2005 State Wrestling Tournament

February 21, 2005

All three team champions return to defend their titles at this year's state wrestling tournament. Apple Valley is the six-time defending champion in Class AAA, while St. Michael-Albertville and Pierz are seeking their second consecutive titles in Class AA and Class A, respectively.

In the individual competition, 14 champions return for more gold medals - four in Class AAA, six in Class AA, and four in Class A. Five champions return to defend titles in the same weight class - two each in Classes A and AA and one in Class AAA.

Every team has previous tournament experience. Canby and Apple Valley are making their 24th overall appearances at the tournament, and Apple Valley is making its 23rd consecutive.

The 2005 State Wrestling Tournament opens Thursday, February 24, and runs through Saturday, February 26, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Class A Team Highlights

Five teams that competed in the 2004 Class A tournament, including the defending champions from Pierz (Section 6), return to this year's field. The other returning qualifiers are: New Richland-H-E-G (Section 2); Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland (Section 1); New York Mills (Section 7); and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (Section 5).

The Pierz Pioneers are making their fourth consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They have never won a state title. New Richland-H-E-G is making its third consecutive and fourth overall appearance. The Panthers took fourth place last year. They have never won a state title.

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City returns to make its second consecutive and third overall appearance. The Falcons, who lost in the consolation semifinal last year, are still in the hunt for their first championship.

Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland and New York Mills are both making their second consecutive and overall appearances. Neither team has won a title. The Bulldogs of Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland are hoping to improve on last year's sixth-place finish. The Eagles of New York Mills won the consolation title in 2004.

The Canby Lancers (Section 4) return to the tournament after a four-year absence to make their 24th overall appearance. The Lancers won previous titles in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1994, and 1995. Sibley East of Arlington (Section 3) is also returning after a brief absence. The Wolverines, who are making their second overall appearance, last competed in the tournament in 2001. They have never won a state title.

Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (Section 8) is the final Class A participant. The Gators are making their fourth appearance under this name, but their first since 1998. Greenbush also made a single appearance in 1986. The Gators have never won a championship.

The 2:00 p.m. Thursday Class A quarterfinal pairings: New Richland-H-E-G (26-6) vs. Pierz (27-3); Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland (19-7) vs. New York Mills (23-0); Canby (29-2) vs. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (16-2); Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (28-0) vs. Sibley East (22-7).

Class AA Team Highlights

The Knights of St. Michael-Albertville (Section 4) return to defend their 2004 title. This is the seventh consecutive and 15th overall appearance for the Knights. In addition to last year's title, St. Michael-Albertville also won championships in 1996 and 1997. Five other teams also return from the 2004 state tournament field: Scott West (Section 2), which is a co-op between Belle Plaine, Jordan, and Holy Family Catholic of Victoria; Milaca/Faith Christian (Section 6); Perham (Section 7); Detroit Lakes (Section 8); and Adrian Area (Section 3), which was listed as "Adrian" last year.

This is the third consecutive and seventh overall appearance for Scott West. The Panthers won third-place honors in 2004, but they have never won a state title.

Perham and Detroit Lakes are both making their second consecutive and overall appearances. The Perham Yellowjackets lost in the consolation semifinals last year, while the Detroit Lakes Lakers finished sixth. Neither school has won a state championship.

The Adrian Area Dragons and the Milaca/Faith Christian Wolves are the final Class AA teams with 2004 tournament experience. The Dragons are making their seventh appearance and are hoping to improve on last year's runner-up finish. The Wolves, who lost in the consolation semifinals last year, are making their sixth appearance. Both programs are still seeking their first titles.

Kasson-Mantorville (Section 1) and Buffalo Lake-Hector/BOLD (Section 5) round out the Class AA field. The KoMets of Kasson-Mantorville are making their second overall but first appearance since 1997. They have never won a state championhip. BOLD of Olivia made two previous appearances and won a title in 2003.

The 8:00 p.m. Thursday Class AA quarterfinal pairings: Scott West (13-1) vs. Milaca/Faith Christian (29-6); Kasson-Mantorville (19-4) vs. Perham (24-5); St. Michael-Albertville (32-4) vs. Detroit Lakes (19-8); Buffalo Lake-Hector/BOLD (17-4) vs. Adrian Area (32-2).

Class AAA Team Highlights

Apple Valley (Section 6) returns as the six-time defending champion. The Eagles are making their 23rd consecutive and 24th overall tournament appearance. In addition to last year's title, they also won team championships in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Three additional teams that competed in 2004 also return to this year's tournament. Totino-Grace of Fridley (Section 5) placed sixth last year and returns for its seventh consecutive and eighth overall appearance. Bemidji (Section 8) returns to make its second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Lumberjacks lost in the consolation semifinals last year. The Spartans of Simley, Inver Grove Heights (Section 5) are making their fourth consecutive and 13th overall appearance. They won the consolation title last year and are hoping for their fifth state championship. The Spartans won previous titles in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1992.

Willmar (Section 2), Owatonna (Section 1), St. Francis (Section 7), and Centennial of Circle Pines (Section 4) are the final Class AAA teams. They all have previous tournament experience. The Willmar Cardinals are making their second overall appearance and their first since 1998. St. Francis and Centennial are both returning for their fifth appearances. St. Francis last competed in 1997 and Centennial is returning after a one-year absence. The Huskies of Owatonna also return after a one-year hiatus to make their ninth overall appearance. They won one previous title in 1998. Willmar, St. Francis, and Centennial are all searching for their first title.

The 10:00 a.m. Thursday Class AAA quarterfinal pairings: Willmar (13-6) vs. Apple Valley (34-1); Owatonna (57-1) vs. St. Francis (29-2); Centennial (20-13) vs. Bemidji (23-1); Totino-Grace (23-3) vs. Simley (21-6).

Class A Individual Highlights

103 pounds - AJ Jenniges (33-0) of Wabasso is the highest returning qualifier. He placed fifth in this weight class in 2004. Luke Amsden (37-2) of River Valley (a co-op of Springfield, Comfrey, and Sleepy Eye) placed sixth last year. Jenniges has the only perfect record.

112 pounds - Four medalists from the 103-pound weight class, including champion Zach Sanders (39-1) of Wabasha Kellogg, return to compete at 112 pounds. The other competitors are: Ryan Campbell (32-2) of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, runner-up; Kirby Anderson (29-3) of Menahga/Sebeka, third; and, Joe Murphy (37-1) of Trinity School at River Ridge, Bloomington, fourth. Kevin Steinhaus (35-0) of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg has the only perfect record.

119 pounds - Kirk Anderson (39-1) of Barnesville, who won the 112-pound title last year, leads this class of qualifiers. Two other medal-winners also return: Andy Forstner (36-0) of Madelia/Truman, runner-up at 112 pounds; and, Kyle Bednar (35-4) of Pierz, third at 112 pounds. Forstner has the only perfect record.

125 pounds - Two medalists are returning: Brady Schneeberger (34-4) of West Central Area, Barrett, runner-up at 119 pounds; and Davey Kosen (31-4) of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, fourth at 112 pounds. Danny Gray (32-0) of Dover-Eyota enters the tournament with the only perfect record.

130 pounds - Four medal-winners return in this weight class: Brandan Schunk (35-2) of Wabasso, runner-up at 125 pounds; Jon Andres (32-5) of Pierz, fourth at 125 pounds; Mitch Moser (32-7) of Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland, fifth in this class; and, Nate Willaert (34-2) of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Mankato Loyola, fifth at 199 pounds. There were no perfect records in this class.

135 pounds - Two medalists are returning: Jason Losing (33-2) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, fourth at 130 pounds; and Kenny Sandt (31-3) of United South Central/Alden-Conger, fifth at 125 pounds. There were no perfect records in this class.

140 pounds - There are two returning medalists in this class: Casey Gray (40-1) of Wheaton/Herman/Norcross, runner-up at 130 pounds; and Kevin Widmer (35-0) of River Valley, sixth in this weight class. Widmer has the only flawless record.

145 pounds - There are no returning medalists and no perfect records in this class.

152 pounds - Two qualifiers return: Chad Altermatt (34-0) of Wabasso, fourth in this weight class; and Titan Haag (30-2) of Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson, fourth at 145 pounds. Altermatt has the only perfect record.

160 pounds -Joe Bunne (35-3) of Grand Meadow/Le-Roy-Ostrander/Kingsland returns to defend his title. Derrick Jenniges (34-0) of Wabasso, who earned runner-up honors in this weight class last year, also returns. Jenniges and Torrey Line (41-0) of Browerville/Eagle Valley boast the only flawless records.

171 pounds - Nick Christensen (36-2) of New Richland-H-E-G is the only returning qualifier. He placed third in this class in 2004. No one had a perfect record in this weight class.

189 pounds - Four medalists return in this field: Matt Anderson (14-3) of West Central Area, fourth in this weight class; Travis Blumer (34-2) of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, fourth at 171 pounds; Matt Holland (35-5) of New Richland-H-E-G, fifth at 215 pounds; and, Jesse Zajac (11-3) of Pierz, sixth at 171 pounds. Nolan Boucher (39-0) of Mille Lacs (a co-op of Onamia and Isle) and Chris McPhail (36-0) of Pine Island boast the only perfect records.

215 pounds - There are no returning medalists and no perfect records in this class.

Heavyweight - Jared Schwanz (30-1) of St. James returns to defend his title. Jared Franta (33-5) of Montgomery-Lonsdale, who earned runner-up honors last year, also returns. There were no perfect records in this weight class.

Class AA Individual Highlights

103 pounds - Collin Pitts (32-1) of Caledonia/Houston/Spring Grove is the only returning qualifier. He was the runner-up in this weight class in 2004. There were no perfect records in this class this year.

112 pounds - Derek Pesta (29-5) of Long Prairie/Grey Eagle, who won the 103-pound title last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Three other medalists also return: Brian Beilke (34-1) of Sauk Centre, fourth at 103 pounds; Joey Bullerman (33-6) of Adrian Area, fifth in this weight class; and, Ryan Tongen (29-6) of Yellow Medicine East, Granite Falls, fifth at 103 pounds. No one had a perfect record in this weight class.

119 pounds - Four 2004 medalists return, including one champion from another weight class: Mike Thorn (35-2) of St. Michael-Albertville, champion at 112 pounds; Seth Flodeen (36-0) of Cannon Falls, runner-up at 112 pounds; Travis Rutt (39-2) of New Prague, third at 103 pounds; and, Aaron Stolp (24-9) of Big Lake, sixth at 103 pounds. Flodeen boasts the only perfect record.

125 pounds - Nick Kulseth (39-0) of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin returns to defend his title. Four additional medalists also return: Chad Listul (33-2) of Yellow Medicine East, third at 112 pounds; Jon Dahlheimer (18-3) of Monticello, fifth at 119 pounds; Kip Anderson (31-7) of Pelican Rapids, sixth at 112 pounds; and, Andrew Pudwell (30-11) of Scott West, sixth at 119 pounds. Kulseth has this year's only perfect record.

130 pounds - Three medal-winners return from the 125-pound weight class: Aaron Schaitel (35-3) of LaCrescent, runner-up; Sam Schad (33-0) of Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, third; and, Joe Grygelko (33-0) of St. Michael-Albertville, fourth. Schad had the only flawless record in this weight class.

135 pounds - Travis Elg (38-1) of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, who won the title at 119 pounds last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Two other medalists also return: Zach Winter (33-1) of Sauk Centre, fourth at 130 pounds; and, John Fradette (36-1) of Milaca/Faith Christian, sixth at 130 pounds. No one had a perfect record in this class.

140 pounds - Chad Little (34-6) of St. Michael-Albertville is the only returning qualifier in this class. He placed fifth at 130 pounds in 2004. There were no perfect records in this weight class.

145 pounds - Kurt Haakinson (31-5) of Sauk Centre returns to defend his title. Three additional medal-winners also return: Mike Wubbena (32-0) of Fairmont, runner-up at 140 pounds; Levi Price (36-1) of Cannon Falls, third at 140 pounds; and, Dusty Bullerman (37-3) of Adrian Area, sixth at 140 pounds. Wubbena boasts the only perfect record.

152 pounds - Three medalists from the 145-pound weight class return: Jake Grygelko (17-3) of St. Michael-Albert, runner-up; Keith Lumley (35-1) of Big Lake; and, Colby Roberts (31-2) of Kasson-Mantorville, fifth. No one had a perfect record in this class.

160 pounds - Nate Matousek (41-0) of Glencoe-Silver Lake, who won the title at 152 pounds last year, returns in search of more gold. Two other medal-winners also return: Ryan Fast (22-3) of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, runner-up in this class; and, Kaleb Young (33-1) of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena, sixth in this class. Matousek has the only perfect record in this class.

171 pounds - There are four returning medalists in this weight class: Andy Przekwas (30-0) of Roseau/Palmquist, runner-up in this class; Kevin Landry (34-2) of Cannon Falls, third in this weight class; Ryan Mergen (31-0) of Monticello, fifth at 160 pounds; and, Luke Vetsch (27-5) of St. Michael-Albertville, sixth in this weight class. Przekwas, Mergen, and Nick Henning (36-0) of Fulda/Murray County Central all have flawless records.

189 pounds - Levi Bullerman (37-1) is the only returning qualifier. He placed third in this weight class last year. Jon Flatau (35-0) has the only flawless record.

215 pounds - Alan Bailey (30-0) of Kasson-Mantorville and Brent Eidenschenk (39-1) of Detroit Lakes are the only returning qualifiers. They placed fifth and second in this weight class, respectively, last year. Bailey has this year's only perfect record.

Heavyweight - Two medalists return: Kyle Bailey (28-1) of Kasson-Mantorville, fifth; and Tom Block (30-2) of Waseca, sixth. No one had a perfect record in this class.

Class AAA Individual Highlights

103 pounds - There are no returning medalists and no perfect records in this class.

112 pounds - Alex Meger (36-6) of Owatonna, who was champion at 103 pounds last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Two other medalists also compete; Terrance Young (41-0) of Minneapolis Edison, third in this weight class; and Zach Hansen (22-8) of Albert Lea Area, fourth at 103 pounds. Young has the only perfect record.

119 pounds - Zach Bigboy (24-1) of Bloomington Kennedy, who won the title at 112 pounds last year, returns in this weight class. Three other medal-winners also return: John Sundgren (26-7) of Blaine, runner-up at 103 pounds; Derek Bomstad (38-0) of Hutchinson, fourth at 112 pounds; and Lukas Lynch (29-7) of Elk River, fifth at 103 pounds. Bomstad boasts the only perfect record.

125 pounds - Seven medal-winners return: Jayson Ness (41-0) of Bloomington Kennedy, runner-up at 119 pounds; Jason Adams (37-2) of Coon Rapids, runner-up at 112 pounds; Adam Shemon (33-8) of Hastings, fourth at 119 pounds; Mike Polley (41-1) of Wayzata, fifth at 112 pounds; Jesse Straw (37-3) of Minneapolis Edison, sixth in this weight class; Ted Wiczek (35-2) of Little Falls, sixth at 119 pounds; and, Jake Deitcher (29-4) of Anoka, sixth at 112 pounds. Ness has the only flawless record.

130 pounds - Seth Anderson (33-1) of Simley, Inver Grove Heights, and Matt Mauseth (37-2) of Rochester Mayo, are the highest returning qualifiers. Anderson was runner-up in this weight class in 2004, and Mauseth was runner-up at 125 pounds. Four other medalists also return: Clark Lensing (31-8) of Totino-Grace, Fridley, third at 119 pounds; Ryan Adams (30-0) of Coon Rapids, third at 125 pounds; Jeff Gleason (11-0) of Apple Valley, fifth at 135 pounds; and, Derrik Orth (33-2) of St. Cloud Tech, sixth in this weight class. Gleason and Adams have the only perfect records.

135 pounds - Richard Fessler (37-0) of Apple Valley, who won the 125-pound crown last season, leads this group of qualifiers. Fessler also has the only flawless record this year. Two additional medalists also return: P.J. Mack (27-5) of Coon Rapids, runner-up in this weight class; and, David Albrecht (36-2) of Woodbury, fifth at 130 pounds.

140 pounds - Jarred McCarthy (34-3) of Farmington is the only returning qualifier. He was fourth at 135 pounds in 2004. Nick Walsh (39-0) of Rosemount has the only perfect record.

145 pounds - Defending champion Mitch Miller (32-2) of Simley returns to seek more gold. Two other medalists also return: Noel Sweeney (27-3) of Grand Rapids, third in this weight class; and Matt Brauer (34-2) of Burnsville, sixth at 135 pounds. Jordan Kolbow (34-0) of Forest Lake has the only perfect record.

152 pounds - Two medal-winners return from 2004: Dave Bjorkstrand (36-3) of Burnsville, fifth at 140 pounds; and Derek Skala (38-4) of Owatonna, sixth at 145 pounds. Brandon Klukow (36-0) of Albert Lea Area has the only flawless record.

160 pounds - Three medalists return: Zach Molitor (40-2) of Cambridge-Isanti, runner-up at 152 pounds; Jake Sweet (31-2) of Totino-Grace, runner-up at 145 pounds; and, Tom Lacombe (30-0) of Apple Valley, fifth at 145 pounds. Lacombe has the only perfect record.

171 pounds - Russell Smith (42-0) of Owatonna is the only returning qualifier. He was the runner-up in this weight class last year and boasts this year's only perfect record.

189 pounds - Two medal-winners return from the 2004 field: Billy Blumhoefer (40-3) of Cambridge-Isanti, fifth in this weight class, and Dusty Iverson (33-4) of Anoka, sixth at 171 pounds. Paul Denne (39-0) of St. Cloud Tech has the only perfect record in this weight class.

215 pounds - Two 2004 medalists return: Steve Larson (28-0) of Apple Valley, runner-up in this weight class; and Tyler Hemmesch (34-2) of Elk River, sixth at 189 pounds. Larson boasts the only perfect record.

Heavyweight - Chris Miller (40-0) of Bemidji is the highest returning qualifier. He placed third in this weight class last year. Bill Lundblad (30-2) of Simley, who placed sixth last year, also returns. Miller and Brady Wilson (17-0) of Faribault have the only perfect records.