Knutson, Throndson: The new voices of Crestwood wrestling

CRESCO - Wrestling fans who have been listening to Crestwood matches on KCZQ Radio this season have noticed two new voices calling the hold-by-hold action.

Jeff Knutson and Tony Throndson, who both graduated from Crestwood in the early 1980s, are the new radio voices of Cadet wrestling for the 2018-19 season.

If their last names sound familiar, it’s probably because they been around the sport of wrestling a good portion of their lives. Knutson won an individual State Title for the Cadets during his senior year in 1982, Both of his sons, Jared and Jacob, competed for Crestwood before graduating in 2018. Jacob is a two-time State Qualifier at Crestwood.

Throndson, a 1981 Crestwood graduate, wrestled in junior high at Crestwood and later on at Rochester Community College. His son, Chance, was a four-time State Qualifier at Riceville, which included winning a State title during his junior year at 132 pounds in 2017.

Following the 2017-18 wrestling season, former KCZQ announcer Tom Beck told Throndson and Knutson he was planning to retire from calling the action. Beck asked them if they’d be interested in taking over the broadcast duties, and they both agreed.

While Throndson said he has always been a fan of wrestling, he has gained more knowledge by watching Chance compete.

“I’ve always followed wrestling,” Throndson said. “When my son, Chance, started wrestling in first grade, I’d take him all around the area to different tournaments, and I enjoyed sitting in the stands watching him wrestle.

“I’ve learned a lot about the sport of wrestling by watching Chance and taking him to all the meets. Over the years, I’ve learned more about wrestling moves and techniques by watching Chance than I did when I was wrestling. When I was in school, wrestling was more about getting pins, and there were no tech falls. Now, there are more moves wrestlers use to score more points,” Throndson noted.

To say the least, Throndson has truly enjoyed calling the action for the Cadets this season.

“It’s fun to watch wrestling (from the broadcaster’s booth) because you get a bird’s eye view of the action,” Throndson said. “I also like talking about wrestling with the fans (before and after meets). Half of my friends now are wrestling parents. I’ve met a lot of nice people through wrestling.”

Jeff Knutson noted that broadcasting the meets is a lot less stressful than watching it from the stands.

“I enjoy broadcasting (the meets) because I can bring the sport to the people who can’t go to the meets,” Knutson said. “The first meet of the season, I was a little bit nervous, but once the meet starts, it’s easier to start talking.

Knutson said he has loved the sport of wrestling his entire life.

“My brother, Don, is five years older than me, and I can remember going to meets with my parents to watch him wrestle,” Knutson said. “From that point on, I’ve always loved the sport.

“One aspect that really drew me to the sport was the one-on-one aspect. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Wrestling has been in my blood for almost my entire life.

“Another aspect I really like about wrestling is the way it brings people together. When I wrestled at Crestwood, I felt a strong bond with my teammates, especially after the intense workouts. For me, the wrestling bond was like a family bond,” Knutson said.