Three Titles for Steele County Wrestlers at State Tourney; Seven Others Place

Ten Steele County wrestlers placed during the Minnesota State High School League individual tournament at Xcel Energy Center March 4 and 5. A pair of Owatonna grapplers won titles, a second straight for one of them and a first-ever performance for the other. Two Huskies finished in third place.

A Medford wrestler became a three-time state champ. Teammates came in second and fifth. NRHEG had a pair of state runners up and a third place finisher.

OWATONNA

Rian Grunwald, senior, 17-8, 114 pounds - CHAMPION

• Won 8-6, sudden victory vs Lanna Walter, sophomore, Sauk Centre/Melrose
• First Place Match: Won 10-2 vs Madelyn Strohmayer, Aitkin, sophomore
• First-ever girls wrestling champion for OHS

No. 1 Landen Johnson, senior, 43-3, 160 pounds - CHAMPION

• Win by pin (2:42) vs Dylan Cariveau, Roseville Area, senior, 19-12
• Won 6-0 vs No 8 Marcell Booth, Apple Valley, sophomore, 33-10
• First Place Match: 10-3 vs No. 2 Jed Wester, St. Michael-Albertville, sophomore, 39-2
• Second state title for Johnson in his third appearance in the finals. It was Owatonna's 31st overall individual title and the fourth time Owatonna has won multiple titles at the same tournament.

Isabelle Townley, freshman, 16-18, 107 pounds - THIRD PLACE

• Lost by fall vs Aspen Blasko, sophomore, Forest Lake, 32-9
• Third Place Match: Won 5-4 vs Hanah Schuster, Apple Valley, 12-0, freshman

No. 4 Cael Robb, junior, 42-5, 132 pounds - THIRD PLACE

• Won 14-1 vs Luke Timko, Centennial, sophomore, 13-5
• Lost 2-1 vs No. 6 Jayden Haueter, Apple Valley, sophomore, 38-7
• Win 8-0 vs Michael Gillette, Chaska/Chanhassen, 8th grade, 30-17
• Won 5-0 vs No. 7 Austin Litke, Little Falls, senior, 33-7
• Advance by forfeit vs No. 2 Caleb Thoennes, St. Michael-Albertville, senior
• Third Place Match: Won 4-2 vs No. 6 Jayden Haueter, Apple Valley, sophomore

Lane Karsten, freshman, 26-14, 113 pounds

• Lost 5-3 vs No. 8 Thomas Holmquist, St. Thomas Academy, sophomore 32-9

Kanin Hable, senior, 20-15, 145 pounds

• Win by forfeit vs No. 4 Brendan Howes, Anoka, senior, 46-4
• Lost 4-0 vs No. 6 Dane Jorgenson, Bemidji, junior, 32-5
• Lost 5-1 vs Carter Berggren, Prior Lake, senior, 21-19

No. 8 Jacob Reinardy, senior, 35-9, 170 pounds

• Won 7-3 vs Damien Bentho, Brainerd, junior 24-14
• Lost 7-0 vs No. 4 Adam Cherne, Wayzata, junior 47-3
• Won 3-1 in sudden victory vs Treyton Byers, Cambridge-Isanti, junior, 35-11
• Lost vs No. 6 Noah Torgerson, Anoka, sophomore, 36-10

Andrew Nirk, senior, 16-20, 195 pounds

• Lost vs Antonio Menard, Lakeville North, sophomore, 24-10

MEDFORD

No. 4 Charley Elwood, junior, 21-1, 138 pounds - CHAMPION

• Won 10-5 vs Carter Coauette, Crookston, sophomore, 35-12
• Win by pin (3:12) vs No. 5 Thomas Freking, Jackson County Central, 39-9
• Won 6-3 vs No. 2 Austin Kiecker, BOLD, sophomore, 43-2
• First Place Match: Won 15-0 by tech fall vs No. 10 Christian Pater, Black Duck/Cass Lake/Bena, senior, 32-2
• Elwood's third state title and the 14th in Medford history.

No. 7 Tate Hermes, junior, 38-7, 160 pounds - SECOND PLACE

• Won 9-2 vs No. 10 Treyton Thesing, Dover-Eyota, senior, 28-9
• Won 3-1 vs No. 4 Elon Ness, United North Central, senior, 42-5
• Won 5-1 vs No. 2 Coy Gunderson, KMS, senior, 45-3
• Championship Match: Lost 7-0 vs No.1 Payton Handevidt, Jackson County Central, senior, 47-3

No 9 Tommy Elwood, freshman, 38-9, 126 pounds - FIFTH PLACE

• Won 5-0 vs No. 8 Bolton Thesing, Dover-Eyota, sophomore, 38-10
• Lost 5-2 vs Alex Diederich, Royalty/Upsala, junior, 39-4
• Won 4-1 vs Troy Van Keulen, Minneota, senior, 26-12
• Won 11-3 vs David Revering, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, sophomore, 36-12
• Lost 2-0 vs No. 6 Eli Larson, Border West, junior, 33-3
• Fifth Place Match: Win by forfeit vs No. 1 Brandon Ross, Caledonia/Houston, senior, 19-2

Luis Lopez, sophomore, 29-15, 106 pounds

• Won 9-5 vs No. 7 Adam Devlaeminck, Minneota, 8th grade, 26-11
• Lost by injury vs No. 5 Wyatt Notitzke, Holdingford, freshman, 34-3
• Lost 6-2 vs Dalton Wilson, LeSueur-Henderson, 7th grade, 27-11

Garron Hoffman, junior, 25-10, 152 pounds

• Lost by fall (1:59) vs No. 5 Jett Thoreson, St. Charles, senior, 35-5
• Lost 9-2 vs No. 2 Landon Gode, Long Prairie/Grey Eagle/Browerville, senior, 32-2

No. 7 Dylan Heiderscheidt, junior, 31-11, 182 pounds

• Lost by fall (1:43) vs No. 6 Carson Gilbert, BBE, freshman, 35-8

NRHEG

No. 7 Ralph Roesler, senior, 45-2, 195 pounds - SECOND PLACE

• Won 11-6 vs Tyler Mix, Dover-Eyota, junior, 16-6
• Won 3-1 in sudden victory vs Torrey Carlson, United North Central, senior, 35-11
• Won by pin (1:02) vs Isaiah Renne, ACGC, sophomore, 31-15
• Championship Match: Lost by fall vs No. 1 Thomas Dineen, Benson, 46-0

No. 2 Makota Misgen, junior, 42-7, 285 pounds - SECOND PLACE

• Won 1-0 vs No. 8 Cameron Scholten, junior, Jackson County Central, 32-14
• Won 3-2 vs No. 10 Jackson Esping, Minneota, senior, 11-0
• Won 5-1 vs No. 4 Austin Schlangen, Eden Valley Watkins, senior, 40-6
• Championship Match: Lost in overtime vs No. 3 Jeremy Mugg, Royalty-Upsala, senior, 41-6

Annabelle Petsinger, sophomore, 120 pounds - THIRD PLACE

• Lost 7-4 vs Brooklyn Conrad, Ortonville, senior, 28-14
• Third Place Match: Win by pin (3:34) vs Nora Houglam, Mora, sophomore, 9-4

No. 10 Nikolas Petsinger, senior, 39-9, 132 pounds

• Win by pin (3:39) vs No. 5 Braden Thom, Lester Prairie/GE/Browerville, senior, 38-5
• Lost 3-2 vs Owen Denstad, Caledonia/Houston, sophomore, 43-4
• Win by pin (3:21) vs Johnny Cummings, St. Agnes, junior, 27-19
• Lost vs. No. 7 Hunter Gruchow, West Central Area, freshman, 42-11

Ben  Hagen, freshman, 15-12, 220 pounds

• Lost by fall vs No. 1 Gideon Ervasti, Bertha-Hewitt/VP, senior, 18-1
• Lost by fall vs Colton Long, Howard Lake/WW, sophomore, 28-16

WESTFIELD

Bo Zwiener, freshman, 32-6, 120 pounds

• Lost 9-1 vs Masyn Patrick, Holdingford, 8th grade, 32-7
• Lost 5-0 vs No. 1 Galvin Albers, Long Prairie/Grey Eagle/Browerville, junior, 42-3

Cade Christianson, junior, 24-15, 138 pounds

• Lost by fall (1:59) vs No. 2 Austin Kiecker, BOLD, sophomore, 41-2
• Lost 4-2 vs Nate Bobendrier, Pipestone Area, senior, 34-13

Tyler Archer, senior, 31-7, 170 pounds

• Won 7-1 vs Koby Endres, Wadena-Deer Creek, junior 25-7
• Lost by fall vs No. 6 Gabe Gorecki, Royalty/Upsala, senior, 36-14
• Lost 4-1 vs Jaedin Johnson, Kenyon-Wanamingo, junior, 38-4