The smackdown in St. Paul is back for another edition, with the state wrestling tournament again gracing the downtown scene — this time a day earlier.
Four days of grapples, reversals and takedowns are on deck at Grand Casino Arena. If you can’t make it in person, you can stream the action for a fee on prepspotlight.tv/MSHSL.
Here are answers to a few burning questions ahead of the state wrestling tournament:
It’s a four-day event now?
Yes, the Minnesota State High School League secured an extra day at Grand Casino Arena to better space out the state wrestling tournament. Here’s the new set up:
Wednesday: Team state quarterfinals, team consolation semifinals and team state semifinals.
Thursday: Round 1 of the individual tournaments, team consolation finals and third-place matches, team state championships.
Friday: Individual quarterfinals, Round 1 of wrestlebacks, individual semifinals and Round 2 of wrestlebacks.
Saturday: Round 3 of wrestlebacks, individual consolation semifinals, individual fifth-place matches, individual third-place matches, and individual state championship matches.
Note: The final session on Saturday is from 1-5 p.m., putting the individual state championship matches around 3 p.m. versus the traditional Saturday night conclusion. The Wild have an afternoon game on Sunday, creating a short turnaround for the St. Paul arena crew.
Was the Class 2A state championship 10 days ago?
Simley is the top seed in Class 2A as it searches for a seventh state title in eight years. The Spartans are also the top-ranked team in the class. The second-ranked team won’t be in St. Paul when the team competition opens Wednesday because the Spartans defeated it earlier this month.
Simley was placed back in Section 1 this year, meaning its showdown with Kasson-Mantorville took place in the section final. The Spartans won 33-24 in a hotly contested dual that wasn’t determined until the 215-pound match.
In fact, Simley is the only team ranked in the top seven of The Guillotine’s final team rankings released Feb. 5 to reach the state tournament. Yet there are a number of quality teams in the field, with a number of ranked wrestlers throughout their lineups such as undefeated New Ulm and fourth-seeded Scott West.
Each of the five seeded teams in the class could prove frisky come semifinal time. But, yes, the Spartans are the favorites.
Can anyone beat St. Michael-Albertville?
Maybe in the final. The Knights has beaten second-seeded Stillwater twice already this season. There’s a reason they’re undefeated: Everyone in their first seven weight classes is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 individually in Class 2A.
But Stillwater has a lot more talent up top, and the quality of their wrestlers in the lighter weights — traditionally dominated by the Knights — will at least make it interesting.
The path to an upset of the Knights is likely the same as the Hastings used in the 2023 title match, when the Raiders won the final five matches of the dual to eke out a one-point victory.
Third-seeded Shakopee also is a threat given their high-end guys in the heavier weights. The Sabers and Ponies figure to put on a show in the semifinal, and whoever advances could at least give St. Michael-Albertville a run for its money Thursday night.
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