Imerman Nov. 19, 2008

No. 4 Coe blanks Dutch in opener

PELLA—No. 4-rated Coe College shut out Central College’s freshman-dominated wrestling team 46-0 Wednesday in the dual-meet season opener for both squads.

Tyler Burkle, the Kohawks’ defending NCAA Division III champion 165-pounder, scored one of three technical falls while Coe’s Greg Lalla and Rob Kramer recorded falls at 184 and 197 pounds respectively.

Central also had an unanticipated forfeit at 285 pounds. Freshman Dennis Richard (Oskaloosa) was injured in practice Tuesday night and was forced to the sidelines. The Dutch picked up a couple of additional wrestlers at 285 pounds following the close of football season Saturday but both have had just two days of practice.

“I thought our preparation was good but our inexperience really showed,” said coach Eric Van Kley. “Our effort was decent, but we’re going against a top-5 team and we’ve got a lot of guys making their first appearance in a Dutch singlet in a varsity match. But it’s something we can grow from.”

Despite the setback Van Kley saw things he liked from his highly regarded freshman class.

“I thought Eric Wilkerson (freshman, Toledo, South Tama HS) came out of the chute well at 125,” he said. “And Reid Immerman (freshman, Guthrie Center) and Ivan Gaeta (freshman, Bremerton, Wash., Olympic HS) kept attacking.

Central travels to Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday for the non-scored Augsburg (Minn.) Invitational. The meet traditionally attracts a large field which is divided into pools based on experience levels.

“We’ll see some teams that are more on our level,” Van Kley said. “I think our kids will show some resilience. I’m excited just to get them out there on the mat with an opportunity to bounce back.”