On a mission for God
Nate Thomas won a Minnesota Christmas Tournament title as a freshman in 2009 with a victory over Chad Bartschenfeld (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Three weeks later Thomas opened eyes nationally, going 6-0 at The Clash. He finished his breakthrough season with a state championship over friend and fellow future star Kyle Gliva (Simley). There were whispers about Thomas being a four-timer and hopeful future Minnesota Gopher.
Jordan Kingsley defeated Nate Thomas in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament finals at 113 pounds in 2010 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Thomas didn't have much time to feel pity. The Clash was a few weeks away and Kasson was starting to show up on national polls. Kasson-Mantorville had their eyes on a state title against rival Simley. Nate is a deeply spiritual young man and trusts his Creator to guide his career. This isn't just a sometime thing, it's an everyday thing. Nate does not believe in superstitions and good luck charms. He believes in God. That's enough. Anything else is worshipping SOMETHING else. Little did Thomas know, a few weeks later, his faith and life were about to be tested like never before.
In the second round of The Clash, Thomas had a large and muscular opponent from Grand Island. In the middle period, Nate's arm was completely pulled out of his shoulder. The pain was immediate and acute. It shot through his body like lightning and Thomas fell to his knees screaming in agony. He knew he was in trouble as the trainer looked him over and left it up to Thomas to decide to continue. "The team needed me and I wasn't going to give up six points." He finished with a win and went on to wrestle the next round with the injury. Amazingly, Thomas won all three matches the next day with a severe torn labrum, going 6-0 at The Clash for the second straight year.
He visited the first of many doctors on Monday and was given the bad news. He could either have surgery right away or make it through the season and get it done at the end of the year. He was warned of the possibility of permanent paralysis if he chose to keep going. He prayed about this and after several days he chose to stay on. The team decided to keep it quiet and Nate did everything he could to protect the shoulder in each match. But at some point during every match, he had his arm pulled out of the shoulder socket. He endured that same pain as the Grand Island match, for every single match during the rest of the season.
Nate Thomas fell to Brett Stolarzyk in the state championship match in 2011 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)"I was so confused. No one works harder than me. I thought I was the best. I didn't understand how it was possible. I cried harder than I ever had in my life."
Thomas had the surgery in the summer and looked forward to his junior year. He knew if he could get his strength back he would likely face a new rival in Juan Torres, another powerful wrestler from Simley. It never happened. Thomas spent the entire season on the bench after another surgery. The pressure to return was overwhelming. Kasson had yet to knock off Simley in the team portion and they had a great shot if only Nate Thomas would get back in the lineup.
Nate missed the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and The Clash. He finally made an appearance at the team sections, only to limp to a few rough wins. His coach Jamie Heidt made the tough decision of benching his superstar for the individual portion of the postseason and only using him sparingly during the team duals. Juan Torres dominated the his way to the state title at 120 pounds and Simley walked away with their fifth straight state team title.
Nate Thomas won his second Minnesota Christmas Tournament title (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The first showdown was set two weeks after The Clash in the Swalla Duals. It was a high-scoring affair in Nate's favor 8-5. Torres ran out of gas in the third period since this was his first competition of the season. Everyone knew they would meet two more times at the state tournament. Torres would be in much better shape by then.
Minnesota is one of the few state tournaments combining the team dual championship with the individual championship ... on the SAME weekend. In the team finals, Kasson was staring down Simley. There were several important matches, but none bigger than the match at 126 pounds. Thomas had to get a win over Juan Torres.
In the first period, neither wrestler was able to get the takedown. In the second, Thomas escaped and again neither managed a takedown.
Kasson-Mantorville wrestlers and fans celebrate after winning the state title (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)The individual portion started the next day (Friday) and would finish on Saturday night. This part of the state tournament is not seeded, and mostly by luck, Thomas and Torres were on opposite sides of the bracket. By the time they reached the semifinals on Day 2, Thomas and Torres had taken apart their opponents. However, Torres was about to face returning state champion Ty Griffin. Nate didn't know if Torres had enough to win. He was wrong. Torres destroyed Griffin with a first-period pin.
Nate Thomas and Juan Torres lock up in the state championship match (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)The time is here. The two rivals shake hands and like the first match, neither wrestler manages a takedown for the first two minutes. Both wrestlers are cautious and don't want to make a mistake. There is no room for error here.
Nate Thomas gets his hand raised after winning the state championship (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)The third period starts with Thomas down with a quick explosion to a standing position to tie the score at 1-1. Forty seconds later, Thomas is in on a deep shot and lifts Torres into the air and slams him into the mat. It's a clean takedown and it's now 3-1. Torres wiggles out for a quick escape, but time is now running out. Torres tries a few more desperate shots, but the end is coming. Nate Thomas has made it all the way back to the top of the podium as the Class 2A state champion.
The Baby-Faced Assassin vs. The Phenom
Kyle Gliva gets a pin at the The Clash in late December (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)He is about to face "The Phenom" Brady Berge twice in the state tournament. Brady Berge has been well known in these parts since he first started wrestling as a young boy. He must have a roomful of trophies. Last year he was the state champion at 106 pounds as a seventh-grader. This year he grew to 132 pounds and is in line to become a six-time state champion, which has never been accomplished in Minnesota.
Brady Berge defeated Kyle Gliva in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament finals (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)I have some friends who are Clash loyalists that travel from New Jersey to Minnesota to take in the event. They have been weight judges at 106 for the last four years. During Kyle Gliva's freshman year, one of them made a comment about how young he looked, and I heard the phrase "baby face." Later they watched him run the table, going 6-0 and for the first time I heard the term, "Baby-Faced Assassin." It stuck. Every year I get messages from those guys asking me how the "Assassin" is doing. He's one of their favorite wrestlers from Minnesota. I relayed this story to Kyle's mom Sue and not surprisingly, she wasn't nearly as amused as I thought she might be.
Gliva and Berge Act 2 took place three weeks after that first meeting. It went into two overtimes, with Berge getting a surprising and somewhat controversial reversal as time was running out. The final score was 3-2 and now Berge (The Phenom) had beaten Gliva (The Assassin) twice. Kyle claims he has never been more motivated in his career since taking that loss.
Kyle is a very hard-working young man. His coach Will Short simply loves Kyle. He has been in his corner for over a decade, and Will had a sad look on his face while talking about Kyle not being on the team next year.
"I love that kid like he's my son. He's everything I could hope for in a student-athlete. Nobody outworks him in the wrestling room or the classroom. When he's gone, I'm going to tell the new kids to reach for the goals Kyle Gliva did. I'm so proud of him. The good news is I get to watch him wrestle in college!"
I don't often get the chance to see Will get emotional, but he stood there beaming at me about Gliva and I swear I saw a tear in the corner of his eye.
Thursday night: State team dual finals: Simley vs. Kasson-Mantorville
Simley is in real trouble by the time the match at 132 pounds is about to begin. They have already forfeited a match at 106 and they had another forfeit coming at 285. It was 12 wrestlers (Simley) vs. 14 wrestlers (Kasson-Mantorville) and this was going to be a must-win for Gliva. The match starts out like a chess game with plenty of hand fighting and collar ties, but no real good scoring chances. The time goes by fast and the period ends 0-0. Berge starts the second period on top and 18 seconds later Gliva is out to take the all-important 1-0 lead. The next minute and a half was full of wild action as both guys attempted shots and both almost scored. The scrambles had every eye in the arena on them. In the end, neither was able to score and we are now finished with the second period with Kyle Gliva nursing a 1-0 lead.
The third period starts with Brady Berge taking down, and to no one's surprise he escapes 16 seconds later. The electricity in the air is thick and over the next 90 seconds we were privileged to watch some of the more intense scrambles of the weekend. Still, no one could score. Overtime!
Kyle Gliva celebrates with his Simley teammates after defeating Brady Berge in the state team championship (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Friday night: Individual quarterfinals -- Gliva vs. Berge IV
The Minnesota state tournament is not seeded for the individuals. There is plenty of controversy about this, but it doesn't appear like it's going to change anytime soon. As a result, the top two wrestlers in Class AA at 126 pounds were about to meet in the quarterfinals. In all likelihood, one was going to be the champion and the other would wrestle back for third. There wasn't any rational wrestling fan at the Xcel Energy Center who believed Kyle Gliva vs. Brady Berge wasn't for the state championship. One thing this non-seeding deal does is guarantee huge crowds for both days. Theirs was not the only great match on Day 1 of the individual portion that many wish would be in the state finals 24 hours later.
Kyle asked for me to skip meeting him before this match. It gave me the chance to visit with his parents Keith and Sue. To say Sue gets excited for Kyle while wrestling is like saying the sun just might come up tomorrow. Intensity doesn't quite do her fanaticism justice. She can be seen matside during Kyle's match losing her voice screaming for her son to make the move she knows so well. Keith (father) is the polar opposite and seems more relaxed. They both talk of Kyle like they are lucky to have such a fun kid in the family. He has a dry sense of humor and his energy keeps their home warm. They talk of how difficult it is to eat normally as a family while Kyle is watching his weight. The answer to that dilemma is to simply eat before he gets home. Usually he can smell what they eat no matter how hard Sue tries to cover it up. Kyle loves pasta more than just about any other food. Sue makes a special red sauce with garlic and no matter how hard she tries, Kyle is going to sniff it out. He spends some of his free time gazing at the food channel and has a secret mission to visit as many "diners, drive-ins, and dives" as he can in Minnesota.
Kyle Gliva gets a takedown on Brady Berge in their state quarterfinal match (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)The second period starts with Gliva down and he escapes 15 seconds in, to cut the lead in half. Gliva now is stalking Berge and takes several shots only to be countered with spin moves and great defense by Brady. With 29 seconds left, another mad scramble ensues and with just four seconds on the clock Gliva was able to finally take Berge down and retake the lead 3-2.
Now Berge is down to start the third. Gliva must have known it was fruitless to try a two-minute ride and cuts Berge to tie the score 3-3. The next 60 seconds followed form with both wrestlers attempting leg shots only to run into a counter move that could have easily resulted in a quick two points. With 37 seconds to go, Gliva is in on a single leg, but this time it's deep. He isn't letting go and powers his way around Brady to take a 5-3 lead. There is a break and they both head back to the center with 15 seconds. Berge gets out and it's the Minnesota Christmas Tournament all over again. But this time Kyle is dialed in. He is backpedaling and blocking everything Berge throws at him. Brady tries one more desperate move only to come up empty.
Kyle Gliva hugs his coach Will Short after winning his third state title (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)Later he told me he probably won't be remembered for the three championships, but would likely be known as the guy who stopped Brady Berge from getting six. He tipped his hat to Berge, claiming that Brady was in the top three of all the wrestlers he has ever faced in Minnesota. That says a lot about Brady. He's still has four more years of varsity.
Dream Killer
Although the last two bouts I described were within most fans' "sweet spot" to watch, there wasn't a fan who didn't believe the two warriors facing off in AA at 195 pounds was THE MATCH. This one also involved another Kasson-Mantorville grappler named Berge -- Broc, Brady's older and much bigger brother vs. Lance Benick from Totino-Grace. They will only meet once in the finals on Saturday night. No way was anyone leaving before these two muscular athletes met in the center of the circle. Lance invited me along for the ride and I attached my seat belt. What a ride it was.
Broc Berge edged Lance Benick in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament finals (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)"There is no way I was going down to 182," said Benick. "I would much rather lose to Berge than win a state title at 182. I couldn't live with myself knowing I was running from him."
I asked if it mattered if he was a three-time state champion as opposed to a four-timer.
"I would rather not lose, but I would rather lose to Broc Berge than to live the rest of my life wondering if I could have beaten him."
There were 17,000 people in the stands that wondered the same thing.
Lance Benick went 18-0 in three Cadet National competitions in 2012, winning national titles in folkstyle, Greco-Roman, and freestyle. (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)What motivates Lance Benick? Well, besides the thrill of being the best, he is wrestling for his mom, Joanne. She has a very serious tumor in her brain and no one really knows how much time she has left. Lance adores his mom and many times when he thinks he is completely gassed and can go no further, he thinks, "If only I go five minutes longer, and if only by doing that, my mom might live longer." He wants to win this state championship more for her than any person on the planet. Lance also designed a T-shirt for Joanne that helped raise several hundred dollars for her medical care.
How serious of a student is Lance Benick? He works all year to come up with the $12,000 tuition it requires to attend Totino-Grace High School. Yep, he pays his own tuition. He doesn't think it's that big of a deal. He started buying and selling wrestling shoes over the Internet and is known as the kid with over two dozen of his own. He also works all summer with his dad on construction to raise the money. He told me he is hooked on marketing and would love to be a successful business owner someday. I'll only be surprised if he doesn't. Lance is a large young man, but gentle, and is amazingly laid back. During our interviews he yawned several times and took every hard question I could come up with a simple smile and an "aw-shucks" attitude. It's impossible to not like this guy.
Saturday night: 195-pound Class AA championship
Lance Benick and Broc Berge tangle in the state finals (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)The second period starts with Berge winning the coin toss and choosing down. Within 15 seconds Broc Berge escapes to take the early lead 1-0. Now they start to open up and at the 53-second mark, Lance Benick is in deep only to have Berge scramble away grabbing onto Lance's ankle and both end up out of bounds. A few more halfhearted shots take place in the last 30 seconds and Berge keeps the 1-0 lead.
Berge lets Benick up to start the third period. It's now 1-1 and the crowd is quiet and anxious. Everyone knows if there is a takedown, it will likely decide the match. There is a crazy flurry with just over a minute to go, but neither can score. The Kasson crowd starts the "Here we go, Broc ... Here we go" chant. It travels as fast as these two guys go at one other. With just under 40 seconds in regulation, Lance gets a hold of Berge's right leg and lifts him up in the air. Berge takes two hops and gets out of bounds. Time is up and it's tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.
The next two minutes will go down in Minnesota wrestling lore. It will be told for years to come. The first minute of sudden victory finds both men back on their feet looking for that takedown to win the match. By now Lance Benick is no longer tentative and he tries every move he has in his offense. He tries three different times to get in on Berge's legs and arms looking for any opening. Berge does a masterful job of holding Benick at bay. The action is nonstop and the fans are holding their breath. They finish the period in another wild scramble, but there are no points awarded.
Broc Berge wins the coin flip and chooses the down position for the next 30 seconds of overtime. No one expects Lance to ride Broc, but Benick has a secret weapon he was waiting to use. He calls it a "Zuniga," named after a favorite coach of his. Dave Zuniga, a 1996 Olympian and All-American Gopher wrestler, taught Lance this crossface arm headlock and Lance secured it tight for the first 12 seconds until the referee broke it. When the whistle blew again, Lance reached across Berge's upper torso and locked the Zuniga again. This time he held it while both wrestlers were standing as Lance tried to bring Broc down to the mat. It worked to perfection and the period ended still tied 1-1.
Lance Benick sporting his "Dream Killer" T-shirtHe was right. Berge tried everything he could, but came up short. The final score was 2-1 in favor of Lance Benick. The curious part of this match is Lance Benick won without scoring an offensive point. Later, Lance was met in the tunnel by one of his summer coaches with a T-shirt that he had been waiting for the beaming redhead to finally put on. The front of the black T-shirt had only 11 gold letters, but the two words were prophetic: "Dream Killer."
Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com.
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