State Wrestling: Larson Becomes Only Two-Time FCLMC State Champion
It was easy, at least by match scores. Starting with the section tourney, FCLMC senior Kane Larson was barely tested in the post-season. The total scores of his six matches: 102 to 17. He went 6-0 with five tech falls and an 11-4 decision (where he led 11-2 after two periods). Last year’s 172-pound titlist, Larson repeated as state champion, this time at 189-pounds, fulfilling his destiny. He came in ranked #1. After a state quarterfinal 19-3 tech fall, Larson put 21-5 and 17-2 tech falls on notable guys, Staples-Motley’s stout #4 Luke Bjerga (25-6) and West Central Area-Ashby-Brandon-Evansville’s #6 Ezekiel Sieckert (22-3). In the finals, he beat Royalton/Upsala’s #3 Jake Leners (41-3) by 11-4 decision. Larson led 9-2 after one period. It was one-sided. Leners was called for stalling thrice. Already the program’s all-time win holder (210), Larson became FCLMC’s only two-time state champion. He finished his senior year 43-1. His only loss was to Wisconsin signee, Mount Horeb’s Eli Leonard, the W.I.A.A.’s 190-pound state champion (57-0). Elsewhere, Larson’s teammate, freshman Grant Daniels (145), went 0-2 at state. He notably opened with a pin-fall loss to #1 Trey Gunderson (33-0) of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunberg, the eventual champion. Daniels (22-15) then fell 4-1 in sudden victory to WCAABA’s #9 Evan Dingwall (35-12).
Wrestling: #2 Chatfield Makes Third Straight Final, Falls Again to #1 Staples-Motley
Chatfield wrestling wrote another chapter in its recently highly successful saga. For a third straight year, Matt Mauseth and his coaches took the Gophers all the way to the state finals.
In the quarterfinals, #2 Chatfield (1A Champ, 3-seed, 17-4) breezed through #5 West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville (6A Champ, 24-5). The Gophers decided the verdict in a little over half an hour of real time. Chatfield jumped to a 41-0 lead after 152. Gophers #3 Joey Cady (107), Gunner Polikowsky (114), and #5 Jameson Priebe (121) started with three straight pins, Cady and Priebe in the first period. Cady (33-1) did so over Brady Brunkow (35-9). Polikowsky (25-9) trailed 7-5 to begin the third, took top position, then double-chicken-wing pinned Keiran Gehrke (33-13). At 127, #2 Logan Pearson (33-2) wrestled out a 7-1 decision over #7 Nathan Richter (38-5). At 133, Hunter Bernard secured a 16-0 tech fall. His effort allowed #3 at 133 Kaisen Johnson and Layne Root (30-9) each to move up a weight, to 139 and 145. Johnson (27-6) secured a 16-second fall. Root (30-9) scored seven takedowns in a 21-5 tech fall. In the second ranked-ranked match, #6 at 145 Hunter Polikowsky (31-7) won an 11-3 major decision on #9 at 145 Evan Dingwall (32-9), winning the third 8-2. WCAABA took 160, 172, 189 and 285, each by fall or tech fall. Three wins were by #3 at 160 Owen Gruchow (43-2), #6 at 189 Ezekiel Sieckert (16-1), #9 at 215 Logon Long (32-10). Will Boelter (215) had Chatfield’s last win, by fall. The final was 47-22.
In the semis, the #2 Gophers (3-seed, 18-4) took on 2-seed #3 Minneota (5A Champ, 29-1). It was a match of moving kids, particularly up weights. Chatfield’s strong lower weights again built a huge lead, but it took the efforts of a senior to clinch a third straight state title match berth. Chatfield started the match 30-3. Cady (107) began with a pin, then G-Polikowsky (114) and non-full-timer Wes Goetzinger (121) posted back-to-back decisions. Polikowsky (25-9) beat #10 at 107 Heydan Danielson (36-7) by 8-5 tally. Goetzinger won a 4-3 decision, holding a leg late to avoid a takedown attempt. Priebe (127) then ripped a 18-2 tech fall, Pearson (133) a 15-3 major. Johnson (#3 at 133) followed by beating Blake Mead (#8 at 133) by 16-10 decision at 139. Minneota’s only win through 152 was at 145, where #2 at 145 Adam DeVlaeminck (34-3) topped Root (30-9) by 7-3 decision. Gopher H-Polikowsky (152) followed with a first period pin, to give Chatfield its 27-point edge. Like against Goodhue in the 1A finals, in the upper weights, a Gopher just needed to not give up big bonus points or simply win. The Vikings authored a trio of pins at 160, 172, and 189, the first two by #4 Mason Javes (38-2) and #5 Brock Fier (24-1). With two weights left, Minneota was still in it, down 30-21. But at 215, Chatfield sent out Will Boelter (26-7), a senior who accumulated his 100th win in the quarters. Minneota sent out #7 at 189 Randy Sorensen (18-1), a sophomore. Up a weight, Sorensen was not big or strong enough. Boelter controlled the match for 14-5 major decision, giving Chatfield an insurmountable 34-21 lead. They prevailed 34-27.
And thus, for the third straight year, #2 Chatfield (3-seed, 19-4) faced off with #1 Staples-Motley (1-seed, 23-3) for the Class A title. In 2024, the Gophers romped past the Cardinals 47-7. Last year, S-M won all the big matches early in a 33-16 revenge victory. The Gophers entered this year the decided underdog. They sported five ranked wrestlers, but none after 145. The Cardinals entered with 11, eight in the top five (one did not wrestle). The dual featured some high-level one-on-ones. Right out of the gate (107), #1 Garrett Bjerga (38-1) took on #3 Cady (33-1) in a battle of fab freshman. The only point was a second period Bjerga escape in a 1-0 win. Bjerga rode Cady the entire third period. At 121, #5 Priebe (33-4) took on #1 Caden Kramer (36-5). Priebe scored a late third period takedown to lead 5-4 but got called for clasping in the final seconds. The match went to overtime tied 5-5. After a scoreless sudden victory, Priebe escaped and got a takedown to lead 9-5. Kramer then escaped in his attempt from bottom but could not score more. Priebe won a good one 9-6. At 133, #3 Johnson (27-6) battled #2 Cayden Niesen (25-5). In the third period, after getting taken down to trail 4-0, Johnson escaped and got a takedown in the final 35-seconds to pull even at 4-4, but Neisen escaped in the final seconds to post a 5-4 decision win. Chatfield’s #4 at 145 H-Polikowsky (31-7) also won a decision (152), 10-3 over Cooper Tappe, and S-M’s #10 Zach Tabatt (24-12) won 8-2 over W-Boelter (26-7). But the Gophers won just four matches, Priebe and H-Polikowsky, G-Polikowsky (114) and #2 Pearson (127) by 18-5 and 10-2 major decisions. G-Polikowsky was the only match winner not state ranked. Ten were ranked top five. After an early 11-3 Gopher lead, S-M took eight of the final nine weights, all with ranked kids, combined records of 239-45. Chatfield’s corresponding guys were a combined 135-98. The dual was decided at 189, by #4 Luke Bjerga’s 13-2 major decision of Andrew Boelter. After the early big-time matchups, the crowd quelled understanding the head-to-head matchups were the sight, as the Cardinals repeated as state champs comfortably via a 41-14 final. Priebe, Pearson, and H-Polikowsky made the All-Tourney team. The Gophers (19-5) have just three seniors on the squad, Johnson, W-Boelter, and Jackson Bernard.
*Note: All records are entering the state tournament, rankings by theguillotine.com
State Wrestling: Chatfield’s Priebe and Pearson Grab State Titles, Six Place
Wrestlers from Chatfield put a great cap to a frenetic state week. Seven guys, and five girls competed individually. The seven dudes, with team state, combined to wrestle 50-plus total matches in four days. In the span of 25 minutes, the Gophers crowned two state champions. Jameson Priebe (41-5), ranked #5, sandwiched a pair of 13-1 major decisions around a pin to make the 121-pound finals. There, he faced Kenyon-Wanamingo’s #2 Ryan Lacanne (40-9). Last year, Priebe’s teammate Javier Berg crushed LaCanne by 17-0 tech fall for the 1A 121-pound title. Priebe followed Berg’s lead, jumping out 11-0 before authoring a pin in the second period to become state champion. Moments later, teammate Logan Pearson, ranked #2, took to the mat in the 127-pound final. Pearson (41-3) made the finals via an 8-1 decision, a 13-8 decision over K-W’s #4 Bryan Jacobson (46-8) in the quarters, and a 12-2 major decision of Pipestone Area’s #3 Mason Fruechte (34-9) in the semis. With the title on the line versus Holdingford’s #1 Wyatt Pilarski (38-9), in a 1-1 match in the third period, a cat quick Pearson, from the tie, used a nifty duck-under spin move, spun Pilarski around, then two-leg tackled him for the match-deciding takedown with 14-seconds left. He won the title 4-1! Priebe and Pearson, both sophomores, finished fifth last year (107 and 114). Chatfield’s best state feel-good story was that of Kaisen Johnson. The senior, ranked #3 at 133, entered his fourth state tourney having yet to place. He went 2-2 as a frosh, 1-2 as a sophomore, and 0-1 last year. A 4-1 effort and a third-place finish with the only loss to state champ #1 Miklo Hernandez of Pipestone (39-0) was more fitting end to a stalwart career. Johnson won his first two matches, by fall and then 15-2 major, before falling by 21-5 tech fall to Hernandez. He then got redemption for his 7-4 decision loss by ultimate-tiebreaker last year, beating Sibley East’s #7 Julio Alejandra (22-6) by 8-5 decision. In the third-place match, Johnson got revenge for a 5-4 decision loss to Staples-Motley’s #2 Cayden Niesen (31-7) in the team title match. Johnson scored with a first period takedown, and it was the big points in a 4-1 decision win. Also taking third was Joey Cady at 107. The freshman (41-2), ranked #3, notched 19-3 and 18-2 tech falls to make the semis before losing to Paynesville Area’s #2 Tyson Meagher (47-3) by 2-1 decision. The latter scored the winning points via third period reversal. Cady then beat Mille Lac’s #4 Benjamin Schmid (42-5) by fall and, in a section final rematch, Caledonia/Houston’s Kiptyn Meiners (31-15) by 18-3 tech fall. Hunter Polikowsky rounded out the Chatfield male placers. The sophomore, ranked #4 at 145, lost his opening round match by 11-5 decision to LeSueur-Henderson’s #8 Waylon Thieke (38-7). Polikowsky then won three straight, first avenging a loss at last year’s sections to GMLOS’ Cael Smith (37-12) via a 5-1 decision, then beating Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie’s #3 Hudson Truax (38-6) by 7-5 tally, and finally Mille Lacs’ #7 Carter Adickes (32-8) by fall. Hunter then lost to Jackson County Central’s #6 Kyler Their (43-4) by 13-0 major and again to Thieke (38-7) by 7-2 decision. Polikowsky (38-10) took sixth. Elsewhere, Will Boelter (31-10) went 2-2 and missed placing by one round. The senior (225) won a 22-5 tech fall, lost a 9-2 decision to Mahnomen/Waubun’s #7 Blake McMullen (33-14), won a crazy 17-16 decision over Osakis’ #4 Connor Koep (43-5), then lost an 8-3 decision to #10 S-M’s Zach Tabatt (30-15). Tabatt also won their state team head-to-head, 8-2. At 139, Layne Root (34-12) won his opening match by forfeit, then lost by 5-2 decision to Tracy-Milroy-Balatan/Westbrook-Walnut Grove’s #3 David Schuh (43-6) and by fall to Benson’s #4 Max Nygaard (42-5). On the girls side, Emily Bova was the sole Gopher placer. The senior (25-8), ranked #8, lost an opening round match by 15-0 tech fall to #1 Azalea Kallal of New Prague (22-2), the eventual champ. Bova then won three straight, starting with a pin, then a 10-6 decision over Bemidji’s #2 Taylor Merschman (41-4), then a 7-3 decision over Mille Lac’s #4 Trinity Smaker (32-5). Bova ended with losses to Waconia’s #5 Breslyn Kirkpatrick (31-6) by 16-1 tech fall and to Owatonna’s #6 Lucinda Ornelas (18-12) by 3-1 decision. Facing five of the top six ranked girls at 106, Bova took sixth. Elle Eickhoff (142), ranked #4, and Eve Goetzinger (148), ranked #7, each went 2-2, falling in the “blood round.” Eickhoff won, lost, won, and then lost, all by fall. In her last match, she led 6-0 before getting stuck in the third period. Her losses were to #2 Jaiden Schwegel (30-3) of Sartell-St. Stephen and #7 McKenna Brauch (36-11) of Wadena-Deer Creek. Goetzinger (30-5) lost by 6-4 decision, then had two pins, including over Mora’s #6 Kylee Nelson (33-4), before falling by fall. Her losses were to Forest Lake’s #2 Bella Carlson (39-7) and Thief River Falls’ #9 Natalia Zoller (37-8). Finally, Maizee Priebe (112) and Kendyl Nolte (155) each went 0-2. Priebe (25-9) lost to #2 Ava Schultz (30-3) of St. Michael-Albertville by fall and #7 Leah Greenwaldt (29-8) of S-M by 13-4 major. Nolte (14-9), ranked #8, suffered both losses by fall including to #1 Cassy Gonzalez (24-0) of Apple Valley, the eventua champ.
State Wrestling: Allen’s Runner-Up Highlights Warrior Efforts
Four Caledonia/Houston guys took on the state meet, seniors Aiden Burns (114) and Will Allen (152), sophomore Cooper Allen (215), and 8th grader Kiptyn Meiners (107). The kid nicknamed ‘Coop’ finished as state runner. Allen (32-12), ranked #5, opened with a 15-0 tech fall, then bigly topped Minneota’s #2 Cael Fier (45-4) by 4-3 decision in the quarters. All but one point was scored in the final period. Allen secured a takedown with 16-seconds left to go ahead 4-1. In the semis, he beat Frazee’s Tanner Moe (28-19) by 11-1 major. But Holdingford’s #1 Jaxon Bartkowicz (42-1) then controlled Allen in the finals, winning a 7-1 decision. Meiners (107), unranked, won his first two matches, by fall over Crookston’s #6 Mauricio Arriaga (32-6) and 10-1 major decision over NRHEG’s #7 Owen Schlaak (34-7). In the semis, Meiners fell to eventual champion #1 Garrett Bjerga (45-1) of Staples-Motley by fall. Facing Arriaga again, down 9-1 in the third, Meiners recorded a pin. The 8th grader (31-15) ended by falling to Chatfield’s #3 Joey Cady (41-2) by 18-3 tech fall to take fourth place. Will Allen (152), ranked #5, went 2-2 and just missed placing. He won his first match by 16-13 decision, where the third period featured 20 points. The senior (41-4) then fell by fall to #3 Minneota’s Brock Fier (28-4), won an 11-4 decision, then lost to S-M’s #7 Riley Reese (40-14) in the blood round by 4-2 decision. Finally, Aiden Burns had his state experience cut short by injury. Burns (31-11), ranked #7, started with a 4-1 decision win, then lost by fall to Pelican Rapids’ #5 Danny Salazar (22-6). But a broken nose scuttled his next match as the senior went 1-2. He took fifth last year.
State Wrestling: Fifth Places from the “Ski’s” Pace LARP
The state individual wrestling tourney for LARP was highlighted by kids whose last name ends in “ski.” Christian Zibrowski (127) and Chase Drazkowski (285) each placed fifth. Zibrowski (46-8), ranked #6, won his opening match over Benson’s #10 Gavin Olson (39-10) by 8-2 decision before falling to Holdingford’s #1 Wyatt Pilarski (38-9) by 12-5 tally. Zibrowski then won a 10-2 major and a 17-1 tech fall of Fosston/Bagley’s #4 Eli Phrakonkham (38-9) to ensure a placing. He then dropped a 7-5 decision to Pipestone Area’s #3 Mason Fruechte (34-9) before topping Jackson County Central’s Mathias Liepold (34-18) by 24-8 tech fall. Fifth matched his 2024 placing and he won his 150th match. Drazkowski (34-10) ranked #9, lost to Canby’s Jordan DePestel (38-17) in his first match 7-2, then notched three wins by decision, 15-8, 3-2 over United North Central’s #3 Ryan Peterson (36-5), and 9-5 by tiebreaker-1 over New York Mills’ #10 Grady Roberts (33-9). Drazkowski escaped and got a takedown in his session from bottom in the latter. He then fell 10-4 to Staples-Motley’s #5 Adrian Gomez (40-8) before downing DePestel by fall. Drazkowski lost his only match at state last year. For a second straight year, Zach Plank (189) went 2-2. The senior (42-10), ranked #9, lost his opening match to NRHEG’s #2 Ryan Schlaak (37-4) by 21-13 major before winning two, by 17-1 tech fall and medical forfeit. Plank’s placement hopes were then ended by S-M’s #4 Luke Bjerga (25-6) by 4-1 decision. Owen Lange (139), ranked #7, and Michael Alexander (133), each went 1-2. Lange started with a 5-3 decision win before losing to Minneota’s #2 Adam DeVlaeminck (40-4) by 15-2 major and to LPGE-Browerville’s #8 Brodie Pachan (44-7) by 9-8 decision. Lange (39-10) led the latter 8-5 in the third but got taken down in the final seconds. Alexander (32-6), an 8th grader, lost his opening match to F/B’s #4 Ian Phrakonkham (47-6) by fall, won a 16-1 tech fall over Mille Lac’s Coates Thornton (34-6)), then lost by 7-2 decision to K-M-S’s Colton Noble.
State Wrestling:m Meyer the Only of Nine GMLOS Wrestlers to Place
GMLOS wrestling was busy at the state tourney, but only one of nine competitors placed. Junior Kloe Meyer (235), ranked #9, won a fall over Two Rivers’ #7 Lisarayne Alexander (24-6)) then lost by 6-0 decision to Chisago Lakes’ #6 Libby Carlson (19-11). Meyer (16-6) then won back-to-back falls to move into placement position, before falling to by fall to both St. Paul-Harding’s #5 Charlize Laban (26-5) and Milaca/Faith Christian’s #3 Ellianna Schendel (26-7). Meyer took sixth. At 106, freshman Chloe Hubbard (25-7) went 2-2, losing to Mille Lac’s #4 Trinity Smaker (32-5) by fall, winning by 11-9 decision and fall, only to lose by 18-2 tech fall to Monticello’s #7 Phoebe Morris (36-11) in the blood round to just miss placing. Brandy Christenson (155) went 1-2. The junior (13-10) lost by fall to Badger/Greenbush-Middle River’s #5 Madilyn Pulk (33-6), won a fall, then lost a fall to Maple Grove’s #10 Carol Stevenson (30-10). Zoe Steinkamp (124) and Willow Dewey (148) each went 0-2. Steinkamp (23-7), ranked #9, lost a 10-2 decision to Proctor/Hermantown’s #4 Isabella McPhee (28-4) and a 18-0 tech fall to Hastings’ #5 Ellie Levine (33-10). Steinkamp, a sophomore, also went 0-2 last year. Dewey (12-14), an 8th grader, lost to Adrian-Ellsworth’s #8 Katianya Hernandez-Nelson (10-4) by 10-0 major, then by fall. On the guy’ side of things, #6 Drake Payne (215), Wyatt Krull (285), and Parker Armagost (127) each went 1-2. Payne (42-9), a senior, won an 18-1 tech fall before losing a 9-4 decision and then by fall to Quad County’s #3 Jacob Savig (39-4). Krull (24-18), also a senior, lost his opening match to United North Central’s #3 Ryan Peterson (36-5) by fall, won a fall, then lost an 9-1 major decision. Armagost (37-16), a junior, lost to Holdingford’s #1 Wyatt Pilarski (38-9) by 20-3 tech fall, then won by fall over Benson’s #10 Gavin Olson (39-10), before falling to Kenyon-Wanamingo’s #4 Bryan Jacobson (46-8) by fall. Finally, Cael Smith (145) went 0-2. The sophomore (37-12) lost to Jackson County Central’s #6 Kyler Their (43-4) and then to Chatfield’s #4 Hunter Polikowsky (38-10) by 5-1 decision. Smith beat Polikowsky in a key section match last year to help earn his first berth at state. Smith went 0-1 in St. Paul last year.
Leave a Reply