Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: January 19

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Match Recap

FRAZEE, Minn. -- Concordia head coach Clay Nagel returned to the site where he established a tradition of dominating wrestling results when he coached the Frazee Hornets to three state championship and 13 section titles.

Competing against St. John's in the Frazee High School gym, the Cobbers turned back the clock for Nagel and gave him one more dominating performance. Concordia rattled off nine unanswered match victories and overpowered 29th-ranked St. John's 39-3.

The Cobbers used the strength of three pins and three major decisions to post their most lopsided victory since they blanked St. Olaf 52-0 last season. The win improves the Cobbers' dual meet victory to 4-3 on the season, while the Johnnies slide to 2-7 on the year.

St. John's entered the match ranked 29th in the latest Brute-Adidas NWCA Division III team rankings. The Johnnies decided not to wrestle a few of their top wrestlers and the decision backfired as Concordia won the final nine matches of the meet to come away with the 36-point victory.

St. John's started the meet with their only win of the night as Nate Schraan posted a 10-5 decision over Leland Brincefield.

Smokey McBride then ignited the Cobber fire as he won a 14-5 major decision over Jacob Ziegler to give Concordia a 4-3 advantage, a lead they never relinquished.

John Fradette followed and picked up his team-leading 19th win of the season by pinning John Shellenberger in the first round. Fradette is now 19-9 on the season.

P.J. Mack scored a 3-1 win in overtime and has now won seven of his last nine matches. Freshman Cody Salo picked up his first win as a Cobber since transferring into Concordia after the Christmas break. Salo pinned Morgan Skidmore at 3:20 to give the Cobbers a 19-3 lead.

Lee Rahrlien, becoming Mr. Automatic for the Cobbers at 165, posted a major decision over Joe Lofboom to tie Fradette for the team lead in wins with 19. Rahrlien is now 19-6 and has 82 victories in his career which ties him for 10th place on the school's all-time list for most career wins.

Luke Vetsch worked for a pin over Grant Eustice in the third period at 174, and then Tony Neumann recorded a major decision at 184 to give the Cobbers a 33-3 lead with two matches remaining.

The final two matches were two of the three tightest all night long. Ed Oehlers won a hard-fought 5-1 decision over Jacob Barnes at 197. Jordan Hepp finished off the Cobber rout by beating Joe Kuka 3-1 in the 285-lb weight class. The victory for Hepp brings his dual meet record to 3-0 on the year.

Concordia will take an nine-day break before returning to action at the Elmhurst Invitational held on the campus of Elmhurst College in Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 28 starting at 9:00am. Elmhurst is one of the top programs in NCAA Division III. They are currently ranked 12th in the nation and have three individual wrestlers ranked in the top seven. Last year the Blue Jays finished eighth at the NCAA National Meet, had three wrestlers earn All-American honors and their coach was named the NCAA National Coach of the Year. The meet attracts some of the top teams in the region and is a good measuring stick for the Cobbers as they prepare for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Meet on Feb. 13 at the University of Chicago.

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Match Results

St. John's Dual Meet Results

Concordia 39, St. John's 3

Location: Frazee, Minn. - Frazee HS

Start Time: 5:00pm

End Time: 6:40pm

Total Time: 1:45

Attendance: 340

Individual Match Results:

125– N.Schraan (SJU) dec. Leland Brincefield; 10-5
133– Smokey McBride (CC) maj. dec. J. Ziegler; 14-5
141 – John Fradette (CC) pinned Shellenberger; 1:20
149 – PJ Mack (CC) dec. Zach Anderson(SJU); 3-1 ot
157 – Cody Salo(CC) pinned M.Skidmore(SJU); 3:20
165 – Lee Rahrlein(CC) maj. dec. Joe Lofboom; 11-2
174 – Luke Vetsch (CC) pinned Grant Eustice(SJU); 6:35
184 – Tony Neumann(CC) maj. dec. D.Goblisch; 10-0
197 – Ed Oehlers(CC) dec. Jacob Barnes (SJU); 5-1
285 – Jordan Hepp(CC) dec. Joe Kuka(SJU); 3-1

Match Notes:
- Concordia improves to 4-3 in dual meets this season
- St. John’s drops to 2-7 in dual meets
- The 36-point margin of victory is the most in a dual meet for the Cobbers since Concordia defested St. Olaf 52-0 last season.
- Concordia senior Lee Rahrlien (165) and John Fradette both record team-high 19th win of the season. Rahrlien is now 19-6 on the year and Fradette moves to 19-9.