A trip through the Class 2A, Section 1 tournament prepped Simley for the team state tournament.
The Spartans’ section semifinal match against Pine Island (a 38-19 victory) and section final against Kasson-Mantorville (33-24) were both tighter than Simley’s state quarterfinal and semifinal bouts ahead of Thursday’s state championship dual against New Ulm.
“We’ve been really battle tested in Section 1AA. We’ve been in dogfights, pressure matches, Kasson, Zumbrota, Pine Island all brought really good teams to the table,” Simley co-coach Will Short said. “And we just felt like we came in (to state), we’ve been through a meat grinder to get here.”
Three of the top seven teams in Class 2A hailed from Section 1, per The Guillotine’s most recent rankings – No. 1 Simley, No. 2 Kasson-Mantorville and No. 7 Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
It was Kasson-Mantorville that ended Simley’s six-year state championship streak with a win in last year’s state semifinals. That was when the Spartans were in Section 4. But for the second time in recent memory, the Minnesota State High School League moved Simley south to Section 1 for this season and next, meaning either the KoMets or Spartans – or maybe both, given the competitiveness of Section 1 – won’t compete in the team competition in St. Paul each February.
The only time Simley didn’t qualify for the state tournament since 2008 came in the 2018 campaign, when it was in Section 1 and Kasson-Mantorville downed the Spartans in the section final.
Which is all fine. Short noted a team title is all the better the more daunting the journey. He showered the programs and coaches down south with praise. Ideally all of the state’s top programs compete in St. Paul at the main event, but only one can hoist the trophy at the end regardless.
A few of the top teams in Minnesota duking it out in sections just to reach state is certainly not unique to wrestling. And there’s a lot of value in opening doors for other programs to earn the state experience. South St. Paul has a strong program. The Packers getting back to state for the first time since 2021 is surely another jolt in the arm that will only help South St. Paul to continue to ascend to new heights.
The bigger rub with the realignment rears its head in the individual tournament. Only the top two finishers in each weight class from each section tournament advance to St. Paul. Which makes it difficult when, in the Guillotine’s final pre-postseason rankings earlier this month, Section 1 touted three top-10 ranked wrestlers in multiple weight classes.
“What’s tough is a lot of good individuals aren’t here right now that deserve to be here, that have put in time,” Short said. “So that’s hard.”
Simley sent seven boys individuals to state this season. That number would’ve certainly been in the double digits had the Spartans still been in the East Metro-based Section 4. Their presence in Section 1 also likely suppressed individual state tournament participation for other high-end wrestlers in the southern part of the state, which is unfortunate given the honor that comes with being a state tournament place winner (top six finisher in your weight class).
In Thursday’s individual first-round competition, Section 1 qualifiers went 20-6 in Class 2A boys competition, while Section 4 qualifiers went 3-23.
More is better
The MSHSL adding a fourth day of competition to the state wrestling tournament has generated a couple of positives:
The team tournament is spread out over two days, rather than it all being jammed into one, 12-hour span.
Enough time is available to do a full, double-elimination tournament at the individual level. In past years, 25% of the individual field only received one match. Now, everyone gets at least two.
Moving on
The following East Metro wrestlers reached their respective individual quarterfinals with first-round victories Thursday morning:
3A: 107 pounds – Farmington’s Lucas Stevens, St. Thomas Academy’s Nathan Hoopman, Stillwater’s Chase Lawrence. 114 – Eastview’s Maud Irobe, St. Thomas Academy’s Connor Bischof, Stillwater’s Brodie Lawrence. 121 – Centennial’s Jack Grygelko, White Bear Lake’s Indiana Kane, Hastings’ Beckett Edstrom. 127 – Stillwater’s Noah Nicholson, Farmington’s Blake Han-Lindemyer, Mounds View’s Owen LaRose, Hastings’ William Bainbridge. 133 – Hastings’ Trey Beissel, Eastview’s Spencer Lee. 139 – Rosemount’s Abram Anderson, Stillwater’s Axel Rogotzke. 145 – Park’s Landen Brooks, Mounds View’s William Schneider, Stillwater’s Isaac Leonard, Farmington’s Timothy Mangowi. 152 – Farmington’s Davis Parrow, Stillwater’s George Jones, Park’s Zack Carr. 160 – Stillwater’s Grayson Eggum, Lakeville North’s Riley Forar, Forest Lake’s Dayton Dale, Eastview’s Pierce Lewis. 172 – Apple Valley’s Riley Clark. 189 – Stillwater’s Cael Spates, Eastview’s Logan Myers, Mounds View’s Caden Grenier. 215 – Stillwater’s Cohen Lumby, Forest Lake’s Cullen Christenson, Lakeville North’s Tyler Ruff. 285 – Stillwater’s Andrew Olson, Woodbury’s Mitchell Folks,
2A: 114 – Simley’s Jacob Kranz. 121 – Simley’s Adrian Mincey. 127 – Simley’s Damir Safronov, Mahtomedi’s Aidan Carlson. 145 – Simley’s Jake Kos, Johnson’s Gabe Park. 152 – Simley’s Aiden Mincey. 172 – Simley’s Amilio Salas. 215 – Cretin-Derham Hall’s Julius Washington.
Girls: 100 – Two Rivers’ Ziggy Harahan, Apple Valley’s Madilyn Trottier, Mahtomedi’s Elizabeth Carlson. 106 – Forest Lake’s Annica Blasko. 118 – Simley’s Charli Raymond, Farmington’s Alexandra Thovson, Roseville’s Anica Barze. 124 – Eagan’s Ellie Westerman, Apple Valley’s Andrea Quinones. 130 – White Bear Lake’s Isabelle Kane. 136 – Hastings’ Audrianna Dahlberg. 142 – Simley’s Greta Gundry, Eagan’s Taniah Borney. 148 – Stillwater’s Audry Rogotzke, Forest Lake’s Bella Carlson. 155 – Apple Valley’s Cassy Gonzales, Johnson’s Alyzabeth Hiler, Centennial’s Nora Akpan. 170 – Apple Valley’s Esperanza Calvillo, Roseville’s Alyssa Diedrich, White Bear Lake’s Jinet Demanou. 190 – East Ridge’s Danica Fuelling, White Bear Lake’s Merrick Jensen, Como Park’s Makiya May. 235 – Apple Valley’s Mila Carnahan, Harding’s Charlize-M Laban.
Winner’s bracket competition resumes Friday in St. Paul.
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