Spectrum charter school finding wrestling success, too

After Meadow Creek Christian became Legacy Christian Academy and cut its wrestling program, many wrestlers were left without a home. They've found a new one at Spectrum High School.

Meadow Creek wrestling started in 1988. Meadow Creek reached the state tournament twice as a team, in 1999 and 2003. It had about 40 state entrants and more than 10 state tourney place-winners before being dissolved in 2009, according to Darrell Skog, who began the program.

Now a number of wrestlers who came up through Meadow Creek's youth program compete for Spectrum, a 4-year-old charter school in Elk River.

Junior Ryan Killeen, who is ranked No. 4 in Class 1A at 120 pounds, said he recognizes he's part of a reconstruction project at Spectrum.

"We're trying to change the culture," said Killeen, who placed sixth in state last season for the Sting. "When you're competing you don't really actively think you're changing the culture. That comes after the season is over and you realize you've really done something."

Spectrum, with an enrollment of 389 students in sixth through 12th grade, prides itself on being a technology-rich, academically superior school. Spectrum is an AVID school, a curriculum designed for college preparation, and a majority of students obtain an associate degree before they graduate.

"Charter schools surround themselves around a belief or an idea, generally," said Sting wrestling coach Travis Aufderheide, who teaches physical education, health and strength and conditioning. "Here at Spectrum, academics are a priority. A bunch of our athletes are taking college courses. Kids are coming to Spectrum for the great education."

Skog, now the dean of students and transportation at Spectrum and an assistant on the Sting wrestling team, said he's happy to see kids who grew up in the Meadow Creek program have found a place to wrestle together again. After he lost his job at Meadow Creek, Skog and his son, Cody, joined the program at Cambridge-Isanti. Last year Cody was a state champion at 160 pounds for Cambridge-Isanti.

Darrell Skog said he believes good things could happen at Spectrum.

"We started out with a goal at Meadow Creek and thought we could make some things happen," he said. "All of a sudden, you have a good group of guys and it happens, like it did for us when we made it to state in 1999. That was a good deal."

Last year Spectrum was 11-8 in dual meets and sent three sophomores — Killeen, Luke Nolden and Estaban Teigen — to the state tournament. Nolden's older brother, Paul, and Teigen's older brother Tommy, who is currently wrestling at Augsburg, wrestled for Meadow Creek Christian.

Luke and Estaban, both two-time state entrants, credit their brothers for inspiring them to wrestle. Nolden is ranked ninth at 132 pounds. Teigen, who took fourth in state last year, is ranked second at 113. Teigen said he likes the discipline wrestling teaches.

Spectrum, which competes in the Tri-Metro Conference, is in Class 1A, Section 4 along with No. 2-ranked Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and No. 8 Sibley East. Spectrum will have about 30 wrestlers this season, none of whom will be a senior.

Aufderheide said the program has been blessed with talented, hard-working kids.

"Whether they've come in already having been part of an elementary program or a club team, they've come in and wrestling has already been a passion of theirs," Aufderheide said. "We have a core of really tough kids. At the same time, our other kids see what they're doing and want to be a part of it."