No. 1 Perham beats B-H/V

By John George

sports@eot.com

The Perham wrestling team finished 2007 with a 47-16 win at Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale last Thursday.

The match was close early on with the Jackets holding a 12-7 lead through four matches. Perham then won four straight matches, two pins by Joe Berns and Dwight Jenne, a tech fall by Taylor Doll and a major decision by Barry Nelson, to take control, 34-7.

Charlie Schmitz picked up a 5-4 win over No. 7-A Matt Moenkedick at 160 pounds, and Mac Stoll followed with a 3-1 win over No. 9-A Wade Moenkedick at 171 pounds. Nathan Schmitz won 9-2 at 189 and Casey Sazama made it four in a row for Perham with a fall at 215 pounds.

Time to Rumble

The Jackets will look to defend their title this weekend at the Rumble on the Red Invite. This year's Rumble has expanded to 64-teams and will be held at the FargoDome. Action begins Friday at 10 a.m. and continues through Saturday with finals scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Casey Sazama is the defending 215-pound champ at the Rumble.

Perham's first match of the new year will be down Highway 10 at New York Mills on Jan. 3. The Barrel O' Fun Invitational will be at Prairie Wind Gymnasium on Jan. 5.

Friday, December 21

Perham 47, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 16

103--Andrew Gorentz (P) def. Graber, TF

112--Isaac Werner (P) def. Lopez, fall

119--#3A Kern (BHV) def. Jacob Werner, 12-0

125--#10A Lambert (BHV) def. Sam Warne, 12-8

130--Joe Berns (P) def. Schultz, fall 1:53

135--Taylor Doll (P) def. Wiese, TF

140--Barry Nelson (P) def. Negraff, 14-0

145--Dwight Jenne (P) def. Aeling, fall 1:27

152--Braaten (BHV) def. Chris Scheidecker, 9-1

160--Charlie Schmitz (P) def. #7A M. Moenkedick, 5-4

171--Mac Stoll (P) def. #9A W. Moenkedick, 3-1

189--Nathan Schmitz (P) def. Schmidt, 9-2

215--Casey Sazama (P) def. Peterson, fall 1:08

HWT--Thorn (BHV) def. Jordan Palubicki, fall 1:51

Class AA Poll Section

1. Perham 8

2. St. Michael-Albertville 5

3. Foley 6

4. Simley 4

5. Plainview-Elgin-Millville 1

6. Montgomery-Lonsdale/LeCentre 2

7. Adrian Area 3

8. Milaca 7

9. Scott West 2

10. Big Lake 6

11. Thief River Falls 8

12. Kasson-Mantorville 1

20. Fergus Falls 8

23. Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus 8

Perham Ranked Individuals

103--Andrew Gorentz (#4)

112--Isaac Werner (#3)

119--Jacob Werner (#7)

125--Sam Warne (#5)

140--Barry Nelson (#9)

145--Dwight Jenne (#6)

171--Mac Stoll (#2)

189--Nathan Schmitz (#4)

215--Casey Sazama (#3)