Crimson Wrestlers, Managers, and Families-

Week Twelve Recap:
It’s hard to believe but some of our wrestlers’ competitive seasons have come to an end.  The season has flown!  Looking back on how far these wrestlers have come in a few months is incredible! 

Unfortunately, the last week of competition included one less competition than anticipated.  We were all gearing up for a fun Friday evening and although the cancelation was disappointing, the guys took it in stride and those competing in JV Conference came out strong on Saturday.  This tournament is one of my favorite tournaments of the season.  It’s a great opportunity for our younger and less experienced wrestlers to display the talents they worked so hard all season to develop.  The growth that has taken place throughout the season for the competing wrestlers was evident throughout the day. 

We wrestle in one of the biggest (and best) wrestling conferences throughout the state.  The tournament consistently includes Varsity caliber wrestlers at every weight.  That said we competed very well with 10 of our 16 wrestlers earning a top 8 finish. 

Here are the Crimson JV-Conference place winners of the 2022-2023 season:
2nd place:  Damian Seubert (106)
3rd place:  Lincoln Rudek (95), Rylan Bahl (220)
5th place:  Kaden Pocklington (95),
6th place:  Caleb Jatko (120), Grady Mandle (152),
7th place:  Reese Redlinger (106), Jaeden Hubbard (132)
8th place:  Jonathan Hjelmstad (106), Cole Tabler (120)

I thoroughly enjoyed watching our guy’s battle.  Each of them wrestled hard and we won a number of exciting matches – many in come from behind fashion where it looked like we simply outworked our opponents.  This group is so young – six of our ten place winners are still in middle school – or younger than some schools within our conference allow to compete at the high school level.  At this stage of their development the wins and losses don’t matter nearly as much as the growth that is taking place – and I believe this group continues to improve every time they step on the mat.  Very proud of these wrestlers and already looking forward to what they can become in future seasons.

Presently, our focus turns to our 21 wrestlers who will represent our team at team sections this week and our wrestlers who will represent Crimson wrestling at individual sections the following week.  In support of these wrestlers, we would like the whole team to continue to attend practice through the end of each wrestler’s season.  Being a great teammate is something hopefully all our athletes aspire to and each wrestler plays a role in the success of the team and each individual’s success.  I look forward to seeing our wrestlers who are no longer competing display their character, commitment to their brothers on the team, and an overall team first attitude in the upcoming three weeks.   

Here are the details you’ll need to know for the week ahead:

Week 13 Practice/Meet Schedule:
Monday, 2.13 – Practice:  Weight Room at 2:10p; Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Tuesday, 2.14 – Practice:  Weight Room at 2:10p; Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Wednesday, 2.15 – Practice:  Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Thursday, 2.16 – Practice:  Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Friday, 2.17 – Practice:  Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Saturday, 2.18 – Team Sections at Rogers Senior High.  The bus is scheduled to leave at 8a with wrestling set to begin at 10a.  We are the 6th seed and will wrestle Rogers in the first round (who is the 3rd seed). 
We will plan to dress 21 – which is the maximum number of wrestlers we are allowed - who should all make their weight and could all be called on to compete depending on the situation. 
These wrestlers will be finalized and communicated this week at practice.  All other wrestlers are encouraged to attend and support their team throughout the tournament. 

Mat Boss Video Access:
Many wrestlers are now watching their matches on Mat Boss each week – which is awesome!  This is a great opportunity for kids to learn from their matches and improve at a much faster rate than would otherwise be possible.  Watching back matches can be a great learning tool and is highly encouraged.  Please let me know if you/your wrestler has not been able to get in to Mat Boss and would like to do so or if you have any other questions.

Sports Engine, Facebook Page and Future Communication:
Lastly please download the Sports Engine App and sign up to receive future communications.  Parents and wrestlers can each sign up to receive future communications and schedule changes through the Sports Engine app by going to Crimson-Wrestling.com. 
If you have any challenges with this, please text me your email address at 763-913-0601 and I’ll make sure you are added to the app portion.  Please let me know if you have any questions with this as we will use this app for communications throughout the season.     Also, we often post fun pictures or related articles on the Maple Grove High School Wrestling Page on Facebook (along with this article).  If you are a Facebook user, please like our page.

Final Thoughts for the Week:

We are officially in the memory making stage of the season.  These next few tournaments will bring the most intense and most exciting matches of the season.  The stakes are higher and the wins are sweeter.  Goals and dreams will be realized.  Our guys have put in an impressive amount of work this season and they deserve all the success that comes their way.  They’re going to put it all on the line and leave it all on the mat. 

I know they appreciate all the support they receive from their teammates, managers, parents of their fellow wrestlers, and other supporters.  Thank you to all who go out of their way to support these hard working and impressive young men during this time!     
Cheer Hard Crimson Wrestling Fans!  Your presence will be felt and it’s going to be fun!  There is no better time to be a high school wrestling fan! 

As always let me know if anybody has any questions. 

Mgwrestling99@gmail.com