Two Hills-Beaver Creek High School students are expected to make an impact on the mat as members of the Luverne-Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth wrestling team this winter.
Sophomore Dusty Seachris and seventh-grader Kerry Fink are considered top contenders to wrestle for the varsity team by Cardinal coach Dave Duffy.
Seachris, who returns to the fold as a letter winner from the 1999-00 campaign, has the most experience of H-BC's two matmen.
Fink is a member of the program for the first time.
Seachris is one of nine letter winners returning to the L-H-BC-E team.
As a freshman, Seachris represented the Cardinals in the 112-pound weight class during the Section 3AA Individual Tournament in Montevideo.
Seachris went 0-2 without placing at the section event.
Seachris is one of three wrestlers expected to compete at either the 125-, 130- and 135-pound weight classes for L-H-BC-E this season.
Junior Chris Tiesler, a state-qualifier from last season, and eighth-grade letter winner Ruston Aaker are in the mix with Seachris between the 125-135-pound weight classes.
Fink is battling for the nod at 103 pounds along with two other seventh-graders.
Aric Uithoven and Anthony Boyenga are battling with Fink for mat time at 103.
L-H-BC-E is coming off an 11-9 season that featured a third-place finish (4-2) in the Southwest Conference.
The Cardinals beat Montevideo 52-16 in the first round of the Section 3AA Team Tournament before bowing to eventual state champion Jackson County Central in the semifinals. L-H-BC-E ended up placing third in the event after edging Windom-Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin, a team that handed the Cards one of their conference losses in the regular season, 34-32 in the third- and fourth-place match.
L-H-BC-E sent a program-high seven wrestlers to the state tournament with a successful outing during the Section 3AA Individual Tournament.
Senior section champions Alex Serie and Jordan Petersen went on to place first and second at 160 pounds and heavyweight respectively. Tom Jenniges, a section champion at 189, placed fourth at state.
Seniors Jeremy Kopp (140) and Brad Cowell (152) advanced to state without placing.
Tiesler and senior Zach Skattum return to the team with state experience from the 1999-2000 squad.
Senior Kevin Schultz, sophomore Marcus Walgrave and freshman Justin Mann return to the team with section experience from last winter. Sophomores Joel Evans and Canaan Petersen are other returning letter winners.
L-H-BC-E opens the season at the Flandreau (S.D.) Tournament Saturday.