Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

BBE Jaguars exact revenge on way to 5A title

Prep wrestling report for Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in west central Minnesota. BBE beats Canby, KMS to claim 3rd straight section championship

BENSON — Saturday was the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa revenge tour.

In order to make it to the Class A state wrestling tournament for the third straight season, the Jaguars had to avenge their losses to Canby and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.

“We all realized our potential and we were better than what we were,” said BBE sophomore Carson Gilbert. “We just stepped it up after that. That just flipped a switch in us and we really stepped it up the rest of the season to get where we are right now.”

Revenge tasted sweet for BBE as it locked up the Section 5A championship. The third-seeded Jaguars beat Canby 40-19 in the semifinals. Then in the championship, they upended the top-seeded Fighting Saints 36-25. Continue reading at wctrib.com →

BBE is area’s best state bet

Willmar, United, Paynesville and KMS also are serious state tournament contenders as teams gear up for section meets

In just a month, the field will be set for the state wrestling tournament.

Section meets get underway in mid-February, with team tournaments kicking things off, followed by the individual tournaments.

In the Jan. 12 rankings from The Guillotine, only one West Central Tribune area team is ranked, with Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa coming in fifth in Class A. But, there’s plenty of teams on the cusp of being ranked with Willmar in Class AAA, Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo in AA, and Paynesville and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in A. Twenty-six area wrestlers are currently ranked, but that could change Thursday when new rankings are released.

The season comes to a head at the Xcel Energy Center, with the team tournament on March 2 and the individual tournament on March 3-4. Continue reading at wctrib.com →

Keep Grinding – Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

When Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa head wrestling coach Jack Mueller took over the Jaguars’ wrestling program, he brought with him the career of a wrestling grinder. From his days fighting for varsity time in high school to his time at multiple assistant coaching stops, Mueller brought a grinder mentality to the BBE program. Now, the Jaguars are in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history – grinding away wins.

Mueller grew up in the wrestling hotbed of Paynesville.

“As I was coming up through the ranks, I got to watch some pretty good teams and individuals run through that program,” Mueller said. “I was around for the tail end of their good run. When they won the state title in 2000, I was a seventh-grader. Just watching that was a big influence. My dad’s side of the family was a big Paynesville wrestling family. On my mom’s side, it was the same thing – they were both big Paynesville wrestling families.”

Despite his family’s history – Mueller didn’t start wrestling as soon as most in the area.

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The Guillotine – February 14, 2020

The February 14, 2020 issue of The Guillotine has arrived! Featured content in this issue includes: High School Rankings, Keep Grinding - Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Putting Your Toe On The Line - Maple River, Epps hopes to lead Augsburg to national title, claim third individual title, and Crossing Rivalry Lines - Lakeville South.

More content in this issue: DII College Action Photos, Lace ‘Em Up, MWCA Report, Performance Nutrition - Timing, Open Tournament Calendar, State Tournament Schedule, Camps-Clinics-Training, and View From The Matbird Seat.

View this issue below.

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