The Mound Westonka White Hawks wrestling squad captured its first-ever Fridley Invitational team championship on Saturday, December 7. The White Hawks came close last year, getting edged out by Tartan High School by six points. This time the tables were reversed in a big way, with the White Hawks scoring 206.5 points to Tartan’s 166, coasting to the title in the twelve team field. “We knew if we could fill in the holes and wrestle well we would have a shot, and we really had some guys step up . It was a total team effort and I was very proud of how we competed,” said head coach Todd Munsterteiger. The White Hawks placed all twelve wrestlers in the top five, and each wrestler won at least two matches. “I figured if we could at least get everyone to win a match or two, we would be in good shape, but we certainly exceeded that,” added Munsterteiger. The White Hawks had seven finalists, with Neil Schmalz, Sam Bennyhoff and Ryan Reid capturing titles. Bryan Tierney and Lee Schmalz both lost to returning state champions in the finals, and the Byers brothers, Noah and John, both wrestled well to get to the championship and also earned runner-up honors. The five other place winners were key members of the victory, and the reason the White Hawks were able to eclipse 200 points and get the title. Adrian Wear and Bricen Rasmussen went up one to two weight classes, and along with Travis Peterson earned 5th place honors; while Kwin Retterath and first-year wrestler Kyle Johnson wrestled their way to a third place finish, both having last-second, come from behind victories to end their day. “I can’t say enough about how these guys kept battling. They showed a ton of heart and these wins will do a lot for their confidence,” commented assistant coach Eric Rodelius.
In the Fridley Invite JV competition, Ben Schmalz, Alex Wells and Noah Sweet all went 2-0 to take home titles. The 7-9th grade squad also competed in the Litchfield Invite on Friday December 6, with Brock Munsterteiger, Bobby Kohman, Dylan Smerillo and Jake Anderly winning championships. “The guys wrestled well, and it was fun to see some of the new guys get a crack at it,” said freshmen coach John Wardlow.
The White Hawks will begin conference action on Thursday, December 12 at Waconia, facing New London-Spicer and Annandale-Maple Lake, with a 6:00 p.m. start time. The next day they will head to Brainerd for the Paul Bunyan Invitational, wrestling Friday at 4:30 p.m. and then again on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.