Jed Wester and Jimmy Heil slammed the door on Stillwater wrestling’s hopes for an upset Friday night, securing a State 3A Championship for St. Michael-Albertville and securing an undefeated season for the Knights.
It culminated a year that saw STMA take on all comers – from top-ranked opponents in other classes to challengers like the Ponies and familiar foes like Apple Valley.
From 106 to 160 pounds, perhaps no STMA team has been better in recent memory. The Knights simply overpowered teams to take commanding leads early on, which is what they did at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday.
From Mason and Chase Mills to defending state champ Cole Becker, the Knights were formidable in so many ways.
“They’re just difficult to chase down,” said an opposing coach. “You may have the horses at the higher weights, but they’ll build so many points on falls and tech falls that they’re impossible to catch. That lineup was built for speed.”
The track led to nothing but gold. STMA dominate duels and The Clash in the early going, and even knocked off Stillwater – long the No. 2 team in the state – earlier in the season.
One key – the lineup avoided major injuries. With folks like Landon Robideau and others putting together over 40-match season, health was key.
The Knights will wrestle for individual glory at the X starting tomorrow morning.
STMA qualified 11 wrestlers at last week’s Section 5 Tournament, and took the team tournament easily the weekend prior in Rogers, dumping Wayzata 49-20 in the championship duel.
Coach Josh Joriman – who was named Section 5-3A Coach of the Year – has finished in the top five in each of his seasons at STMA since taking over for coach Dan Lefebvre in the 2018-2019 season.
Becker and Caleb Thoennes, both seniors, lead the team with second place rankings at 145 and 132, respectively. Mason Mills, a sophomore, and Robideau, a freshman, are both ranked first in their classes – 113 and 126 pounds. Jed Wester, just a sophomore, is also ranked second (160) while Chase Mills, only in Grade 8, is ranked third overall at 106.
Here’s the results from a busy day in St. Paul:
Match Summary STW STMA
106 Chase Mills (St. Michael-Albertville) over Mikey Jelinek (Stillwater) Dec 7-5 0 3.0
113 Mason Mills (St. Michael-Albertville) over Joseph Dauffenbach (Stillwater) Fall 2:27 0 6.0
120 Ian Schultz (St. Michael-Albertville) over Dylan Dauffenbach (Stillwater) Dec 5-1 0 3.0
126 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Sam Bethke (Stillwater) TF 24-9 0 5.0
132 Caleb Thoennes (St. Michael-Albertville) over Cittadino Tuttle (Stillwater) TF 23-8 0 5.0
138 Eli Davis (St. Michael-Albertville) over Owen Bouthilet (Stillwater) Dec 7-6 0 3.0
145 Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) over Otto Hanlon (Stillwater) Maj 14-5 0 4.0
152 Jimmy Heil (St. Michael-Albertville) over Keaton Urbanski (Stillwater) Maj 9-1 0 4.0
160 Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Eric Jurek (Stillwater) Fall 3:09 0 6.0
170 Hunter Lyden (Stillwater) over Ken Stahl (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 1:29 6.0 0
182 Ryder Rogotzke (Stillwater) over Tyson Hentges (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 1:35 6.0 0
195 Zachariah Hunter (Stillwater) over Jake Springer (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 3:58 6.0 0
220 Jawahn Cockfield (Stillwater) over Myles Dehmer (St. Michael-Albertville) Maj 16-6 4.0 0
285 Antony Tuttle (Stillwater) over Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) TF 22-7 5.0 0
Dual Meet Score 27.0 39.0 STMA
Match Summary STMA ANOK
106 Chase Mills (St. Michael-Albertville) over Gabrielle Bragg (Anoka) Fall 3:54 6.0 0
113 Mason Mills (St. Michael-Albertville) over Cayden Ban (Anoka) Fall 2:56 6.0 0
120 Ian Schultz (St. Michael-Albertville) over Garrett Wittek (Anoka) Fall 0:54 6.0 0
126 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Austin West (Anoka) Fall 0:22 6.0 0
132 Caleb Thoennes (St. Michael-Albertville) over Elijah Paulson (Anoka) Maj 9-1 4.0 0
138 Carter Ban (Anoka) over Jarrett Wadsen (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 9-3 0 3.0
145 Brendan Howes (Anoka) over Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 3-2 0 3.0
152 Jacob Whitaker (Anoka) over Jimmy Heil (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 8-3 0 3.0
160 Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Logan Jungling (Anoka) Fall 3:13 6.0 0
170 Noah Torgerson (Anoka) over Bryon Sauvy (St. Michael-Albertville) TF 19-3 0 5.0
182 Jake Springer (St. Michael-Albertville) over Luke DeChene (Anoka) Dec 10-6 3.0 0
195 Jaden Burandt (Anoka) over Tate Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 1:07 0 6.0
220 Sean Jordan (Anoka) over Myles Dehmer (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 6-4 0 3.0
285 Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) over Grant Chapman (Anoka) Fall 1:46 6.0 0
Dual Meet Score 43.0 23.0 STMA
Match Summary APVA STMA
106 Louis Prouty (Apple Valley) over Joe Scully (St. Michael-Albertville) Maj 9-1 4.0 0
113 Mason Mills (St. Michael-Albertville) over Austin Laudenbach (Apple Valley) Dec 1-0 0 3.0
120 Ian Schultz (St. Michael-Albertville) over Keiichi Kong (Apple Valley) Maj 14-5 0 4.0
126 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville) over Tyler Laudenbach (Apple Valley) Fall 1:46 0 6.0
132 Caleb Thoennes (St. Michael-Albertville) over Jayden Haueter (Apple Valley) TF 21-6 0 5.0
138 Eli Davis (St. Michael-Albertville) over Ian Haueter (Apple Valley) Dec 6-0 0 3.0
145 Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) over Parker Elliott (Apple Valley) Fall 2:08 0 6.0
152 Jimmy Heil (St. Michael-Albertville) over Travis Bender (Apple Valley) Fall 0:24 0 6.0
160 Jed Wester (St. Michael-Albertville) over Max Elliott (Apple Valley) Fall 4:42 0 6.0
170 Marcell Booth (Apple Valley) over Ken Stahl (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 5-1 3.0 0
182 AJ Garcia (Apple Valley) over Tate Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 5-0 3.0 0
195 Parker Muth (Apple Valley) over Tyson Hentges (St. Michael-Albertville) Dec 5-2 3.0 0
220 Conner Elliott (Apple Valley) over Marcus Mueller (St. Michael-Albertville) Fall 1:34 6.0 0
285 Owen Barthel (St. Michael-Albertville) over Jalen Burke (Apple Valley) Fall 1:02 0 6.0
Dual Meet Score 19.0 45.0 STMA
