Company B, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry out of the Crookston National Guard Armory will be deployed next week. They will be sent to Texas for training and then to the Middle East. Among those deploying will be Crookston Pirate Assistant Wrestling Coach Jake Larkin.
“I have been here for a couple of years. Leaving in a couple of days,” said Larkin. We will be going down to Texas for about 45 days for train up and then shipping out to Kuwait I believe they said.”
Larkin, who is originally from Kennsington, is a former football player at the University of Minnesota Crookston. “I am a former football player, but I graduated a year ago from UMC,” said Larkin. “Been working at the armory full-time since then. This is my fifth year helping to coach the wrestling team. I did that part-time the whole time I was at school. I’m from Alexandria, a real small town right near Alexandria actually. I came up here to play football, get my degree and everything.”
Larkin said he’ll coach right up to his deployment including Thursday night when the Pirates travel to Frazee for the Section 8A semifinals, and hopefully in the Section Championship on Saturday. “If we win, I’ll be there for Saturday,” said Larkin. “But that will be the last night. We ship out here soon, in a couple of days.”
