St. Michael Wrestlers Begin March to State Tournament Tonight

It's a difficult task for any team to march through a Section Wrestling tournament, both as a team and with a group of individuals, and come out on top. 

But for the St. Michael-Albertville Knights, anything less than a Section 7-3A team championship, held this weekend in Forest Lake, would be utter disappointment. 

And they don't mind the pressure. 

The Knights, who are the reigning champions in the section since they joined Class 3A, are heavy favorites to not only win the section, but to win the Minnesota Class 3A title, something the school hasn't done before.

As a team, standing in the way will be Cambridge-Isanti, the No. 4 team in the state and last year's Section 7-3A runner-up.

The Knights, however, dominated the BlueJackets in the teams' meeting back, winning 40-10 in a head-to-head duel. 

For the season, STMA is 27-1, it's best head-to-head record under coach Dan Lefebvre. The Knights only loss is to Brandon, FL. 

Leading the way on that quest is two-time Class 3A champion Tommy Thorn, a junior, who is the favorite to win again at 125 pounds. 

He's the No. 1 wrestler in his class in the state, and widely considered the top freestyler in his class in the nation. 

And he's just one of a group of Knights ranked No. 1 in the state. 

In fact, here's the latest look at state rankings for each Knights wrestler, according to The Guillotine website: 

106 - No.1 Mitchell McKee, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 9

113 - No. 9 Aaron Dick, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 11

120 - No. 1 Tommy Thorn, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 11

126 - No. 6 Tanner Mills, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

132 - No. 2  Mark Voss, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 11

138 - No. 2 Cole Sladek, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

145 - No. 4 Lincoln Mallinger, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

170 - No. 3 Jordan Joseph, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 10

182 - No. 1 Ricky Briggs, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

195 - No. 9 Jake Briggs, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 10

220 - No. 1 Mitchell Eull, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

285 - No. 3 Michael Kessler, Saint Michael-Albertville (7) 12

STMA opens the tournament today with a duel vs. Elk River, the No. 9 squad in Section 7-3A at 4 p.m. at Forest Lake High.