Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie wins BHVPP Invitational; KMS takes third behind Wolves
Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie used depth and bonus points to claim the team title at its home BHVPP Invitational on Saturday at Parkers Prairie High School, edging a solid field that included runner-up LPGE-Browerville and third-place Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. Barnesville finished fourth, followed by Pillager in fifth, Ottertail Central in sixth and Blackduck-Cass Lake-Bena in seventh.
The host co-op’s climb to the top spot was built on a string of strong individual performances, particularly in the lighter and middle weights. At 133 pounds, junior Wyatt Jares (17-1) opened his day with a bye into the quarterfinals, helping set the tone for BHVPP. At 145, senior Hudson Truax (18-4) and freshman Keaston Thorpe (12-15) also advanced out of the early rounds, giving the hosts valuable advancement points before the championship rounds even began.
LPGE-Browerville, which finished second overall, showed why it has one of the more dangerous lineups in the region, especially from 127 through 189. At 107, freshman Hayden Hiebert (16-2) pinned Colton Dolezal of Ottertail Central in 3:56 in the quarters, and the Wolves added more bonus with falls from Evan Flan (133), Benelli Johnson (121), John Paul Buntjer (145) and multiple wins from 189-pounder Drew Sudbeck. In the upper weights, Heston Almendinger (285) came through with a string of pins in championship rounds two through four, pushing LPGE-Browerville into contention before falling in the final championship round to Ottertail Central’s Joshua Larson.
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (Fighting Saints) battled to a third-place finish behind key performances across several classes. At 160 pounds, junior Taytan Nielsen (19-4) advanced out of the quarterfinals with a bye, and KMS got another early advancement from junior 114-pounder Oswaldo Moreno (13-8). One of the biggest sparks came at 145, where unbeaten senior Trey Gunderson (14-0) delivered a first-period pin over BHVPP’s Dylan Day in 1:40. The Saints also piled up points in the upper weights, with junior 189-pounder Wyatt Rudningen (16-11) going on a run that included a 20-4 technical fall over BHVPP’s David Veronen in the first championship round and a pin of LPGE-Browerville’s Sudbeck in 2:47 in the third championship round.
Several weight classes stood out as decisive for the team standings. At 139, KMS senior Colton Noble (12-4) built a strong tournament with an 8-5 decision over BHVPP’s Justin Olson in the first championship round and a pin over Ottertail Central’s Houston Schwartz in just 40 seconds in round four. But LPGE-Browerville answered at that same weight behind junior Brodie Pachan (19-1), who collected multiple technical falls and capped his day with a 9-4 decision over Noble in the fifth championship round. That 139-pound swing gave the Wolves a critical boost in their push to stay ahead of KMS in the final standings.
The upper weights also produced some of the day’s most dramatic moments. At 285, Ottertail Central’s Joshua Larson (13-12) strung together a series of pins, including a 3:16 fall over Pillager’s Will Giza in the opening championship round and another over LBW’s Almendinger in just one minute in the fifth round. At 172, Barnesville’s Cameron Halverson (23-1) dominated his bracket, racking up technical falls of 19-3 and 20-3 in championship rounds two and four before closing with a 13-4 major decision over Pillager’s Caden Peacock. Those bonus-point wins helped secure fourth place for Barnesville and kept pressure on the teams above them.
In the lightweights, BHVPP continued to separate itself with a combination of depth and clutch wins. At 107, senior Adam Grabow (21-1) needed only 33 seconds to pin Pillager’s Marek Gustason in the quarters, while Ruger and Rekker Oyster added tight decision wins in the lower weights. BHVPP standout Merrick Hoffman (18-5) controlled the 127-pound bracket, earning a major decision in the first championship round and finishing his day with a 3-2 decision over LPGE-Browerville’s Hunter Katterhagen in the fifth round. That steady production from 107 through 139, combined with solid efforts up top, proved to be the difference as BHVPP pulled away for the invitational title.
With January heating up and section seeding looming, the BHVPP Invitational offered a clear snapshot of where each team stands. BHVPP showed the balance of a tournament champion, LPGE-Browerville proved it can contend with anyone in the region, and KMS left Parkers Prairie with several wrestlers trending upward as the postseason approaches. If these matchups are any indication, fans could see some familiar faces – and a few of these same head-to-head battles – when the stakes get even higher later this winter.
