Wrestling notebook: KMS Fighting Saint winds up 6th at state girls tournament
Mar. 4—ST. PAUL — The Xcel Energy Center state can be daunting for a newcomer. Adamaris Chable Rodriguez found that out first hand on Saturday.
Stepping onto the mat for her quarterfinal match in the girls' 152-pound bracket, the nerves hit hard for the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg sophomore. She was taken back by the lower bowl of the arena chock-full of boisterous wrestling fans. She had about 15 family members there to cheer her on.
"I couldn't remember any of my moves and all of that," Chable Rodriguez said about stepping out for her first match. "I just got very nervous."
After the first-match jitters, Chable Rodriguez settled in. And along with being the West Central Tribune area's first female state entrant, she got a win and a medal, placing sixth with a 1-2 record.
"Fifth down here is pretty dang impressive for a second-year wrestler," said Fighting Saints coach Jessie Engler. "Her second match came along and she had a little bit more confidence on the mat. She loosened up."
Chable Rodriguez dropped her first match against Roseville's Alyzabeth Hiler by fall in 3 minutes, 5 seconds. Afterwards, the coaches were giving her a moves crash course to help refresh her memory.
Chable Rodriguez imposed her will right away in her second match. Facing Mora's Annabel McGriff, Chable Rodriguez got a takedown and a two-point near fall in the first period. Starting from the bottom in the second, Chable Rodriguez got an escape, a takedown and eventually, the fall at 1:45.
"I was kind of nervous when I went down but thankfully I was able to get out and was able to put in a cement job," Chable Rodriguez said.
In the fifth-place match, Chable Rodriguez was pinned by Forest Lake's Nas'Jarae White in 1:17.
Capping off the year with a 6-5 record against girls, Chable Rodriguez is hoping for a repeat trip back to St. Paul.
"Now that I know what the experience is like," she said, "I can definitely come back next year and give it a better shot."
Braeden Erickson waited a long time to represent himself again at the Xcel Energy Center.
He made state as an eighth-grader. He did qualify for the COVID-altered state tournament in 2021 but did not get to wrestle in the final eight at St. Michael.
A senior captain for Willmar, Erickson made it back to St. Paul. And he left with a medal, placing fifth at 170AAA.
"It's been my goal to get back here for a while," Erickson said as his eyes welled up. "I finally got here; it was really relieving. I knew I wanted to get on the podium. I finally got there."
Erickson and Apple Valley's Marcell Booth needed overtime to determine a winner in the fifth-place match. Tied 4-4 after three periods, a scramble resulted in Erickson getting a takedown and the victory. He ended his senior season with a 40-6 record.
"I've always been more of a scrambler," Erickson said. "It really paid off at the end there when I had to grab his leg. He had a good shot on me and I just kept scrambling and came out on top."
Said Cardinals head coach Ed Oehlers, "He's been a good leader and captain on the team. It's truly something he deserves."
Three Willmar wrestlers left with medals.
After losing a 5-0 decision in the 138AAA semifinals to St. Michael-Albertville's Parker Janssen, sophomore Conlan Carlson (41-5) won his last two matches. He placed third after a 19-4 tech fall over Shakopee's Connor Warren.
At 132, sophomore Sully Anez (33-12) finished sixth.
"For all of our guys, how they battled through these finals, to have these few guys placing is amazing for them and the program," Oehlers said.
* Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa had an area-high four medalists. Led by state champion Maximus Hanson, four of the Jaguars' six state entrants left with hardware. Ethan Spanier was third at 220A, Ryan Jensen was fifth at 132A and Carson Gilbert was sixth at 182A.
* Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo tied with Willmar with three medalists: Ben Gunlogson (third, 106AA), Brady Rhode (fourth, 285AA) and Zander Clausen (sixth, 138AA).
* One of two defending state champions in the area, KMS' Trey Gunderson finished third at 120A. He lost a 4-3 decision to St. Clair/Mankato Loyola's Simon Kruse in the semifinals. He rallied to win his final two matches, including a 9-0 major decision over Holdingford's Wyatt Novitzki in the third-place match. Gunderson wrapped up the season with a 55-1 record.
120
Cavin Carlson, Willmar (38-5): Carlson maj dec Keiichi Kong, Apple Valley, 15-2; Jacob Aho, Forest Lake, dec Carlson, 10-5; Carlson won by forfeit over Gabriel Cohn, St. Thomas Academy; Connor Peterson, Maple Grove, dec Carlson, 2-1.
132
Sully Anez, Willmar (33-12): Anez maj dec Kellen Burger, Rochester Mayo, 15-2; Lincoln Vick, Waconia, dec Anez, 5-2; Anez dec Caden Grenier, Mounds View, 8-2; Anez dec Jack Bainbridge, Hastings, 4-2; Landon Nebel, Edina, pinned Anez, 2:55; Fifth-place: Easton Dircks, Brainerd, dec Anez, 6-3.
138
Conlan Carlson, Willmar (41-5): Carlson pinned Dayton Dale, Forest Lake, 1:52; Carlson maj dec Connor Warren, Shakopee, 13-4; Parker Janssen, STMA, dec Carlson, 5-0; Carlson maj dec Ty Saulter, Rosemount, 17-5; Third-place: Carlson tech fall Connor Warren, 19-4.
170
Braeden Erickson, Willmar (38-5): Erickson dec Jack Ferguson, Shakopee, 7-1; Treytin Byers, Cambridge-Isanti, dec Erickson, 10-6; Erickson maj dec Calvin Brinkman, Irondale, 8-0; Erickson tech fall Ian Wittek, Anoka, 15-0; Noah Torgerson, STMA, dec Erickson, 8-5; Fifth-place: Erickson dec Marcell Booth, Apple Valley, 6-4 (OT).
182
Steven Cruze, Willmar (21-10): Dylan Peper, Rochester Mayo, pinned Cruze, 2:43.
195
Zander Miska, Willmar (20-20): Tyson Hentges, St. Michael-Albertville, dec Miska, 4-2.
106
Ben Gunlogson, United (43-3): Joel Friedrichs, W-M/ML, maj dec Gunlogson, 11-0; Gunlogson pinned Robby Sherk, Park Rapids, 3:37; Gunlogson pinned Nolan Fettig, Alexandria, 2:39; Gunlogson dec Preston Xayachak, Windom/ML, 9-6; Third-place: Gunlogson pinned Joel Friederichs, WM/ML, 1:55.
113
Isaiah Nelson, NLS (39-10): Nelson dec Kyler Sherk, St. Francis, 6-1; Logan Schwanz, Hutchinson, dec Nelson, 5-3 (OT); Noah Schaefer, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, dec Nelson, 4-2.
120
Victor Franco, D-C/Litchfield (14-4): Franco maj dec Shane Schwab, South St. Paul, 14-1; Tegan Sherk, St. Francis, pinned Franco, 4:45; Franco dec Nolan Campbell, Rock Ridge, 8-2; Franco dec Mason Nelson, Mora, 10-3; Franco dec Cole Munsterteiger, Mound-Westonka, 10-5; Third-place: Logan Davis, Albert Lea, pinned Franco, 3:01.
126
Daniel Gunlogson, United (36-6): Gunlogson maj dec Isaac Williams, Scott West, 9-0; Calvin Singewald, Cannon Falls, dec Gunlogson, 3-1; Vance Barz, Sauk Rapids, dec Gunlogson, 6-4.
132
Kameron Sather, United (35-9): Nathan Nelson, Mora, dec Sather, 13-8.
138
Zander Clausen, United (39-9): Cooper Rowe, Mound-Westonka, tech fall Clausen, 16-0; Clausen dec Chase Becker, Pierz, 5-3; Clausen dec Kale Geiser, Thief River Falls, 6-4; Davin Rose, MAHACA, pinned Clausen, 2:09; Fifth-place: Cooper Rowe, Mound-Westonka, pinned Clausen, 1:16.
170
Holt Larson, United (36-4): Hayden Schaefer, Mahtomedi, tech fall Larson, 15-0.
182
Tate Link, D-C/Litchfield (33-3): Link maj dec Jacob Williams, Aitkin, 15-5; Link dec Hunter Gibson, MAHACA, 10-5; Travis Smith, Simley, inj def Link; Evan McGuire, Mahtomedi, medical forfeit Link; Fifth-place: Jacob Williams, Aitkin, medical forfeit Link.
195
Parker Bothun, United (31-31): Corbin Knapp, PL/PRB, dec Bothun, 4-2.
285
Brady Rhode, United (40-7): Rhode tech fall Clayton Danielson, Grand Rapids, 16-0; Carter Geerts, Byron, dec Rhode, 5-0; Rhode pinned Owen Swedberg, Totino-Grace, 3:14; Rode pinned Riley Peters, PL/PRB, 2:43; Rhode dec Jeffery Moen, DL, 8-7; Third-place: Carter Geerts, Byron, pinned Rhode, 3:37.
106
Roman Roberg, Paynesville (22-12): Brady Murphy, WEM/JWP, pinned Roberg, 1:30.
Miles Wildman, Minnewaska (40-4): Wildman dec Ryder Antony, LCWM, 5-3; Wildman dec Beau Hudoba, Ogilvie, 9-2; Javier Berg, Chatfield, pinned Wildman, 5:39; Brady Murphy, WEM/JWP, dec Wildman, 7-5; Fifth-place: Wildman dec Owen Gruchow, WCA/A/BE, 8-6.
120
Trey Gunderson, KMS (55-1): Gunderson pinned David Schuh, TMB/WWG, 1:34; Gunderson pinned Jed Carlson, Pelican Rapids, 0:37; Simon Kruse, St. Clair, dec Gunderson, 4-3; Gundersno dec Benito Diaz, Sibley East, 5-2; Third-place: Gunderson maj dec Wyatt Novitzki, Holdingford, 9-0.
Chase Smith, Minnewaska (36-6): Simon Kruze, St. Clair, dec Smith, 4-2; Smith maj dec Braxton Lange, Caledonia/Houston, 8-0; Smith pinned David Schuh, TMB/WWG, 2:13; Wyatt Novitzi, Holdingford, dec Smith, 6-0; Fifth-place: Benito Diaz, Sibley East, pinned Smith, 1:34.
126
Brady Kiecker, BOLD (29-13): Eli Larson, Border West, maj dec Kiecker, 12-3; Dawson McGee, WHA/Nevis, dec Kiecker, 11-4.
132
Ryan Jensen, BBE (43-5): Jensen pinned Aiden Wolfe, Fosston/Bagley, 1:23; Bo Zwiener, Westfield, dec Jensen 4-3 (OT); Jensen pinned Mark Schiefelbein, Kimball, 0:52; Jensen dec Jacob Taplin, Osakis, 4-0; Owen Denstad, Caledonia/Houston, dec Jensen, 5-3; Fifth-place: Jensen pinned Bo Zwiener, Westfield, 1:00.
138
Wyatt Engen, BBE (37-8): Engen pinned Evan Schweisthal, Medford, 5:05; Cory Scanlan, Caledonia/Houston, dec Engen, 4-2 (OT); Engen dec Deagen Captain, BH/V/PP, 9-2; Lane Fink, Canby, dec Engen, 12-7.
145
Jett Olson, KMS (37-16): Logan Butzon, JCC, maj dec Jett Olson, 15-7; William Pilarski, Holdingford, dec Olson, 8-3.
152
Austin Kiecker, BOLD (34-2): Kiecker pinned Isaac Blocker, Caledonia/Houston, 4:42; Kiecker dec Garron Hoffman, Medford, 6-5; Kiecker pinned John Paul Fitzpatrick, Crosby-Ironton, 5:29; Championship: Brodie Kellen, Dover-Eyota, dec Kiecker, 5-2.
160
Hunter Laage, BBE (22-26): Gavin Gust, Dover-Eyota, pinned Laage, 3:32; Byron Getchell, Maple River/USC, dec Laage, 3-1.Jevon Williams, ACGC (40-4): Williams dec Logan Kuseske, Kimball, 5-0; Simon Snyder, New York Mills, pinned Williams, 5:30; Williams pinned Blake McMullen, Mahnomen/Waubun, 3:14; Williams maj dec Byron Getchell, Maple River/USC, 10-0; Williams tech fall Tucker Zigan, LPGE/Browerville, 18-2; Third-place: Williams dec Simon Snyder, New York Mills, 5-4.
170
Maximus Hanson, BBE (48-1): Hanson dec Sam Rock, Luverne, 9-2; Hanson dec Preston Mayfield, Frazee, 9-3; Hanson dec Tate Hermes, Medford, 5-3 (OT); Championship: Hanson dec Collin Boese, HLWW, 3-1.
182
Carson Gilbert, BBE (30-15): Kail Schott, Chatfield, dec Gilbert, 5-3; Gilbert maj dec Nick Slater, LCWM, 12-2; Gilbert, dec Jaxon Bartkowicz, Holdingford, 4-2; Peyton Hemmesch, Paynesville, pinned Gilbert, 6:00; Fifth-place: Tate Twardowski, LPGE/Browerville, pinned Gilbert, 4:21.
Peyton Hemmesch, Paynesville (36-7): Hemmesch pinned Justin Koehn, BH/V/PP, 3:25; Hemmesch dec Tate Twardowski, LPGE/Browerville, 6-4 (OT); Anthony Sykora, WCA/A/BE, pinned Hemmesch, 3:11; Hemmesch pinned Carson Gilbert, BBE, 6:00; Third-place: Hemmesch pinned Cooper Ochsendorf, Maple River/USC, 5:46.
195
Thomas Dineen, Benson (49-0): Dineen pinned Kaden Holm, Royalton/Upsala, 0:50; Dineen dec Shawn Hendrickson, United North Central, 6-1; Dineen dec Vander Mathiowetz, Red Rock Central, 6-0; Championship: Dineen pinned Jacob Schimek, St. Clair, 2:50.
220
Terrell Renne, ACGC (28-13): Jordan Kroll, Barnesville, dec Renne, 7-3.
Ethan Spanier, BBE (41-6): Spanier dec Cashmere Hamilton-Grunau, Minneapolis North, 8-6; Spanier pinned Jordan Kroll, Barnesville, 2:27; Caleb Vancura, JCC, dec Spanier, 7-5; Spanier dec Tyler Mix, Dover-Eyota, 7-5; Third-place: Spanier pinned Bryce Holm, Royalton/Upsala, 1:39.
285
Spencer Eisenbraun, Paynesville (34-6): Eisenbraun maj dec Mason Marx, N-K/G, 9-1; Cameron Wieneke, Adrian, dec Eisenbraun, 2-1 (UTB); Eisenbraun pinned Jakob Duske, HLWW, 2:11; Eisenbraun dec Hundson Scholten, Minneota, 4-1 (OT); Makota Misgen, NRHEG pinned Eisenbraun, 3:44; Fifth-place: Eisenbraun dec Brandon Mugg, Royalton/Upsala, 3-0.
152
Adamaris Chable Rodriguez, KMS (6-5): Alyzabeth Hiler, Roseville, pinned Chable Rodriguez, 3:05; Chable Rodriguez pinned Annabel McGriff, Mora, 1:45; Fifth-place: Nas'Jarae White, Forest Lake, pinned Chable Rodriguez, 1:17.
