Perham-Wrestling fans will converge on the Prairie Wind Middle School gymnasium for the annual KLN Family Brand Wrestling Invitational Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Seven teams will vie for the championship in the individual tournament.
Mille Lacs, New London-Spicer, Perham, Roseau, Sauk Centre/Melrose, United North Central and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis make up the field.
The Yellowjackets hope to successfully defend last year’s tournament title.
The Yellowjackets won the team title with 228 points, while delivering five individual championships.
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United North Central was second with 178 points, followed by New London-Spicer, New York Mills, Mille Lacs and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis.
New York Mills will not be returning to this year’s tournament.
Four of those five wrestlers are back in the field for the Yellowjackets.
Sam Pirrotta (126), Dylan Fudge (106), Patrick Glynn (160), Cole Schmitz (170) and William Parks (182) won individual titles. All except Pirrotta are back for the Yellowjackets.
The four champions returning have all moved up weight classes and have found success in those classes this year.
William Parks holds an undefeated, 14-0, record heading into the tournament, while wrestling at 195. He picked up an individual tournament win at the Wadena-Deer Creek Invitational to kick off the season.
In the most recent rankings released by the Guillotine, Parks is ranked sixth in the 195-pound weight class.
Patrick Glynn enters the weekend tournament with a 12-2 overall record, and a top-10 ranking. Glynn is ranked ninth at 170-pounds.
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Glynn earned a tournament win as well to kick off the season at Wadena-Deer Creek.
“Glynn has had an excellent season. He has wrestled with lots of composure and has quietly put up some very impressive stats,” Perham Head Coach Robb Moser said of Glynn after the Les Kertscher Duals in Frazee, Minn. “He has also been a great vocal leader for our team.”
Dylan Fudge had a strong first half as well. He holds a 13-1 record, while wrestling at 113 pounds.
Cole Schmitz moved up to 182 for the Yellowjackets. He has started the season with an 11-3 run.
Perham’s Ben Nelson is ranked sixth in the state at 120-pounds. Nelson sits at 10-4 overall, but has been wrestling at the 126-pound class.
Chase Curtis is ranked seventh at 126-pounds, however, has been wrestling at 132. Curtis holds a 10-5 record at the 132-pound class.
The tournament will feature several ranked wrestlers. Treyton Austvold, New London-Spicer, is ranked fifth at 145 pounds, while Brett Jerome, Roseau, is ranked 10th in the same weight class.
United North Central’s Tommy Tellers is back, hoping to capture the title that eluded him a year ago. Tellers was defeated in the finals of the 132 championship. This year, Tellers is ranked ninth in Class A at 138 pounds.
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Tristan Palmer, United North Central, is ranked third overall at 195 in Class A.
The KLN Family Brand Invitational will mark just the second time this season that the Yellowjackets have wrestled on their home turf. In their only home appearance, the Yellowjackets defeated Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, 66-6.
The Invitational will kick off the second portion of the season for the Yellowjackets, who hold a 9-1 mark in dual meets this year.
“Typically, we break down the season into three parts-before Christmas, after Christmas and playoffs,” Moser said. “We told the guys that our first part has gone really well. I think we are most impressed at how balanced we have been. Naturally, we have lots to improve on, but we like where we are at right now.”
The action begins at 10:30 a.m. with first round and pigtail matches, and continues throughout the day. The championship and third place matches are expected to begin at 4 p.m.
