Luthi, Netland, & Newcomb Place in Prestigious Bismarck Rotary Tournament.
Over the weekend, the Moorhead Spud Wrestling Team traveled to Bismarck for the very competitive, Bismarck Rotary Tournament. This two-day tournament featured 30 teams from North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, and of course the lone Minnesota representatives, the Moorhead Spuds. Despite the depth of the tournament, 3 Spuds managed to work their way onto the Podium.
Senior 145lb, Ryan Luthi was the first and highest placer this weekend, with a 5th place finish over Bismarck Legacy's Maverick Martin. Ryan had 5 wins on the weekend. Next to see the podium was fellow senior Hayden Netland who beat Joel McIntosh from West Fargo, in a rematch of his bout from the Tuesday night West Fargo dual to claim 7th place at 170lbs. Junior Jack Newcomb, fell in his placing match in a rematch of his own. Jack would fall to Robby Serumgard in both his first and final bout of the tournament, finishing in 8th place. Also winning matches for the Spuds were; Griffin Quade, Lee Ellingsberg, Evan Fankhanel, Xander Risdal, AJ Dimo, and Micah Pemble.
In the JV/Last chance brackets, The Spuds had 11 placers. 7th grade Michael Jenkins, 8th grade Lee Ellingsberg, 7th grade Will Borud, & 8th grade David Krabbenhoft finished in 4th place. 8th grader Bridger Mongeau and sophomore Zion Dyer finished in 3rd place. 8th grader Zack Fankhanel was the lone runner-up and sophomore Ian Mohler, junior Haakon Peterson, senior Landon Berry, and junior Cody Lugo all brought home JV/Varsity Last Chance championships.
Next up for the Spuds is Youth Night. The Spuds host nearby DGF in a dual on January 14th at 7pm.
Final Results from Rotary Varsity Tournament
106: Griffin Quade- 2 wins 2 losses DNP
106: Lee Ellingsberg- 1 win 2 losses DNP
120: Evan Fankhanel - 3 wins 2 losses DNP
126: Xander Risdal -3 win 2 losses DNP
132: Zack Fankhanel- 0 wins 2 losses DNP
138: AJ Dimo - 1 win 2 losses DNP
145: Ryan Luthi - 5 wins 2 losses 5th place
152: Haakon Peterson - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
160: Micah Pemble - 1 win 2 losses DNP
170: Hayden Netland -4 wins 2 losses 7th place
182: Landon Berry - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
195: Jack Newcomb - 3 wins 3 losses 8th place
285: Jaydon Coley - 0 win 2 losses DNP
285: Cody Lugo - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
Pins and Comeback Wins Help Spuds Remain Undefeated at Home.
This Tuesday January, 7th Moorhead High School continued their wrestling season hosting a dual against the West Fargo Packers. The hometown Spuds started off on a roll kicking the dual off with 3 straight pins from 8th graaders Lee Ellingsberg and Griffin Quade, and sophomore Evan Fankhanel at the 106, 113, and 120lb weight classes. Senior captain Xander Risdal kept the momentum going in a come-from-behind victory in the back half of the 126lb weight class. The Spuds fell in both the 132lb and 138lb weight class, only to be followed up by the 4th Spud pin. This time it was fellow senior captain Ryan Luthi at 145lbs. West Fargo took their third win of the night at 152lbs but The Spuds refused to let any West Fargo momentum last. Senior 160lb Spud Micah Pemble put another stop to West Fargo's winning streak with the fifth Moorhead pin of the night. At 170lbs, the third and final senior captain Hayden Netlan, found himself downat the midway point of the match. Netland, kept pushing the pace and picked away at the lead to secure the 2nd come-from-behind win for the Spuds. The final win of the night for the Spuds came in a dominating win and 6th pin of the night. This time, junior Jack Newcomb was the Spud responsible. West Fargo took the final 2 wins of the night but it was not enough as the Spuds locked up a 42-27 victory over the Packers.
On the JV side of things several additional Spuds competed earning wins as well. David Krabbenhoft, Karam Arif, Landon Fees, Ian Mohler, Bridger Mongeau, Will Borud, Michael Jenkins, and Moayad Abdi all got their arms raised in the preliminary matches, making it a very successful night for the Spud Wrestlers. This Weekend th Spuds travel to Bismarck for the prestigious Bismarck Rotary tournament January 10th & 11th.
Final Score: Moorhead 42 West Fargo 27
106: Lee Ellingsberg (Moorhead) over Lindsey Anderson (West Fargo) (Fall 3:24)
113: Griffin Quade (Moorhead) over Sierra Ramberg (West Fargo) (Fall 3:22)
120: Evan Fankhanel (Moorhead) over Kaitlin Langstaff (West Fargo) (Fall 1:02)
126: Xander Risdal (Moorhead) over Tyler Porter (West Fargo) (Dec 13-7)
132: Amir Murad (West Fargo) over Zach Fankhanel (Moorhead) (Dec 10-4)
138: Tanner Nein (West Fargo) over Hudson Hall (Moorhead) (Fall 1:09)
145: Ryan Luthi (Moorhead) over Aaron Magnell (West Fargo) (Fall 2:36)
152: Declan Genova (West Fargo) over Haakon Peterson (Moorhead) (Dec 11-9)
160: Micah Pemble (Moorhead) over Yaser Hussaini (West Fargo) (Fall 1:54)
170: Hayden Netland (Moorhead) over Joel McIntosh (West Fargo) (Dec 8-6)
182: Ethan Jerome (West Fargo) over Landon Berry (Moorhead) (Fall 0:43)
195: Jack Newcomb (Moorhead) over Jacob Bild (West Fargo) (Fall 3:04)
220: Ben Anderson (West Fargo) over Jackson Gotta (Moorhead) (Dec 8-3)
285: KC Ortiz (West Fargo) over Jaydon Coley (Moorhead) (Fall 0:28)
Fankhanel, Luthi, and Netland Reach the Finals as Spuds Finish 4th in the "Ron Gadberry Invitational".
This weekend the Moorhead Spuds hosted The Ron Gadberry Invitational Tournament. The Spuds hosted a 10 team tournament in which there were 9 Moorhead placers, headline by 3 finalists and 1 champion. Senior 126lb wrestler Xander Risdal claimed the 4th place spot on the podium as well as senior Landon Berry at 182lbs. Junior 195lb Jack Newcomb finished 3rd place after suffering a loss in the opening round. 3 Spuds would find the championship match at their weight class. Sophomore 120lb Evan Fankhanel and senior 170lb Hayden Netland both claimed the Runner-Up spot but Ryan Luthi the Spud senior 145lb wrestler would stand alone as the sole Champion for Moorhead. 8th grader Griffin Quade, senior Houston Hall, and junior Jaydon Coley also scored team points for the Spuds
Competing for the Moorhead Spuds JV and earning a spot on the podium were Marshal Hicks in 4th place, Will Borud in 2nd place, Bridger Mongeau in 4th place, Ian Mohler in 4th place, Jack Olstad in 3rd place, Karam Arif in 4th place and Zion Dyer in 2nd place.
The Spuds are back in action Tuesday January 7th when the West Fargo Packers come to Moorhead for a home dual.
Final Results from Gadberry
106: Griffin Quade- 3 wins 2 losses 5th place
106: Lee Ellingsberg- 0 wins 2 losses DNP
120: Evan Fankhanel - 2 wins 1 loss 2nd place
126: Xander Risdal -1 win 3 losses 4th place
132: Zack Fankhanel- 0 wins 4 losses DNP
145: Ryan Luthi - 3 wins 0 losses 1st place
145: Jason Conner- 0 wins 2 losses DNP
152: Haakon Peterson - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
170: Hayden Netland -3 wins 1 loss 2nd place
182: Landon Berry - 2 wins 2 losses 4th place
195: Jack Newcomb - 3 wins 1 loss 3rd place
220: Houston Hall - 1 win 3 losses 6th place
285: Jaydon Coley - 1 win 3 losses 6th place
285: Cody Lugo - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
Spuds put 3 on the podium at Rumble on the Red Tournament
December 27th and 28th marked the very tough and prestigious Rumble on the Red wrestling tournament where Moorhead was 1 of 58 teams with athletes participating. 25 Spuds entered the tournament, but only 6 would qualify for day 2. Senior 145lb Ryan Luthi, wrestled his way into the semi finals match on day 1 and reserve his spot on the podium, before falling to the number 1 overall seed. Ryan was the lone varsity wrestler to qualify for day 2.On the junior varsity side of things, 5 Spud wrestlers accomplished the goal of making it to day 2. 7th grader Michael Jenkins was the first Spud to punch the ticket to day 2 at the 85 lb weight class. Joining Michael, was 8th grade 106lb Lee Ellingsberg, 8th grade 132lb Zack Fankhanel, junior 152lb Haakon Peterson, and junior 285lb wrestler Jaydon Coley.
Day 2 proved to be equally as challenging as Spud wrestlers were cut down from 6 to 3. Ryan Luthi, would lose a tight match in the consolation semi-finals 1-0. Ryan would end on a positive note, winning his 5th place match with a score of 18-11. Michael Jenkins, Lee Ellingsberg, and Jaydon Coley would all find their second loss of the JV tournament early in day 2 of the action to fall short of the podium but Zack Fankhanel and Haakon Peterson would push through and finish in 8th place and 7th place respectively.
Next action for the Spuds, comes in form of the Spuds' hosted tournament, The Ron Gadberry Invitational. Morhead will host 9 teams on Saturday January 4th in the Moorhead High School gym and fieldhouse.
Berry and Luthi Takedown Ranked Opponents as Spuds Defeat Fargo North Spartans
December 20th marked the Moorhead Spud Wrestling team's home-opener, against the Spartans of Fargo North High School. The Spuds would roll to a 54-21 victory thanks to 7 Fargo North forfeits and wins by seniors, Ryan Luthi, and Landon Berry. The night started out with 3 straight Spuds getting their hands raised. 8th graders Lee Ellingsberg, Griffin Quade, and sophomore Evan Fankhanel all would win by forfeit to jump to a quick 18-0 lead. At the 126lb weight class Xander Risdal would fall to current #2 ranked North Dakota Wrestler, Danny Monatukwa with a close score of 3-6. With a dual score of 18-3, 8th grade 132 lb wrestler, Zack Fankhanel would get the Spuds back on with an 18-2 technical fall over Henry Maughan. At 138lbs, AJ Dimo would take another forfeit. at the 145 and 152lb weight classes, the Spuds wrestled two 7th graders in their first varsity action. Will Borud, lost by fall at 145lbs, and Jack Olstad would take the 5th forfeit of the night at 152lbs to make it a team score of 35-9. Senior Captain, Ryan Luthi topped North Dakota Class A #5 ranked Josh Worral by major decision 17-5. Seniors Micah Pemble, and Hayden Netland took the final 2 forfeits of the night bringing the score to 51-9. The final Spud win of the night comes at the 195lb weight class in a true "Match of the Night". Moorhead High senior, Landon Berry would hang on to a 5-4 win over Fargo North's Junior Supris. Supris came into this match ranked #4 in the State of North Dakota Class A. The Spartans took the final 2 matches of the evening with Spuds, Houston Hall concedes to #5 ranked Braden Jongeward, and first time varsity heavyweight, Jaydon Coley drops to Andrew Aamold, both losing by fall. Leaving a final dual score of 54-21.
Competing for Moorhead at the junior varsity level were 8th grader David Krabbenhoft, and sophomore Zion Dyer. The Spuds next competition comes during the holiday break as Moorhead drives down to the Fargodome for the Rumble on the Red 2 day tournament, December 27th and 28th.
Final Results: Moorhead 54 Fargo North 21
106: Lee Ellingsberg (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
113: Griffin Quade (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
120: Evan Fankhanel (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
126: Danny Monatukwa (Fargo North) over Xander Risdal (Moorhead) (Dec 6-3)
132: Zach Fankhanel (Moorhead) over Henry Maughan (Fargo North) (TF 18-2 0:00)
138: Abraham Dimo (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
145: Ramiro Loera (Fargo North) over Will Borud (Moorhead) (Fall 3:09)
152: Jack Olstad (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
160: Ryan Luthi (Moorhead) over Joshua Worral (Fargo North) (MD 17-5)
170: Micah Pemble (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
182: Hayden Netland (Moorhead) over Unknown (For.)
195: Landon Berry (Moorhead) over Junior Surpris (Fargo North) (Dec 5-4)
220: Braden Jongeward (Fargo North) over Houston Hall (Moorhead) (Fall 0:41)
285: Andrew Aamold (Fargo North) over Jaydon Coley (Moorhead) (Fall 0:24)
Luthi Leads the Way for Spuds at The Paul Bunyan Wrestling Tournament
Friday December 13 & Saturday December 14th marked the 53rd annual Paul Bunyan Wrestling Tournament in Brainerd, MN. The Spuds entered 10 wrestlers into the very competitive Paul Bunyan Tournament. The Spuds finished with 5 placers, headlined by a Championship won at the 152lb weight class by Senior Ryan Luthi. Ryan had four total matches that consisted of 4 wins, 2 pins, and 3 wins over Section 8AAA Competition.
The Spuds had 4 more seniors who would make it to the placing matches in their final trip to wrestle in the Paul Bunyan Tournament. 132lb wrestler, Xander Risdal, placed 6th place. 170lb Micah Pemble, would also claim the 6th place position. At 182lbs, Hayden Netland wrapped up his career in the tournament placing 5th, and closing out the tournament was Landon Berry, finishing in 8th place at 195lbs.
Competing for Moorhead but not earning a spot on the podium was sophomore 126lb Evan Fankhanel, junior 160lb Haakon Peterson, junior Jack Newcomb at 220lbs, senior Houston Hall also at 220lbs, and junior Cristian Vega wrestling in the 285lb weight class.
Coming up for the Moorhead Spuds is our home opener on December 20th, when the Fargo North Spartans travel across the Red River. Our dual with Fargo North will also be Alumni Night. All Moorhead wrestling alumni; coaches, wrestlers and managers, will get in the doors free! Immediately following the dual there will be a Moorhead Wrestling social at Brewtus Brickhouse in Moorhead where all current and former Moorhead wrestling coaches, wrestlers, managers, and their families are welcomed and encouraged to join.
Final Results from Brainerd
126: Evan Fankhanel - 1 win 2 losses DNP
132: Xander Risdal -3 wins 3 losses 6th place
152: Ryan Luthi - 4 wins 1st place
160: Haakon Peterson - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
170: Micah Pemble - 3 wins 3 losses 6th place
182: Hayden Netland - 3 wins 2 losses 5th place
195: Landon Berry - 2 wins 3 losses 8th place
220: Jack Newcomb - 1 win 2 losses DNP
220: Houston Hall - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
285: Christian Vega - 0 wins 2 losses DNP
Spuds Fall Short to #5 Perham.
The Moorhead Spuds had another action packed dual tonight, Tuesday December 10th, this time against the number 5 ranked in AA, Perham Yellow Jackets. The Spuds took it to Perham early with falls to start out the daul by 106lb 8th grader Lee Ellingsberg and 113llb 8th grader Grifin Quade to take a quick 12-0 lead. The next win for Moorhead would come by technical fall at th 126lb weight class, where sophomore Evan Fankhanel would come out victorious for the Spuds. The dual was back and forth and three matches later comes the next win for Moorhead High School. Junior Arzheen Shahin, got a win for the Spuds by way of major decision for the Spuds at the 145lb weight class. 170lb senior Micah Pemble would claim both the next and final Spud victory of the night, winning a tight 7-5 match. The Moorhead Spuds would go on to lose the final 4 matches of the evening to bring the final score to Perham 42- Moorhead 24.
The Spuds also participated in 14 Junior Varsity matches before the varsity match. Senior Marshal Hicks, Junior Jaydon Coley, and freshman Logan Kurz all earned wins by fall for the Spuds. Moving forward for the Spuds, the varstiy heads to Brainerd on Friday for the 2-day Paul Bunyan Invitational and the JV travels to Barnesville on Saturday for a tournament of their own.
Final Results: Perham 42 Moorhead 24
106: Lee Ellingsberg (Moorhead) over Levi Kruzel (Perham) (Fall 2:49)
113: Griffin Quade (Moorhead over Kaden Feldt (Perham) (Fall :51)
120: Aaron Lorentz (Perham) over Mason Hughes (Moorhead) (Dec 8-3)
126: Evan Fankhanel (Moorhead) over Josh Mellema (Perham) (TF 19-3)
132: Gareth Covington (Perham) over Xander Risdal (Moorhead) (Dec 10-4)
138: Gabe Bellefuille (Perham) over Zack Fankhanel (Moorhead) (Fall 3:03)
145: Arzheen Shahin (Moorhead) over Blake Lorentz (Perham) (Maj 15-7)
152: Jack Fudge (Perham) over Ryan Luthi (Moorhead) (Dec 5-1)
160: Isaac Lung (Perham) over Haakon Peterson (Moorhead) (Fall 3:26)
170: Micah Pemble (Moorhead) over Karter Kasowski (Perham) (Dec 7-5)
182: Brian Ramos (Perham) over Hayden Netland (Moorhead) (Dec 11-7)
195: Dawson Kellogg (Perham) over Landon Berry (Moorhead) (Fall :53)
220: Dominic Gottwold (Perham) over Jack Newcomb (Moorhead) (Fall 5:26)
285: Rowdie Lindquist (Perham) over Houston Hall (Moorhead) (Fall 2:48)
Several Spuds Find Success Over the Weekend.
Over the weekend, the Moorhead Spud Varsity team traveled to Mandan, ND to compete in the Mandan Lions 2-day Tournament. The Spuds entered 15 athletes into the tournament, all of whom won at least one match. Leading the way for Moorhead, was senior captain Hayden Netland, who, after a first round loss, fought all the way back to the championship match where he would finish in 2nd place. Also placing for the Spuds, were junior Jack Newcomb, senior Houston Hall, and senior captains Ryan Luthi and Xander Risdal. Xander, Ryan, and Jack all finished in 5th place while Houston finished 6th after falling to Jack, in an overtime thriller.
While the varsity wrapped up their tournament in Mandan, the Junior varsity was doing some great wrestling of their own at the Knights of Columbus Tournament in Jamestown, ND. Nineteen Spud wrestlers competed in the JV portion of this tournament. Locking up a 220lb championship in his first wrestling competition, was sophomore Zion Dyer, who similar to Netland, lost his first match and fought back to the championship match. This time the Spud got his arm raised as Zion wins his first tournament. Also winning a JV championship for the Spuds, is 8th grader David Krabbenhoft, who pinned his way through his bracket.
Other placers included, first year junior Jaydon Coley, claiming 2nd place in his first action of his career at the 285lb wieght class. Finishing the day in 3rd place were freshmen 106lb Colton Vallager, and 126lb Logen Kurz. 7th grade 106lb wrestler, Michael Jenkins, 8th grade 126lb Bridger Mongeau, and freshman 170lb Karam Arif finished their days in 4th place. Also competing for the Spuds was, Nicholai Smith, Zaid Yaseen, Marshal Hicks, Hudson Hall, Ian Mohler, AJ Dimo, Griffin Alvarez, Jack Olstad, Moayad Abdi, Logan Rosene and Gunnnar Peterson.
The next Spud competition will be Tuesday December, 10th when Moorhead travels to Perham for a dual against the Yellowjackets. JV will compete at 6pm and the varsity at 7pm.
Final Results from Mandan:
106:Lee Ellingsberg - 1 win 4 losses DNP
113: Griffin Quade - 1 win 4 losses DNP
120: Mason Hughes - 1 win 4 losses DNP
126: Evan Fankhanel - 2 wins 4 losses DNP
132: Xander Risdal - 5th place
138: Zack Fankhanel - 1 win 4 losses DNP
145: Arzheen Shahin - 2 wins 4 losses DNP
152: Ryan Luthi - 5th place
170: Micah Pemble - 2 wins 4 losses DNP
182: Hayden Netland - 2nd place
195: Landon Berry - 3 wins 2 losses DNP
220: Jack Newcomb - 5th place
220: Houston Hall - 6th place
285: Christian Vega - 1 wins 4 losses DNP
285: Jon Pitura - 1 win 4 losses
Spuds Show Strong Growth in Opener.
The Moorhead Spuds kicked off their 2019-2020 season of competition with a dual in Sartell against the Sartell- Saint Stephens Sabres on Wednesday December 5th. Starting out the dual for the Spuds was 8th grader, Lee Ellingsberg who recorded a dynamic 1st period fall at the 106 lb weight class. The Sabres would go on to win the next 6 matches including 1 forfeit but Ryan Luthi the Senior captain got the Spuds back on track with a 1st period fall of his own at the 152 lb weight class. The next Spud win would come at 170lbs where senior, Micah Pemble would hang on to a 3-1 lead and got the Spuds within reach of winning the dual. Fellow senior captain, Hayden Netland continued the trend of 1st period falls the following match and locked up 6 team points for the Spuds at 182lbs. The last win of the night for the Spuds came in the final bout of the evening, where junior Hwt. Cristian Vega, added yet another 1st period fall to the Spuds evening.
Despite a solid performance from the Spuds, the Sabres would take this dual with a score of 39-27. Also competing for the Spuds in the JV portion and earning wins of their own were 9th graders Colton Vallager, and Gunnar Peterson, junior Jack Greelis, and sophomore AJ Dimo who had 2 JV victories on the night! The Spuds turn around and head to Mandan, ND on Friday December 6th for a 2-day varsity tournament while the JV heads to Jamestown on Saturday for a tournament of their own.
Final Results: Sartell-Saint Stephen 39 Moorhead 27
106: Lee Ellingsberg (Moorhead) over Zaccory Anderson (Sartell-Saint Stephen) (Fall 1:11)
113: Ayden Frauenholtz (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Griffin Quade (Moorhead) (MD 11-1)
120: Kade Hendrickson (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Unknown (For.)
126: Andy Heckman (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Evan Fankhanel (Moorhead) (Dec 10-5)
132: Dutch Nordby (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Xander Risdal (Moorhead) (Dec 8-5)
138: Ashton Lipinski (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Zach Fankhanel (Moorhead) (TF 19-3 0:00)
145: Sam Fernholz (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Arzheen Shahin (Moorhead) (Dec 7-4)
152: Ryan Luthi (Moorhead) over Dagan LaSart (Sartell-Saint Stephen) (Fall 1:22)
160: Ryan Joyce (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Haakon Peterson (Moorhead) (Fall 4:10)
170: Micah Pemble (Moorhead) over Logan Rodebush (Sartell-Saint Stephen) (Dec 3-1)
182: Hayden Netland (Moorhead) over Dylan Welle (Sartell-Saint Stephen) (Fall 0:42)
195: Austin Frauenholtz (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Landon Berry (Moorhead) (Fall 1:19)
220: Jack Engle (Sartell-Saint Stephen) over Jack Newcomb (Moorhead) (Dec 4-2)
285: Christian Vega (Moorhead) over Richard Emslander (Sartell-Saint Stephen) (Fall 1:20)