BEMIDJI 鈥� For three generations, the Strand name has been a Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 wrestling mainstay.
Nick is the latest Strand continuing family legacy. Like his father before him and his grandfather before that, Strand is a section-decorated wrestler for BHS.
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Head coach Greg Skerik, who was coached by Rob Strand, has known Nick since he was a kid and is quite familiar with the family
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 been really fun getting to coach him and kind of continue on that generation,鈥� Skerik said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very natural. You can tell he鈥檚 been wrestling a long time.鈥�
Unsurprisingly, Strand started wrestling at a young age. In his journey to becoming one of Bemidji鈥檚 top wrestlers, he learned plenty from the upperclassmen on the mat.
鈥淎ll the way throughout my youth, I鈥檝e always had a couple guys that are older than me and they were always my practice partners,鈥� Strand said. 鈥淏rody Castonguay, Gavin Osborn, Alec Newby, I practiced with Gabe (Morin) my whole life and we鈥檝e all practiced together.鈥�
Beyond his peers, Strand has also had 鈥� and still has 鈥� a host of coaches acting as mentors and supporting his development along the way.
鈥淐oach (Charles) Osborne has coached me since I was 3-feet tall,鈥� Strand said. 鈥淐oach Skerik, he鈥檚 new, so he just started coaching me, but my dad coached him, so we came full circle. Coach (Byron) Willard has been coaching me since I was young.鈥�
Strand is setting his sights high for his junior season, aiming to become a state champion.
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鈥淗e works super hard, he鈥檚 athletic, strong, everything you need for it,鈥� Skerik said. 鈥淚 think little bit by little bit, he鈥檚 just working closer to it.鈥�
Strand is certainly putting quite the resume together. Currently ranked , he has consistently been one of the Lumberjacks鈥� top competitors this season.
He earned a pair of first-place tournament finishes competing at 145 back in December, first at the Paul Bunyan Wrestling Tournament and then at the Jackhammer Invitational. At the prestigious Rumble on the Red in Fargo, N.D., Strand earned fourth place at 145, the top finish on the team.
鈥淣ick has very high expectations for himself, and we push for those,鈥� Skerik said. 鈥淕oals are very high, placing in the state tournament, things like that. That鈥檚 kind of the expectation.鈥�
Strand continued his winning ways at the Rick Lee Invitational, earning three wins on Friday and adding two wins on Saturday to finish the event 5-0.
On day two of the invitational, Strand pinned Simley鈥檚 Preston Harm in 1:39 and picked up his next win in even hastier fashion, besting Brainerd鈥檚 Brayden Anderson by fall in 0:46.
鈥淚n the past, I鈥檝e been slow on my feet, I鈥檝e been trying to pick it up a little bit, because I鈥檓 really dominant on the mat,鈥� Strand said. 鈥淪o I鈥檝e been working on my feet, picking it up. Once I get on a roll, just sealing the match.鈥�
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Strand was one of three Jacks to end the tournament with a spotless record. Morin (127 pounds) defeated Simley鈥檚 Drezden Short in a 9-0 major decision and pinned Ben Rodriguez of Brainerd in 5:50 on Saturday to pick up two additional wins on the weekend.
Sophomore Nehemiah Schwinghammer notched a 19-1 technical fall and a pin in 2:29 competing at 285 on Saturday to complete a showing 5-0 at the meet.
We have some very talented sophomores and we have upperclassmen that lead by example,鈥� Skerik said. 鈥�(They) work super hard and they鈥檝e all just bought in.鈥�
As a team, the Lumberjacks placed fourth at the Rick Lee duals, finishing ahead of fellow Section 8-3A foes Brainerd and Moorhead.
Saturday saw Bemidji post a 1-1 record, opening the day with a 35-25 loss to Simley, who鈥檚 ranked No. 2 in Class AA, and finishing the meet with a 40-29 victory over the Warriors.
鈥淭he guys wrestled very well today,鈥� Skerik said. 鈥淪imley鈥檚 a tough team, we went out and wrestled them (in a) very tough, close match and showed some grit. That鈥檚 what we wanted to see here, that鈥檚 why we wrestle this competition. And then with Brainerd, they always come and wrestle. Super talented team, just a gritty, tough team, and I knew that鈥檇 be close.鈥�
Alongside the aforementioned trio of wrestlers, Casey Sisneros (121), Osborn (133) and Newby (160) all went 2-0 on Saturday.
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Sisneros won a 8-5 decision over the Spartans鈥� Damir Safronov and tallied a 15-0 technical fall against Brainerd鈥檚 Cole Berhow, while Osborn beat Derek Buck of Simley in an 11-2 major decision and pinned the Warriors鈥� Jackson Berhow in 5:07.
Newby won his match against Simley by decision, topping Amilio Salas 10-5. His final win of the meet was a 19-3 technical fall, defeating Carson Mankowski of Brainerd.
Though Bemidji didn鈥檛 end up at the top of the Rick Lee dual鈥檚 team results, it was a key learning experience for its wrestlers, taking on high-end talent from multiple classes.
鈥淲hen you lose and you learn from it, you鈥檙e not actually losing,鈥� Strand said. "I' 've heard that so many times. All of my mentors tell me that.鈥�
Simley 35, Bemidji 25
107: Adrian Mincey (SHS) over Oscar Hanks, Dec. 9-8
114: Jacob Kranz (SHS) over Levi Mellema, Fall 1:00
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121: Casey Sisneros (BHS) over Damir Safronov, Dec. 8-5
127: Gabriel Morin (BHS) over Drezden Short, MD 9-0
133: Gavin Osborn (BHS) over Derek Buck, MD 11-2
139: Nick Strand (BHS) over Preston Harms, Fall 1:39
145: Jake Kos (SHS) over Jonah Thomas, Fall 0:54
152: Aiden Mincey (SHS) over Lincoln Schmitt, TF 24-8
160: Alec Newby (BHS) over Amilio Salas, Dec. 10-5
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172: Parker Lundell (SHS) over Trenten Fredriksen-Holm, MD 12-3
189: Brendan Watts (SHS) over Kohen Donat, Fall 4:30
215: Vristol Short (SHS) over Benjermen Desrosier, TF 20-4
285: Nehemiah Schwinghammer (BHS) over Gregorio Duron Contreras, TF 21-1
Bemidji 40, Brainerd 29
107: William Dircks (BRD) over Oscar Hanks, Dec. 6-0
114: Crewe Dahlheimer (BRD) over Levi Mellema, Dec. 9-3
121: Casey Sisneros (BHS) over Cole Berhow, TF 15-0
127: Gabriel Morin (BHS) over Ben Rodriguez, Fall 5:50
133: Gavin Osborn (BHS) over Jackson Berhow, Fall 5:07
139: Nick Strand (BHS) over Brayden Anderson, Fall 0:46
145: Lincoln Schmitt (BHS) over Jackson Loreno, Fall 2:47
152: Lukas Lind (BRD) over Jonah Thomas, Fall 0:40
160: Alec Newby (BHS) over Carson Mankowski, TF 19-3
172: Tyce Faber (BRD) over Trenten Fredriksen-Holm, Fall 0:51
189: Shane Carlson (BRD) over Kohen Donat, TF 19-3
215: Ethan Kosloski (BRD) over Benjermen Desrosier, Fall 3:57
285: Nehemiah Schwinghammer (BHS) over Lucas Cline, Fall 2:29
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