Honors flow at Minneota wrestling banquet

You’d never hear it from him, but Sunday at the Annual Wrestling Banquet, it was announced that Viking Coach Joel Skillings has “cracked the top 10” in wrestling wins by a Minnesota coach.

Skillings has 545 wins and is one win out of eighth place on the list of the best coaches in Minnesota.

Also announced was the fact the wrestling team had a accumulative Grade Point Average above 3.697 and won a Gold Award from the state wrestling coaches association.

Returning captain Shawn Buysse welcomed new captains Teddy Pesch and Cole VanOverbeke.

They will be seniors next year.

Graduating senior Brant Buysse told the audience, “Wrestling has taught me who I am and what I want in life. I will take what I learned in wrestling into the rest of my life,” Buysse said.

Several team awards were also handed out.

They included:

•Most Improved: Josh Laleman and Kade Lozinski.

•Hardest Worker: Shawn Buysse.

•Most Valuable Teammate: Cole VanOverbeke.

•Most “Near Falls”: Cole VanOverbeke (38).

•Most Takedowns: Teddy Pesch (46).

•Most Escapes: Austin Kloos.

•Most Pins: T.J. Esping (16).

•Most Reversals: Jonah Gruenes.

•Utility Man Awards: (Those willing to do anything asked) James Gednalske and Trey Gronke.

•Upcoming Wrestler: Zack Fier.

“I am so proud of how hard they worked this year,” said Coach Joel Skillings.

“This is a group of people I am truly proud of. Despite all the things that happened, they put themselves into a chance in the section finals. They are by far the youngest team I have had and I am so proud of them,” the coach added.