WEM/JWP. His win over the first seeded Chatfield wrestler will come in useful for the section individual tournament. Lucas Etchason came in second place for the second week in a row at 195 pounds. As was the case the week before, Lucas wrestled a defending state champion in the finals and came up short. Lucas has had the rare opportunity to wrestle three defending state champions, each ranked nationally, within nine days. Although he lost each of the matches, this experience will benefit him as the post season tournaments progress. Adam Vacura earned third place by once again ending his day with a pin over his final opponent. Casey Lang finished in fifth place also pinning his final opponent. Charlie Groll finished the day in sixth place at 120 pounds.

Following the final dual of the season this Thursday, the team will compete in the section 1A team and individual tournaments. Heading into tournament competition the Cobras are hoping to be at full strength. With everyone back in the lineup this team can be a dangerous low seeded team. The primary goal for the wrestlers is the individual tournament at the May Civic Center on Feb. 22ndand 23rd. Many of the wrestlers set the goal of making it to state this season individually and this goal can be accomplished with two days of great wrestling.

by Coach VanBeek

The Triton Cobra wrestling team hosted the Knights from Kenyon on this past Thursday evening. It was “Youth Night” with both programs bringing youth ages K-6 into the gym for a scrimmage leading up to the varsity dual. The youngsters from both schools showed a lot of courage wrestling in front of a packed house and putting on a great show. No official team scores were kept for the youth, but both teams have many athletes coming up that will make a splash some day on the varsity mat. As the youth were scrimmaging, the JV wrestlers from Triton and Kenyon competed. Triton came away with only won JV victory when Gavin Bowman defeated Billy Henslin 4-1.

Following the youth scrimmage and JV matches the main event of the evening came as the varsity programs took the mat. Triton new it would be an uphill battle with a few wrestlers out due to illness and injury. Those that took the mat gave their all, but in the end the Knights came away with a 52-18 dual win. Winning for the Cobra’s was Patrick Ramirez (132) with a 7-0 victory, Brock Franko (182) with a 9-4 victory, Casey Lang (195) by forfeit, and Lucas Etchason (220) by fall. The marque match of the night came when Alex Jackson (ranked #4 at 170) bumped up to wrestle Brock Franko (ranked #8 at 182). The match began with a takedown by Jackson within the opening seconds. Franko collected his composure and battled back and eventually took control on route to the 9-4 victory. It was a big win leading into the section tournament in five weeks.

The wrestlers were back at it again on Saturday as they traveled to Montgomery for the TCU Titan Invitational. The Cobras were still shorthanded at a couple of weights, but those who competed showed a lot of promise for days to come. Lucas Etchason (195) won the championship going 2-0 on the day with both wins coming by fall. The junior captain improved his record on the year to 23-1. Brock Franko (182) also won the championship going 3-0 on the day improving to 22-3 on the year. In the championship match Brock defeated #5AA Greg Johnson from LARP. It was the second win on the year over Johnson. Alex Head (145) came in second place dropping the championship match to Morgan Pariott of New Prague. Head went 2-1 in the tournament and looked solid as always. In addition to the three upperclassmen the Cobras had many highlights from the 8th-10th graders that competed. Randy Henderson (220), Charlie Groll (120), and Max Stoeckel (113) each finished in fifth place. Adam Vacura (HWT) and Ethan Otterbein (138) each finished in sixth place.

The Cobras will travel to Goodhue on Thursday evening to dual against the Wildcats. Friday evening the Triton Venom Club and Triton Community Education will host their annual youth wrestling tournament for youth pre K – sixth grade. The Cobras have one more home event. La Crescent and Kasson will come to town Jan. 24th. Thank you to all that have been coming to support the team. The gym has been electric!

Written by Coach VanBeek:

With the start of the New Year the Cobra wrestlers were back in action this week with three conference and section opponent duals. All three contests were filled with action with a few new faces to the varsity line up due to injuries. The team wrestled hard in all three duals and came out with a record of 1-2 (6-8 overall) in the events.

The week started off Thursday, January 3 with Parents Night at Triton versus Pine Island. The Panthers and Cobras split the two duals between them last year, and once again it was a closely fought battle. Pine Island came out on top 38-33, but the matches were split 7-7. Within the seven wins for the Cobras came first career victories at the varsity level for freshman Aaron Jennings and Ethan Otterbein! In addition to these two, the Cobras also received wins from freshman Gavin Bowman and Adam Vacura. Also winning on the night was Patrick Ramirez, Lucas Etchason, and Brock Franko. It was a great atmosphere in the Cobra gym for the night even with the team coming a few bonus points short of the team victory. Lucas Etchason did avenge his one loss of the year (20-1) by defeating Brady Kunz in the 195 pound showdown.

The Cobras were back at it again the following night in Hayfield for a triangular with defending section champion Zumbrota-Mazeppa and Hayfield. The Cobras split on the night dropping the first dual to ZM 51-28 and beating Hayfield 42-32. The Cobras managed to win five matches against the Cougars including a pin by Colton Chicos, a tech fall by Patrick Ramirez, a pin by Brock Franko, a tech fall by Lucas Etchason, and a pin by Randy Henderson. Alex Head dropped a close decision 4-3 to #2 ranked Cody Heitman in a great match.

Coming off of the loss against ZM, the Cobras rebounded in the final dual to beat Hayfield 42-32. It was another tight dual with many great matches throughout. Winning for the Cobras on the evening was Max Stoeckel by pin, Patrick Ramirez by major, Gavin Bowman by pin, Alex Head by decision, Brock Franko by forfeit, Ryan Newman by forfeit, Lucas Etchason by forfeit, and Randy Henderson by pin. The dual was 37-32 before the heavyweight match when Randy Henderson came through in the clutch with a pin to secure the victory.

With his first victory of the night via fall against Zumbrota-Mazeppa senior captain Brock Franko won his 100th match of his career! Brock’s career record currently stands at 101-70. He has been a huge part of the program since he started seventh grade. He is a great leader in the practice room and on the competition mat. As a returning section champ, and currently ranked #7 in the state, Brock looks to continue to add to the win total through the regular season and beyond. Congrats Brock!

The Cobras currently have four ranked wrestlers in the lineup including Patrick Ramirez (#7- 126), Alex Head (#9 -145), Brock Franko (#7 -182) and Lucas Etchason (#4 -195). This upcoming week Triton will host Kenyon-Wanamingo for Youth Night on Thursday night, January 10th. Come out and support our Cobras!

Another milestone was met for two more of our Triton Wrestlers.

Levi Hickey hit #75 right before he took his knee out (we apologize for not announcing this earlier!!)

Lucas Etchason hit #75 against the Pine Island Panthers on 1/3/13.

CONGRATS to both of these wrestlers!!!  

Congratulations to Alex Head for hitting the milestone of 75 wins!  He achieved this accomplishment by pinning FMCLMC's Trevor Barnes last evening!

WAY TO GO ALEX!!!!

by Coach VanBeek

The Cobras are in the home stretch heading for the holiday break. The wrestlers will end up with almost twenty matches under their belt by the end of the week. That will be roughly half of their matches for the year. So far, the Cobras have had many highlights in the first half of the season.

As a team the Cobras have a dual record of four wins and five losses. This past week the team dropped a close dual to Cannon Falls 48-31. Receiving wins for the Cobras were Patrick Ramirez, Alex Head, Seth Johnson, Brock Franko, Lucas Etchason, and Randy Henderson. Due to some injuries to the team, forfeits played a factor in the outcome of the dual as Triton had to forfeit three matches.

The past two Saturdays have been individual tournaments for the varsity wrestlers. The first invitational of the year was at Trinity High School in Eagan, MN. The Cobras fell just short of the overall title and had some outstanding performances on the day. Patrick Ramirez and Seth Johnson both won their weight class title. Overall, the Cobras had twelve place winners at the tournament including a second place finish for Brock Franko, third place for Lucas Etchason, third place for Alex Head, third place for Randy Henderson, fourth place for Max Henderson, fourth place for Adam Vacura, fourth place for Cody Saxton, fifth place for Colton Chicos, fifth place for Gavin Bowman, and due to an injury sixth place for Levi Hickey. The team ended up in third place just two points off of the overall team score.

The second invitational of the year was this past Saturday at Kenyon Wanimingo high school. The Cobras were a little thin on participants bringing only ten of the fourteen weight classes, but those that wrestled did a fantastic job. On the day the team crowned two more champions. At 145 pounds Alex Head claimed first place with a decisive 5-1 victory in the finals. Also winning their weight class was Lucas Etchason at 195 pounds. Lucas defeated the #10 ranked AA wrestler and the #4 ranked A wrestler on route to the title. Coming in second place on the day was Seth Johnson at 138 pounds and Brock Franko at 182 pounds. Patrick Ramirez ended in fourth place in a very difficult bracket as did Adam Vacura. Claiming sixth place on the day was Max Henderson at 170 pounds.

The upcoming week will keep the wrestlers busy. The team travels to Lewiston Tuesday evening for a triangular with LARP and Fillmore Central. On Thursday the team will be in Hayfield for another triangular with Hayfield and Zumbrota Mazeppa.

As the first half of the season winds down, there is a lot to be excited about in Cobra country. Currently the team has three ranked wrestlers – Patrick Ramirez (#9 @ 126), Brock Franko (#9 @ 182) and Lucas Etchason (#6 @ 195). All together the team has seven wrestlers above .500 including Lucas Etchason (15-1), Patrick Ramirez (14-3), Brock Franko (13-3), Seth Johnson (12-3), Alex Head (12-4), Levi Hickey (7-5), and Randy Henderson (6-5).

The next home contest will be on Jan. 3rd at the high school in Dodge Center. Come support the Cobras as they move onward to the section tournament.

***NEW FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH****

Triton has 3 wrestlers listed in the rankings for the first time in all the years that I have been involved with wrestling.  This is fantastic news and should be celebrated!

Patrick Ramirez  - ranked #9

Brock Franko - ranked #9

Lucas Etchason - ranked #6

Congrats to each of the wrestlers - this shows the hard work and dedication that they have in and out of the practice room!

Keep em' coming guys!!

The 2012-2013 Triton wrestlers come into the season with high expectations. Coming off of a year with ten dual victories, and returning two section champions, the Cobras expect to take strides on becoming even more competitive this year. There are thirty-five student-athletes involved in the program from grades seven through twelve. Many of these wrestlers have varsity experience, and the team looks to be well balanced throughout the lineup.

Led by seniors Brock Franiko (Section 1A champ) and Alex Head (twenty two wins last season), the Cobras return ten wrestlers that have lettered in previous seasons. Included in the ten is a strong junior class with the likes of Lucas Etchason (section 1A Champion last season), Patrick Ramirez (thirty wins last season), Seth Johnson (twenty-four wins), and Levi Hickey (eighteen wins). The Cobras also have a large group of underclassmen who have gained valuable experience the past few seasons. With the retuning experience from last season and the addition of some wresters who have taken a few years off, the Cobras look to push each other to new heights. Many individuals have their eyes set on reaching the state tournament, and the team as a whole looks to make some noise.

The season kicked off on Thursday, November 29th when the Cobras hosted the Byron Bears. The Cobras came up short on the night, dropping the dual 50-22. Winning for the Cobras were Patrick Ramirez, Seth Johnson, Alex Head, Lucas Etchason, and Adam Vacura. The Cobras won five matches on the evening to Byron’s nine. The night was not a complete loss as the Cobra’s JV wrestlers went 12-3 in their matches. Dane Jensen, Dominic Adreon, Ethan Otterbein, Nate Meyers, Charlie Groll, Hunter Jennings, Oscar Sanchez, Chaz Stuve, Brock Gullickson, Cody Saxton, Casey Lang, and Garret Franko all recorded victories.

Coming off the disappointment of Thursday evening, the Cobras bounced back on Saturday while competing at the John Timm Dual Tournament in Glenwood City, Wisconsin. The Cobras went 4-1 on the day ending up in a three way tie for first place. Triton beat teams from Spooner, Somerset, Glenwood City, and Amery . They did drop a close dual to Neillsville. Throughout the day Seth Johnson, Brock Franko, and Lucas Etchason were undefeated.

The goal in the room is to improve each day and to peak come tournament time in late February. With the work ethic that has been shown thus far, the sky is limit to the potential of this group. One stride at a time, the Cobras look to compete each time they take the mat.

I am helping out with the Triton Wrestling club again this year by helping with the website.  I will be making some new and improved changes to the site to help make it a little more user friendly and to add more information about our wrestlers!  Please contact me with any suggestions or changes that you would like to see!

Notice - the pancake breakfast is scheduled for November 18th - make sure and mark your calendar!!!

Thanks much! 

Darla