Sports

St.Michael-Albertville Wrestling Squad on Top Heading into Section Tournament

The Knights, ranked No. 3 in the state and the top seed in the Section 7-3A tournament, could face two other ranked teams en route to another state tournament berth.

St. Michael-Albertville is a wrestling tradition, winning state trophies at every level possible in the state of Minnesota over the past four decades. 

Now at the top in Class AAA, the Knights (28-4) are ranked No. 3 in the state, and have every intention of getting back to that podium as a team, where they finished second  last season.

"That's what we're all about," said Tommy Thorn, a freshman and top-ranked wrestler at 103 pounds. "You have to wrestle well yourself, but we all want to see the team succeed." 

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That mentality will be key this Friday, as the boys head up to Blaine to take on some tough opponents in Section 7-3A. Quarterfinal action begins at 4 p.m.It is, unarguably, the top section in Class 3A. A total of four teams are ranked by TheGuillotine.com, the state's premiere wrestling website. STMA, Mississippi 8 rival Cambridge-Isanti, Forest Lake and Coon Rapids are all in the top 10. Fridley, another Section 7-3A foe, is in the "lean in mean" category.

"It's tough when you think you might have to wrestle a top 10 team in the semifinals of your section, and then a top five team in the finals," said head coach Dan Lefebvre, who is in his 22nd year as a coach at STMA. "There are no guarantees. But you gotta want it at this point. We can't coach that part of it. They just have to want to advance more than the other guy."

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The Knights' regular season has prepared them for tournament time, said senior Parker Betts, the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in the state. 

"I don't think a lot teams have put in the work we have and wrestled the amount of top national teams we have this year," Betts said. "It was tough in the beginning, because you had some good guys who were getting losses. But our work early is what separates us from everyone else. We're starting to feel it now." 

Betts is one of three Knights to earn their 100th win this season. Joining him in that club were Jake Lillie (152 pounds, ranked fifth) and Shaun Little (189 pounds, ranked second). 

Joining that group eventually will be Thorn, who is the third Thorn to be ranked No. 1 at STMA, following in the footsteps of David and Mike. The freshman said there's "some pressure," but the guys adjust. 

"We know now that every opponent, from here on out, is going to be tough. They don't want to go home. But we feel pretty confident we can get to state again," Thorn said. 

The team section tournament begins Thursday night as the No. 7 and 8 seeds (Blaine and Andover) wrestle for the right to face the Knights. The quarterfinal duals begin at 4 p.m., with four mats in action. Then, the semifinals kick off at 6 p.m., with the Section 7-3A finals under the spotlight at 8 p.m. at Blaine High School.


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