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Apple Valley, Eric Sanders seek fifth consecutive titles;
Frazee, 19 individual champions return seeking more gold
Feb. 24, 2003
Two team champions return to defend their titles at this year's state wrestling tournament. Apple Valley is the four-time defending champion in Class AAA, while Frazee is seeking its second consecutive title in Class A. Frazee tied with Medford last year.
In the individual competition, 19 champions return to defend titles, seven in Class AAA, five in Class AA, and seven in Class A. Among them is four-time champion Eric Sanders of Wabasha-Kellogg.
Five teams are making first appearances at the state tournament: Pine Island, Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Christian Academy, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Becker, and Plainview/Elgin-Millville. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Apple Valley is making its 22nd overall and 21st consecutive appearance, and St. Michael-Albertville is making its 13th appearance.
The 2003 State Wrestling Tournament opens Thursday, February 27, and runs through Saturday, March 1, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Class A Team Highlights
Three teams that competed in the 2002 Class A tournament return to this year's field, including one of the defending co-champions, Frazee (Section 8). The Hornets tied for top honors with Medford last year. The Frazee Hornets are making their fourth consecutive and 12th overall appearance. They were co-champions last year, but also won titles in 1992 and 1999. Frazee finished as runner-up in 1991 and 2000. The Hornets also qualified 11 wrestlers in the individual tournament. Pierz (Section 6) is making its second consecutive and fourth overall appearance and BOLD of Olivia (Section 4) is making its second consecutive and overall appearance. Neither Pierz nor BOLD has won a state title. Last year they competed for the consolation title with BOLD winning 36-15.
St. James (Section 3) returns to the tournament after a one-year absence and is making its 11th overall appearance. The Saints were co-champions with Foley in 1989 and won their second title outright in 1998. The Bullets of Wheaton/Herman-Norcross (Section 7), who won a championship in 1996 and finished as the Class A runner-up in 1995, make their fifth overall appearance, but their first since 1998. Wheaton also made two additional appearances in 1993 and 1994 as a co-op with Rosholt, SD. New Richland-H-E-G (Section 2), which includes students from Hartland, Ellendale and Geneva, is making its second appearance. The Panthers claimed runner-up honors in 1999.
Meadow Creek Christian (Section 5), a co-op with Rivers Christian Academy, is making their second appearance and Pine Island (Section 1) is making their first appearance.
The 8:15 p.m. Thursday Class A quarterfinal pairings: Pine Island (21-1-1) vs. Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Christian Academy (18-5-0); St. James (22-3-0) vs. Wheaton/Herman-Norcross (28-5-1); Frazee (17-1-0) vs. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (19-10-4); Pierz (19-4-1) vs. BOLD (27-0-0).
Class AA Team Highlights
The Dragons of Litchfield (Section 5) are the highest returning qualifiers. They finished as runner-up to Blue Earth Area last year. This is the second consecutive and overall appearance for the Dragons. Three other teams also return from the 2002 state tournament field: Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin (Section 3); Hibbing (Section 8); and St. Michael-Albertville (Section 4). The Cobras of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, who won consolation honors last year, are also making their second consecutive and overall appearance. Hibbing is making its second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Bluejackets lost in the consolation round last year. The St. Michael-Albertville Knights, who are making their fifth consecutive and 13th overall appearance, are looking to improve on last year's fourth-place finish. The Knights won state titles in 1996 and 1997 and they finished as runners-up in 1976, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2001. St. Michael-Albertville also led Class AA in most wrestlers in the individual tournament. They qualified 10 individuals.
Scott West (Section 2), which is a co-op of Belle Plaine, Jordan, and Holy Family Academy of Victoria, is making its fifth appearance, but its first since 2000. Plainview/Elgin-Millville (Section 1) is making its first appearance as a co-op, but Plainview made one previous independent appearance in 1985. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle (Section 7) and Becker (Section 6) are making first appearances.
The 10:15 a.m. Thursday Class AA quarterfinal pairings: Plainview/Elgin-Millville (25-4-0) vs. Litchfield (26-2-1); Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin (16-6-0) vs. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle (21-6-1); Hibbing (22-5-0) vs. Scott West (22-2-0); Becker (20-0-0) vs. St. Michael-Albertville (25-3-0).
Class AAA Team Highlights
Apple Valley (Section 6) returns as the four-time defending champion. The Eagles are making their 21st consecutive and 22nd overall tournament appearance. They won team championships in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. They were runners-up in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1993, and 1996. This year the Eagles also qualified 10 wrestlers for the individual tournament. Apple Valley will face Centennial of Circle Pines (Section 4) in the quarterfinals, a match Apple Valley last year won 50-12.
Six additional teams that competed in 2002 also return to this year's tournament. Owatonna (Section 1) is making its eighth consecutive and overall appearance. The Huskies, fourth last year, won their only state championship in 1998 and were runners-up in 1999 and 2001. Centennial is making its fourth consecutive and overall appearance. Totino-Grace of Fridley (Section 5) placed sixth last year and returns for its fifth consecutive and sixth overall appearance. The Hutchinson Tigers (Section 2), making their third consecutive and overall appearance, lost in the consolation round last year. Totino-Grace also qualified 10 wrestlers for the individual tournament. Cambridge-Isanti (Section 7) returns to make its second consecutive and 10th overall appearance. The Bluejackets' highest finish was as runner-up in 2000 and last year they won the consolation title. Simley of Inver Grove Heights (Section 3) also returns to make a second consecutive and 11th overall appearance. The Spartans won championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1992. They also earned runner-up finishes in 1991, 1994, and 1995. Simley also qualified 11 wrestlers for the individual tournament.
The final team in the Class AAA bracket is Elk River Area (Section 8). The Elks return after a four-year absence to make their fifth overall appearance. Elk River Area's highest finishes were as runner-up in 1981 and 1997. The 2:45 p.m. Thursday Class AAA quarterfinal pairings: Owatonna (47-4-0) vs. Totino-Grace (24-4-0); Simley (28-1-0) vs. Cambridge-Isanti (27-4-0); Elk River Area (24-11-0) vs. Hutchinson (29-8-4); Apple Valley (41-1-0) vs. Centennial (42-6-0).
Class A Individual Highlights
103 pounds - This weight is wide open for a new champion and no one had a perfect record.
112 pounds - All six medalists from the 103-pound weight class return to compete at 112 pounds: Gabriel Mooney (35-0) of Badger /Greenbush-Middle River, champion; Brandon Schunk (38-1) of Wabasso, runner-up; Dan Gray (27-6) of Dover-Eyota, third; Nathan Janson (36-1) of Pierz, fourth; David Cunningham (35-6) of Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Christian Academy, fifth; and Brendan Schmoll (24-9) of B O L D, Olivia, sixth. Mooney and Joey Grasser (36-0) of LeCenter, boast the only perfect records.
119 pounds - Four medal-winners return: Eric Sanders (39-1) of Wabasha-Kellogg, champion at 112 pounds, seeks to become only the second wrestler to win five championships; Jason Cazett (38-2) of Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Christian Academy, fifth at 119 pounds; John Beelow (29-4) of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, sixth at 119 pounds; and Nathan Kubesh (32-6) of B O L D, Olivia, sixth at 112 pounds. There were no perfect records in this weight class.
125 pounds - Shane Masching (34-1) of Hayfield returns to defend his title. Three additional medalists are also returning: Shane Haag (28-4) of Lewiston-Altura, runner-up at 125 pounds; Chris Werth (23-2) of St. James, runner-up at 119 pounds; and Scott Ahlf (37-2) of Menahga/Sebeka, fourth at 119 pounds. No wrestler had a perfect record in this class. 130 pounds - Tyler Ties (29-4) of Lewiston-Altura is the only returning medalist. He placed fifth in this weight class last year. No one had a perfect record in this class.
135 pounds - Three medalists are returning: Cole Altermatt (10-1) of Wabasso, third at 135 pounds; Cullen Captain (33-4) of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, fourth at 135 pounds; and Andy Quittschreiber (33-3) of Frazee, fourth at 130 pounds. There were no perfect records in this class.
140 pounds - Craig Luberts (35-6) of Pierz is the only returning medal-winner, the 135-pound title last year. Phil McMullen (35-0) of St. James boasts the only perfect record.
145 pounds - Five medalists return: Shawn Plumley (36-3) of B O L D, Olivia, champion at 140 pounds; John Niebuhr (37-1) of United South Central, Wells, runner-up at 140 pounds; Jarret Hall (16-4) of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, third at 130 pounds; Todd Opdahl (36-2) of Minneota, fourth at 140 pounds; and Abe Olson (35-3) of Trinity School at River Ridge, Bloomington, sixth at 145 pounds. There were no perfect records in this weight class.
152 pounds - Two qualifiers return: Mitch Kuhlman (40-0) of Medford, champion at 145 pounds; and Joel Hendrickson (34-4) of Menahga/Sebeka, fourth at 152 pounds. Kuhlman has the only unblemished record.
160 pounds - Four 2002 medalists return: Adam Landherr (38-1) of Southland, Adams, runner-up at 152 pounds; Jed Deno (37-1) of Triton, Dodge Center, third at 160 pounds; Gabe Dretsch (35-1) of Frazee, third at 152 pounds; and Zeb Roth (29-1) of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, fifth at 135 pounds. No wrestler had a perfect record in this weight class.
171 pounds - Corey Harnitz (34-1), the champion at 152 pounds last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Two other medalists are also returning: Jamie Wagner (25-5) of Nicollet, runner-up at 160 pounds; and Tom Libbesmeier (30-0) of Kimball Area, third at 171 pounds. Libbesmeier has this year's only perfect record.
189 pounds - Two medalists return: Brandon Arndt (35-2) of Wheaton/Herman-Norcross, third at 189 pounds; and Craig Myhre (31-5) of Minneota, fifth at 171 pounds. There were no perfect records in this class.
215 pounds - Since this is the first year for this additional weight there are no returning medal-winners in this class. Kyle Winter (23-0) of Kimball Area, Justin Kubesh (37-0) of B O L D, Olivia, and Casey Finck (24-0) of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale begin the tournament with perfect records.
Heavyweight - Peter Burfeind (35-2) of Goodhue is the only returning medalist. He placed fifth last year. No one had a perfect record in this class.
Class AA Individual Highlights
103 pounds - Colt Bergeron of Thief River Falls, last year's runner-up and who has a perfect record of 40-0 this year, is the highest returning qualifier. Travis Elk of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, who placed fourth in last year, also returns. He has an unblemished record of 38-0. Seth Flodeen of Cannon Falls also begins the tournament at a perfect 37-0.
112 pounds - Four medalists return: Tyler Safratowich (35-1) of Park Rapids Area, champion at 103 pounds; Ryan Holthaus (37-2) of Foley, runner-up at 112 pounds; Nate Rausch (38-3) of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Nevis, third at 112 pounds; and Shane Walton (30-7) of Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus, sixth at 103 pounds. No one had a perfect record in this weight class.
119 pounds - Three 2002 medalists return, including one defending champion in another weight class: Brandon Dick (39-2) of St. Michael-Albertville, champion at 103 pounds; Nick Kulseth (36-0) of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, fifth at 119 pounds; and Steve Johnson (36-2) of Mora, fifth at 112 pounds. Kulseth boasts the only perfect record.
125 pounds - Two medalists from the 119-pound weight class return: Tony Noyes (38-0) of New London-Spicer placed third and Kent Nathe (30-2) of Sartell-St. Stephen, placed fourth. Noyes has this year's only perfect record.
130 pounds - Three medal-winners return, including defending champion Jeff Cooley of Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove. He has the only perfect record in this class at 35-0. The other returning medalists are Micah Flodeen (35-1) of Cannon Falls, third at 125 pounds; and Dan Essig (36-3) of Deer River/Northland, fifth at 125 pounds.
135 pounds - Two 2002 medalists return to compete: Mike Folie (33-0) of Waseca, fourth in this weight class; and Clay Hoeck (31-3) of Milaca/Faith Christian, fourth at 125 pounds. Folie and Mitchell Lange (37-0) of Caledonia both have unblemished records.
140 pounds - Two medalists return: Peter Hayes (36-0) of Wadena-Deer Creek, fourth at 140 pounds; and Adam Minnette (32-3) of New Prague, sixth at 135 pounds. Hayes has the only perfect record in this class.
145 pounds - Jeremy Anderson (40-0) of Thief River Falls is the only returning medal-winner. He placed fourth at 130 pounds last year and has the only perfect record in this class.
152 pounds - Four medalists return: Dylan Rosenberg (39-1) of Mora, fourth at 145 pounds; Joe Bunne (26-5) of Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland, sixth at 152 pounds; Kyle Trout (38-0) of Wadena-Deer Creek, sixth at 145 pounds; and Nate Matousek (38-2) of Glencoe-Silver Lake, fifth at 130 pounds in 2001. Trout has the only perfect record.
160 pounds - Two medal-winners return: Mitch Vedders (33-1) of Milaca/Faith Christian, runner-up at 152 pounds; and Ethan Osterhoudt (36-3) of Hibbing, fourth at 160 pounds. No one has a perfect record in this weight class.
171 pounds - Ethan Vogt (31-3) of Sauk Centre returns to defend his title. Two other medal-winners also return: Jacob Bryce (33-3) of Minnewaska Area, Glenwood, runner-up in this weight class; and Tyler Johnson (38-3) of Plainview/Elgin-Millville, sixth at 160 pounds. There are no perfect records in this class.
189 pounds - Four medalists are returning: Marty Engen (37-1) of Paynesville Area, defending champion in this weight class; Colby Bruns (33-0) of Marshall, fourth at 189 pounds; Joe Facchinni (35-1) of Nashwauk-Keewatin/Greenway, sixth at 189 pounds; and Jeremy Pederson (37-0) of Becker, fifth at 171 pounds. Bruns and Pederson boast the only perfect records.
215 pounds - Kevan Meiners (35-0) of Caledonia is the only returning medalist in this new weight class. He placed fifth at 189 pounds last year. In addition to Meiners, Nathan Stoen (35-0) of Minnewaska Area, Glenwood, has the only other perfect record.
Heavyweight - Tim Johnson (31-0) of Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove is the only returning medal-winner. He placed fourth in this class last year. He also has this year's only perfect record.
Class AAA Individual Highlights
103 pounds - No medalists are returning in this class. Mike Tingle (33-0) of Robbinsdale Cooper has the only perfect record.
112 pounds - Four 2002 medalists will compete: Josh Hansen (29-4) of Albert Lea Area, champion at 103 pounds; Ryan Adams (37-2) of Coon Rapids, runner-up at 103 pounds; Jayson Ness (35-0) of Bloomington Kennedy, third at 103 pounds; and Mike Meger (42-0) of Owatonna, third at 112 pounds. Ness and Meger have the only perfect records.
119 pounds - Six 2002 medalists return: Chance Jordan (23-3) of Totino-Grace, fourth at 103 pounds; Seth Anderson (32-5) of Simley, fourth at 112 pounds; Charlie Flack (37-2) of Apple Valley, champion at 119 pounds; Josh Lindquist (30-2) of Prior Lake, third at 119 pounds; Brett Healy (38-5) of Maple Grove, fifth at 119 pounds; and Chris Prince (19-6) of Owatonna, sixth at 119 pounds. None of the 119-pound qualifiers has a perfect record.
125 pounds - One medal-winner returns: Erik Healy (39-2) of Maple Grove, sixth at 112 pounds. No one has an unblemished record.
130 pounds - One medalist returns: T.J. Parlin (34-2) of Austin, runner-up at 125 pounds. Danny Ruter (42-0) of Buffalo is the only qualifier with a perfect record.
135 pounds - Three medal-winners return: Mitch Millner (38-5) of Simley, fourth at 125 pounds; Jestin Hulegaard (33-2) of Anoka, runner-up at 130 pounds; and Adam Elseth (31-1) of Albert Lea Area, third at 135 pounds. None of the 135 qualifiers has a perfect record.
140 pounds - Two medalists from 2002 return: Michael Fessler (38-1) of Apple Valley, third at 125 pounds; and Jeff Grosland (35-7) of Simley, Inver Grove Heights, sixth at 135 pounds. None of the qualifiers has a perfect record.
145 pounds - Two 2002 medalists will compete: Dustin Dahlblom (38-2) of Stillwater Area, champion at 145 pounds; and Adam Rall (24-5) of Henry Sibley, Mendota Heights, runner-up at 140 pounds. None of the qualifiers has a perfect record.
152 pounds - Andy Pickar (32-1) of Brainerd/Pillager, champion last year at 140 pounds, is the only returning medalist. Nik Lentz (37-0) of Bloomington Jefferson and Mike Quamme (36-0) of Northfield are the only two wrestlers with a perfect record.
160 pounds - One medalist returns: Rick Hallenback (37-4) of Anoka, fourth at 160 pounds. None of the qualifiers has a perfect record.
171 pounds - One medalist returns: George Lynaugh (42-0) of Simley, champion at 160 pounds. Lynaugh is the only wrestler with a perfect record.
189 pounds - One medalist returns: Jared Massey (42-0) of Centennial, champion at 171 pounds. Massey and Chris McKenzie (36-0) of Shakopee are the only qualifiers with a perfect record.
215 pounds - Three 2002 medalists return in the new weight class: Kyle Massey (42-0) of Centennial, fourth at 189 pounds, Alex Cadwell (37-2) of Stillwater Area, fifth at heavyweight; and Alan Erickson (35-8) of Elk River Area, sixth at heavyweight. Massey and Grant Smith (6-0) of Farmington are the only qualifiers in the 215-pound weight class with perfect records.
Heavyweight - Two 2002 medalists return to the heavyweight field: Trevor Laws (39-0) of Apple Valley, defending champion; and Jon May (42-0) of Hutchinson, runner-up. Laws, May and Matt Mello (33-0) of Osseo are the only three wrestlers with perfect records.
The Schedule and Ticket Information
The Class AAA first-round individual matches are scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday, followed at 10:15 a.m. by quarterfinal matches simultaneously with the Class AA team quarterfinals. The Class A first-round individual matches are scheduled for 12:30 p.m., followed at 2:45 p.m. by quarterfinal matches simultaneously with the Class AAA team quarterfinals. Class AA first-round individual matches are scheduled for 6 p.m., followed at 8:15 p.m. by quarterfinal matches simultaneously with the Class A team quarterfinals.
On Friday, Class AAA individual wrestlebacks begin at 8:30 a.m., followed at 9:45 a.m. by Class A individual wrestlebacks. At 11:00 a.m., Class AA individual wrestlebacks will be held simultaneously with the Class AAA team championship semifinals and consolation semifinals. Class A and Class AA team championship semifinals and consolation semifinals are set for 1:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Class AAA individual championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will begin, followed at 6:45 p.m. by Class A individual championship semifinals and individual consolation quarterfinals. The Class AA individual championship semifinals and individual consolation quarterfinals start at 8:00 p.m.
On Saturday, individual consolation semifinals for all classes are scheduled for 10 a.m. At 1:00 p.m., Class AA team consolation championship, third-place, and championship matches will take place simultaneously with Class AAA individual fifth-place through championship matches. After this Round One awards presentation, the Class AAA team consolation championship, third-place, and championship matches will take place simultaneously with the Class A individual fifth-place through championship matches. After the Round Two awards have been presented, the Class A team consolation championship, third-place, and championship matches will take place simultaneously with the Class AA individual fifth-place through championship matches.
Ticket prices are $9.00 per adult and $6.00 per student for each session. Daily passes are available for $16.00 for adults and $11.00 for students. Season passes, good for the entire tournament, are available to adults for $48.00 and to students for $33.00.