Many teams dream of a state title. Chatfield Gopher wrestling’s aspiration for such became very distinctive and realistic at two points in the season, the win over perennially state-power #2 in Class AA Kasson Mantorville and the second-place team showing at the prestigious “Clash.” There was no doubt after those two great efforts the Gophers were a force. But work still needed to be done. Well, their destiny has been fulfilled. Matt Mauseth’s group did not just win the state Class A wrestling title. They dominated their way to it. It did not come easy. Wrestling is not easy. They had to fight and scrap, grapple out late period wins with key takedowns, or defend hard to keep points off the board. But opponents managed just seven total wins in three duals. All seven wins were by kids ranked in state; six in the top six. Four of those seven losses were by decision. Only two were by fall. The Gophers battled mentally and physically and came out on top 32 of 39 matches; domination.
Versus #8 Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parker’s Prairie (Section 6A Champ, 18-13), top-ranked Chatfield (Section 1 Champ, 18-1) lost just twice. They won the first eight matches for a 35-0 lead after 152. Getting pins in the span were #1 Javier Berg (113 > 34-4) and #7 Jack Dornack (145 > 31-11). Alden Pearson (139 > 22-11) won a 16-0 tech fall. Jameson Priebe (107 > 31-13), Kaisen Johnson (121 > 26-10), and Carson Rowland (152 > 35-8) won major decisions, #10 Priebe 9-1 over Mason Hoffman (29-6), #9 Johnson 12-4 over Isaac Grabow (35-6), and #5 Rowland 14-6. Hunter Polikowsky (127 > 21-15) and Gage Bartels (133 > 30-7) had decision wins, Polikowsky 4-3 over Orran Hart (30-9), #6 Bartels 6-2 over Justin Olson (26-12). The Gophers threw out a pair of reserves late with things well in hand. Senior Nathan Allen (172 > 3-7) was one, notching a 9-3 decision win over Gayden Kimber (17-11). Top-ranked Kail Schott (189 > 24-2) and #2 Miles Mulhern (285 > 33-8) added pins to make the final score 50-9! B-H/V/PP’s only wins were by #2 David Revering (39-4) at 160 via pin and #10 Braden Shamp (25-15) at 215 via a 14-9 decision over Will Boelter (22-15).
Chatfield (19-1) moved on to face #5 Jackson County Central (Section 3 A Champ, 21-3), the defending champ who beat Caledonia/Houston 43-19 a year ago. Things started inauspiciously. The Gophers dropped the first two weights. Sixth-ranked Kyler Thier (32-6) downed #10 Priebe (32-13) by 6-2 decision at 107. In a big win for the Huskies, #3 Kayden Eller (40-7) pinned #1 Javier Berg (35-4) in the third period at 114. Berg led 4-3 after two. But the Gophers rallied with five straight wins. They lost just one more match. Johnson (27-10) and Bartels (31-7) authored pins at 121 and 133. In big wins, Polikowsky (22-15) downed #10 Isaac Rodriguez (34-8) by 11-6 decision at 127 and Pearson (23-11) got a third period takedown to beat Ben Dahlin (16-7) by 6-5 decision at 139. Dornack (32-11) tacked on a 12-3 major at 145 for a 22-9 Chatfield lead. At 152, #5 Rowland (36-8) battled three-time state champ #1 at 139 Nolan Ambrose (47-1) to a 4-2 overtime decision loss. The Gophers then authored four pins in the final five weights, as #6 Ayden Miner (160 > 26-9), #1 Schott (189), Boelter (215), and #2 Mulhern (285) did so. Boelter (22-16) downed Ryan Haley (32-13). Ben Carrier (160 > 28-11) also beat Seth Stai (33-17), coming back from down 6-3 after two periods for the 8-5 decision win. Chatfield prevailed 49-12!
It put the Gophers (20-1) in the state title match with #3 Staples-Motley (Section 7 Champ, 33-1). The Cardinals strength was in their lower weights, where they boasted six ranked guys up through 152 including two #1’s and a #2. Matches were tight early. S-M’s #1 Gage Bjerga (43-1) beat #10 Priebe (32-14) at 107 by 13-0 major. Top-ranked Berg (35-5) then beat #8 Caden Kramer (37-5) at 114 by 9-2 decision. S-M’s #2 Eli Greenwaldt (47-2) then beat #9 Johnson (28-10) by 10-4 decision at 121. The Gophers then got a trio of big wins. Polikowsky (23-15), just an 8th grader, topped #7 Jack Carlson (27-12) by 7-2 decision courtesy of a trio of go-behind takedowns. Bartels (32-7) then rescued victory from near defeat at 133 in the best match of Chatfield’s tourney. The Cardinals’ #10 Turner Beachy (36-8) authored a five-point move in the first period to lead 6-2. His lead was 7-3 in the third when Bartels returned the favor to go ahead 8-7. Beachy then got a reversal to lead 9-8, got tagged a point for stalling on an ankle hold, and then Bartels escaped. Up 10-9, the Chatfield senior withstood a late Beachy shot to secure the decision win! Pearson (24-11) followed with another tight win, 3-1 courtesy of a takedown of Riley Reese (33-13) in the final five seconds. Through six weights, Chatfield led 12-7, or not what Staples-Motley hoped or expected. And then things snowballed. Dornack posted a 16-3 major at 145. Rowland (36-9) got a third period escape for the deciding points in knocking off #1 Colbe Tappe (38-1) at 152 by 3-2 decision. That win took the win out of the Cardinals sails, as Chatfield led 19-7. And the final five weights all went the way of the Gophers. Carrier (172), Schott (189), and Mulhern (285) all had pins, #1 Schott (26-2) doing so to #7 Luke Bjerga (35-11), #2 Mulhern to Steven Petrich (29-11). Miner (160) and Boelter (215) authored 16-1 and 15-0 tech falls. Carrier’s win guaranteed the state title; the Gophers led 30-7 with three weights to go. The boys celebrated as their teammates kept winning. By a lopsided final of 47-7, the Gophers checked off their last box of the season; state champs! Seniors Schott, Mulhern, Dornack, and Bartels, 8th grader Polikowsky, made the All-Tourney team. Each went 3-0. Schott and Mulhern had three first period pins. Polikowsky wrestled out three decisions including beating two ranked guys. Matt Mauseth was named Class A Coach of the Year. An amazing campaign ends with Chatfield going 21-1. It is the Gophers first state wrestling title since the 2014 group. It is Chatfield’s fifth team state title in the Journal Sports Era; 2013 football, 2014 wrestling, 2021 football, 2022 softball. A fantasy matchup of Joel Viss’ 2014 crew versus Mauseth’s 2024 bunch could look like; Maleek Hussein versus Priebe (107), Jared Goldsmith versus Berg (114), Ty Van Sickle versus Johnson (121), a young Jake Mandt versus Polikowsky (127), Ryan Meeker versus Bartels (133), Hank Friederichs versus Alden Pearson (139), A.J. Riley versus Dornack (145), Harvey Friederichs versus Rowland (152), Alex Haffner versus Miner (160), Ethan Wright versus Carrier (172), Cody Bly versus Schott (189), Jacob Bleess versus Boelter (220), and Logan Karver versus Mulhern (285).
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