Wrestling fans at St. Michael-Albertville Arena on Friday night new the deal. If the tournament went “chalk,” the top two teams in Section 5 would battle for the right to head to state.
The issue – St. Michael-Albertville and Wayzata were both considered state tournament caliber squads. The Trojans had been in the Guillotine’s Top 10 on and off all season. The Knights, of course, had the pedigree that made them a consistent member of the Top 5 teams in the state.
In the end, a well-coached, and well-performed duel featured a number of memorable performances. Carl Leuer- one of the best in the state at 160 pounds, took all of 19 seconds to win his match. Cole Becker held standout Cael Swensen to a 5-2 decision, keeping the Trojans from getting six valuable points. ANd Owen Vike, at 195 pounds, did the same for STMA in his match against the bigger Mac Kukowski.
But the pinnacle came at the end, seeing the scoreboard, and knowing STMA had probably taken Wayzata’s best shot, and held on for a 31-27 win, and another berth in the State Class AAA Team wrestling tournament.
The Knights, who were team champs in 2018, fell a duel short of the title bout last year, getting upended by Stillwater in the team semifinals. They recovered to win bronze, topping Bemidji.
This year, that rematch seems imminent. The Knights will square off against Bemidji in the quarterfinals – the champions out of Section 8. STMA, seeded No. 2 in the team tournament, would then face either Stillwater or Waconia in the semis, with the Ponies a heavy favorite in that dual as a No. 3 seed.
The Knights are led by the perfect mix of youth and experience. Of their eight ranked wrestlers, four are seniors, and the other four are a sophomore, freshman, eighth-grader and seventh-grader.
The seventh-grader, Landon Reobideau, is the highest-ranked, second overall at 106 pounds. Seniors Carl Leuer and Wyatt Lidberg are each ranked third at 170 and 182 respectively. Parker Janssen, the freshman, is fourth at 113.
More will shake out at the individual tournament this weekend, also at STMA, for these wrestlers.
Stay tuned to KRWC 1330 AM for more, or listen online.
The State Wrestling Tournament is set for Feb. 27-29 at the Xcel Energy Center.
SCORING
St. Michael-Albertville 72 Robbinsdale Cooper 9
106 – Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Parker Janssen (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 – Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
126 – Isaiah Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) over Antonio Chatmon (Robbinsdale Cooper) Fall 0:17
132 – Travis Smith (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
138 – Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
145 – Jon Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
152 – Ken Stahl (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
160 – Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
170 – Hayden LeMonds (St. Michael-Albertville) over David Giron Leiva (Robbinsdale Cooper) Fall 0:17
182 – Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) over Sylvester Togba (Robbinsdale Cooper) Fall 0:58
195 – Fletcher Nesbit (St. Michael-Albertville) over Taten Shroyer (Robbinsdale Cooper) Fall 1:11
220 – Walter West (Robbinsdale Cooper) over Toby Dehn (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 2:51
285 – Gabriel Morales (Robbinsdale Cooper) over Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 5-2
St. Michael-Albertville 64 Park Center 6
106 – Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Olivia Sackor (Park Center) Fall 1:09
113 – Parker Janssen (St. Michael-Albertville) over Steven Dolemengi (Park Center) Fall 0:27
120 – Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Alvin Vue (Park Center) Maj 8-0
126 – Isaiah Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) over Abel Vue (Park Center) Maj 15-3
132 – Travis Smith (St. Michael-Albertville) over Samson Oyedokun (Park Center) Fall 4:46
138 – Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) over Zeph Yang (Park Center) TF 18-1
145 – Jon Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) over Emerson Flores (Park Center) Fall 0:55
152 – Jonathan Oyedokun (Park Center) over Ken Stahl (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 4-3
160 – Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville) over DeCarlon Henderson (Park Center) Fall 1:31
170 – Hayden LeMonds (St. Michael-Albertville) over Gbolahan Oyetunde (Park Center) Fall 1:49
182 – Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) over Amarion Carter (Park Center) Fall 1:36
195 – Owen Vike (St. Michael-Albertville) over Kellen Kopp (Park Center) Fall 1:14
220 – Toby Dehn (St. Michael-Albertville) over Sam Paye (Park Center) Dec 3-2
285 – Adam Adeboye (Park Center) over Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 4-1
St. Michael-Albertville 31 Wayzata 27
106 – Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Elijah Wald (Wayzata) Fall 3:47
113 – Cal Lonnquist (Wayzata) over Parker Janssen (St. Michael-Albertville) SV-1 5-3
120 – Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Louis Scott (Wayzata) Fall 1:51
126 – Kyler Wong (Wayzata) over Isaiah Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 6-2
132 – Adam Cherne (Wayzata) over Travis Smith (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 3-1
138 – Cael Swensen (Wayzata) over Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 5-2
145 – Jimmy Heil (St. Michael-Albertville) over Cole Ciardelli (Wayzata) Fall 0:41
152 – Adam El-Damir (Wayzata) over Jon Mlsna (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 7-0
160 – Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville) over Harrison Hawkins (Wayzata) Fall 0:19
170 – Hayden LeMonds (St. Michael-Albertville) over Dominic Heim (Wayzata) Maj 15-2
182 – Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) over Cayden Homme (Wayzata) Dec 7-3
195 – Mac Kukowski (Wayzata) over Owen Vike (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 8-3
220 – Austin Franchino (Wayzata) over Fletcher Nesbit (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 3-1
285 – Jac Carver (Wayzata) over Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 0:33