This week’s Lots O’ Stuff is brought to you by Diet Coke with Bacon.
Due to poor clock management this week’s installment of Lots O’ Stuff is a day late and more condensed than usual.
Will try to do better next week.
I did share the first part of this edition on Twitter and Facebook this weekend but not everyone follows me on those platforms.
This year marks the 16th time a wrestling team from Jackson County has qualified for the state team wrestling tournament.
The Heron Lake-Okabena-Lakefield Silver Bullets went one time, the HLOL/Jackson Jaguars made two trips and this is the 13th trip for the Jackson County Central Huskies.
FUN FACT part one: This year’s JCC team earned the state meet berth in Slayton, which was the site of the first HLOL trip to state with a win over Canby in the section finals.
FUN FACT part deu: Chad Kraft was a captain on that Silver Bullets team as a sophomore on his way to three state titles before going on to be a four-time all-American at the University of Minnesota. Troy Schultz informed me know that Chad’s two children were in Slayton Saturday to watch the Huskies earn their trip to St. Paul.
As mentioned, HLOL earned its first trip to state with a win over Canby in the Section 3A finals. At the time yours truly was working for two local newspapers.
Thanks to Cory Pauling, here’s the story that appeared in one of those papers from that section championship victory over the Lancers.
And this is what appeared in the other paper. Just look at that guy, will ya?
Here’s the cover of a special edition that followed the 1993 state tournament.
This young man was the first to coach a Jackson County team to a state wrestling tournament. He was also gracious enough to treat me to a burger and a couple of refreshments following the welcome home.
Here’s a headline I liked from that edition.
And I also came across this from the Jackson gymnastics tab the previous week.
Be looking for more wrestling news heading toward section individual tournaments this weekend and then next week’s state tourney.
Caven coaches a state champ
Ben Caven, a Jackson County Central graduate and former wrestler for the Huskies, is the head wrestling coach at West Lyon High School.
He had three Wildcat wrestlers qualify for the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines last weekend and one took a gold medal back to northwest Iowa.
Senior Easton Fleshman was in his fourth state tourney, placing seventh as a junior.
He won by scores of 7-0, 5-0 and 4-1 to reach the finals, where he would face top-ranked Solon senior Gage Marty, who he had lost to earlier this season.
Fleshman won the Class 2A 285-pound state championship, in a 2-1 tiebreaker. He clinched the victory on an escape with 24 seconds remaining in the second overtime to become West Lyon’s first state champion since 1997.
Fleshman had a 47-1 record this season. He’ll wrestle next season at the University of Iowa.
Two at state
Martin County West grad Blake Crosby is the wrestling coach at Lennox, S.D.
He’ll have two wrestlers competing in the South Dakota Class A state tourney this weekend at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.
Representing the Orioles will be eighth-grader Ramsey Williams (113) and junior Jase Langbehn (195).
Steen Judges at state
Lee Ann Steen of Sherburn (front row far right) was a judge for both the Class AA team and individual portions of the state gymnastics meet at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
Lee Ann competed at state for Jackson High School back in the day and also coached a number of Martin County West and Martin County Area teams and individuals to state tournament trips.