Fighting Saints Earn Split at Tracy Tri with 35-30 Win over TMBW
The Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg wrestling team earned a hard-fought split at the Tracy Tri on Tuesday, highlighted by a 35-30 dual victory over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton-Westbrook-Walnut Grove after falling to a strong Minneota squad, 58-11, in Tracy, Minnesota.
In the first matchup, KMS faced a powerful Minneota lineup and came up short, 58-11. Minneota controlled the lower weights, earning four straight wins by fall from 107 through 133 and a technical fall at 121, building a commanding advantage. The Fighting Saints broke through at 139, where senior Colton Noble improved to 8-2 with a 17-2 technical fall in 6:12 over Owen Myrvik, providing KMS its first points of the dual.
KMS generated its lone pin of the Minneota dual at 145 pounds, where Gunderson remained unbeaten with a fall in 1:07 over Brycen Myhre, accounting for six of the team’s 11 points. Despite competitive efforts from experienced wrestlers such as Froehlich and Nielsen at 152 and 160, Minneota continued to rack up bonus points with additional technical falls, a major decision at 189, and forfeits at 215 and 285 to close the dual.
In the second match of the evening against TMBW, KMS jumped to an early lead behind back-to-back technical falls from the lightweights. At 107 pounds, freshman Brody Nielsen improved to 14-5 with a 20-5 technical fall in 4:17 over Ethan Johnson. At 114, junior Oswaldo Moreno followed with a 17-2 technical fall in 3:02 against Owen Beier, putting the Fighting Saints ahead 10-0 and setting the tone for the dual.
TMBW responded with a strong run through the middle weights, recording three consecutive victories at 121, 127, and 133 pounds, including pins at 121 and 127 and a close 12-10 decision at 133. Another fall for TMBW at 139 gave the hosts momentum and the lead, but KMS answered with veteran leadership and bonus-point wins down the stretch.
Senior Trey Gunderson, now 9-0 on the season, received a forfeit at 145 pounds to halt the TMBW surge. Senior Cole Froehlich, who improved to 20-4, delivered a key 5-1 decision at 152. The Fighting Saints then took control in the upper weights, starting with junior Taytan Nielsen’s 21-5 technical fall at 160 in 4:59, followed by junior Shane Froehlich’s 16-0 technical fall at 172 in 5:57. Junior Jake Holtkamp then recorded a decisive first-period pin in just 38 seconds at 189 over Adam Hippe, providing crucial points that ultimately sealed the 35-30 team victory. TMBW closed with decisions at 215 and a forfeit at 285, but KMS’s earlier surge proved insurmountable.
The Tracy Tri showcased both the depth and resilience of the Fighting Saints lineup, particularly in the light and middle weights against TMBW, where multiple wrestlers produced high-scoring technical falls and clutch wins. With several athletes posting strong individual performances and gaining valuable experience against quality opposition, KMS is positioned to build on.
