Apple Valley junior Cassandra Gonzales utilized a second-period pin to complete a 25-0 campaign and win the 142-pound state title Saturday, the third of her career.
Another plain, old, dominant season, right?
Not exactly. This title means more.
Because there was a point in the middle of the campaign if Gonzales wasn’t sure she would step foot on the mat again. She took a month away from the sport as she struggled mentally.
“I felt like I was kind of pushing myself out of wrestling,” Gonzales said. “I even had thoughts like, ‘I just need to be done. I can’t do it anymore.’
“It was me versus me the whole time.”
Sure, she was undefeated. But Gonzales noted how difficult it can be to uphold that standard. She could step on the mat and take a bad shot, which could lead to a result people would “talk about for days.” She was mentally drained.
But she did return to action after the break, thanks to the support of her family. She noted both God and her late grandfather were looking down on her, and she felt the love and comfort from all in her life.
After her victory Saturday, she went over and embraced her older brothers, among others. Those are the people for whom she pushed through.
“I was just like, ‘I just need to go in there and finish, win or lose,’” Gonzales said. “I knew that I had people standing behind me. No matter what would’ve happened, I know they all still would’ve loved me. That really got me through it.”
Eggum on top
The last name “Eggum” certainly means something in Minnesota wrestling. A freshman at Stillwater, Grayson is the son of Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum.
That brings some inherent pressure.
“A little bit, but my dad helps me not worry about that,” Grayson said. “He always gives me good advice to not make me nervous.”
It clearly worked. Grayson won his first state title Saturday, claiming the Class 3A, 139-pound crown with a 4-1 win over top-seeded Cavin Carlson.
Eggum noted he believes he will win whenever he wrestles his best. But this season wasn’t focused on wins or titles.
“I was just focusing on perfecting the stuff I needed to work on and getting better at that,” he said. “I feel like once I do that, winning gets a lot easier.”
That “stuff” this season included pushing the pace, improved footwork and the ability to grind through matches. It was all put to good use to close the state final, as Eggum had to fight off a hard-charging Carlson.
“The last 30 seconds was one of the hardest matches of my life,” Eggum said.
Vengeance is sweeet
Eagan senior Dylan St. Germain fell in last year’s state title match to Prior Lake’s Liam Collins. On Saturday, St. Germain knew his path to the title would involve beating Collins in the semis, then besting St. Michael-Albertville’s Eli Schultz, who beat Collins already this season, in the title bout.
Yikes. Especially considering St. Germain was battling an illness that left him voiceless, and was far from inspiring in a narrow quarterfinal victory in the Class 3A, 114-pound bracket. Confidence, he noted, “wasn’t the highest.” But he did beat both Liams on Saturday to finally climb the final rung and become a state champion.
“I already knew that it was going to be a tough tournament going in,” St. Germain said. “But even with being sick and going through it today, I was able to pull through and get it done, and I’m just really excited.”
Eagan won two boys titles Saturday, the second coming from Cole Will, who pulled out a narrow victory at 285 pounds.
Strength wins
Centennial junior Nora Akpan completed a 30-0 season to win the 130-pound girls title in dominant fashion Saturday.
She’s the first wrestling member of her family, noting she was drawn to the sport’s physicality and community. Her biggest strength? Well, her strength – the result of persistency and plenty of bodyweight work.
“I keep telling myself that I’m the best, (that) I’m confident I’m the best, and repeating it to myself,” Akpan said.
Hard to argue otherwise.
Ride it out
Typically an on-his-feet wrestler, Simley eighth grader Adrian Mincey rode out the final 40 seconds of his match to win a 5-4 decision to claim the 107-pound Class 2A crown, and then proceeded to do a backflip. Also winning a title for Simley was sophomore Jake Kos, who dominated en route to the 133-pound championship.
Love for the game
Simley sophomore Charli Raymond capped a 37-0 season to win her third straight state title, this one coming in the girls 124-pound division. It keeps alive her dream of six state titles. But that’s not the only thing that gets her back in the wrestling room every day.
“I love wrestling. I love the sport and everything,” she said. “That really helps, just loving the sport. Not taking it as if it’s a job every day and having to go. I love it. That just makes me work hard.”
Other local winners
Stillwater’s Audrey Rogotzke completed an undefeated campaign to win another state title, this one at 148 pounds.
Mounds View senior Brett Swenson won his second-straight title, pulling out a tight win in the Class 3A, 127-pound division.
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