CLASS A PREVIEW
By Roger Mischke
MAT RATS PREVIEW (2022-2023)
SECTION 7A
FAVORITES: ROYALTON-UPSALA ROYALS and the HOLDINGFORD HUSKERS
DARK HORSES: LONG PRAIRIE/GREY EAGLE/BROWERVILLE WOLVES and the STAPLES-MOTLEY CARDINALS
ROYALTON-UPSALA ROYALS
Head Coach: Terry Gorecki
Central Minnesota Conference: 5-1
Overall: 25-2
The Royals earned second place medals in the Class A State tournament dual meet campaign. They defeated United North Central 49-16 and Dover-Eyota 34-33. They were defeated by JCC 45-23 in the championship, they had twelve section place winners, including eight state qualifiers and six earned state medals. They defeated Black Duck/Cass Lake-Bena 56-21, Staples-Motley 54-21 and in the championship they defeated Holdingford 40-23 for the Section 7A championship. Back from that team are eight section place winners, four state qualifiers and three state medal winners. They will have back seven with twenty wins plus and six with experience. Look for the Royals to make a strong challenge to defend their section championship and earn state honors. They could make a challenge for a conference championship. If they stay healthy and spread out in their weights, they could also possibly challenge those very good dual meet marks. The Royals key leaders should include: Alex Diederich (45-4), Bryce Holm (45-11), Tucker Simmons (43-13), Lane Olson (35-11), Will Gorecki (28-11), Bryce Binek (23-19), Kaden Holm (20-12) and Sawyer Simmons (12-5/Injured).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Alex Diederich 12th 45-4 1st Sec./State Champ
Bryce Holm 12th 45-11 1st Sec./4th State
Tucker Simmons 9th 43-13 2nd Sec./5th State
Lane Olson 10th 35-11 5th Section
Will Gorecki 12th 28-11 2nd Section
Bryce Binek 11th 23-19 5th Section
Kaden Holm 11th 20-12 3rd Section
Nicholas Leibold 11th 17-19
Brady Youczek10th13-204th Section
Brock Castanzo 12th 12-19
Sawyer Simmons 11th 12-5 Injured
Graduates:
Jacob Leibold 50-3 2nd Sec./2nd State/AC/189-52 Career
Gabe Gorecki 41-5 1st Sec./2nd State/AC/150-71 Career
Jeremy Mugg 45-6 1st Sec./State Champ/AC/45-7 Career
Hunter Novitzki 27-21 2nd Section/50 Career Wins
HOLDINGFORD HUSKERS
Head Coach: Logan Oellien
Central Minnesota Conference: 2-4
Overall: 27-4
The Huskies defeated Mille Lacs 62-15 and LPGE 32-32 (criteria), before they were defeated in the Section 7A championship by Royalton-Upsala 40-23. The Huskers had eleven section place winners, four state qualifiers and two state place winners. Back from that team are nine section place winners, three state qualifiers and state medal winners. They will have ten with twenty wins plus and nine back with experience. Look for the Huskers to challenge those very good dual meet marks and to move up in the conference standings. The Huskers should make a strong challenge for possible section honors. If they spread out in their weights, look for this young team to be one of the top teams in Class A. Their key leaders should include: Drew Lange (43-8), Wyatt Novitzki (37-4), Masyn Patrick (35-9), Will Pilarski (28-7), Jaxon Bartkowski (28-11), Evan Petron (28-12), Simon Bockman (26-14), Wyatt Pilarski (24-13) and Evan Lichy (21-26).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Drew Lange 11th 43-8 2nd Section/AC
Wyatt Novitzki 10th 37-4 1st Sec./3rd State/AC
Masyn Patrick 9th 35-9 2nd Sect./4th State/AC
Will Pilarski 10th 28-7 3rd Section
Jaxon Bartkowski 9th 28-11 3rd Section
Evan Petron11th28-12
Simon Bockman 9th 26-14 3rd Section
Wyatt Pilarski 9th24-13
Evan Lichy 11th 21-26 4th Section
Cyril Feia 12th 11-7
Mason Lichy 9th 9-1
Kolten Harren 9th 9-5 5th Section
Noah Perowitz 8th 9-2
Grant Welle 11th 7-7
Parker Westbrook 9th 5-3
Casey Knettel 8th 5-4
Maverick Novitzki 9th 2-0
Graduates:
Sam Harren 39-8 2nd Section/AC/127-45 Career
Jaden Bartkowicz 16-4 Injured
Alex Sanchez Mohs 9-24 6th Section
LONG PRAIRIE/GREY EAGLE/BROWERVILLE WOLVES
Head Coach: Nathan Pachan
Park Region Conference: 6-1
Overall: 30-6
The Wolves defeated Ogilvie 54-16 in their Section 7A quarterfinals and they were defeated by Holdingford 32-32 (criteria). They had eleven section place winners, seven state qualifiers and two state medal winners. Back from that team are six section place winners, of which four were state qualifiers. They will have eight with double figure wins and three others with experience. Look for the Wolves to possibly challenge those very dual meet marks. They should make a strong challenge for a top four spot in what should be a balanced Section 7A dual meet campaign. Their key leaders should include; Gavin Albers (43-4), Mason Bruder (40-8), Tate Twardowski (36-12), Connor Flan (29-9), Tucker Zigan (23-23), Paul Stacey (17-22) and Colby Twardowski (21-24).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Gavin Albers 12th 43-4 1st Section/AC
Mason Bruder 10th 40-8 2nd Section/AC
Tate Twardowski 12th 36-12 1st Section
Connor Flan 12th 29-9 6th Section
Tucker Zigan` ` 11th 23-23 2nd Section
Colby Twardowski 8th21-24
Paul Stacey 12th 17-22 4th Section
Alex Line 11th 12-24
Chace Lorentz 10th 2-10
Graduates:
Landon Gode 36-2 1st Sec./3rd State/AC/195-45 Career
Braden Thom 38-6 1st Sec./AC/115-26 Career
Trey Lancaster 38-11 2nd Sec./4th State/AC/90-48 Career
Omar Zamora 27-16 5th Section/49-38 Career
Shawn Houdek 22-25 5th Section
STAPLES-MOTLEY CARDINALS
Head Coach: Jim Jackson
Mid-State Conference: 2-3
Overall: 9-10
The Cardinals defeated Deer River 33-28 in their first Section 7A dual, they were defeated in the semifinals by Royalton-Upsala 54-21. They had eight section place winners. They had just one graduate, so will have back eight section place winners and nine with double figure wins. Look for this young team to make strides of improvement thru out the season. They should improve both overall duals and move up in the conference.. They should make a strong challenge for a possible top four spot in what should be a very balanced section dual meet campaign. The key leaders should include: Colbe Tappe (41-4), Eli Greenwald (25-13), Owen Winter (21-18), Jack Carlson (19-15), Riley Reese (19-20), Steven Petrich (15-10) and Luke Bjerga (10-9).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Colbe Tappe 9th 41-4 3rd Section/AC
Eli Greenwald 9th 25-13 4th Section/AC
Owen Winter 11th 21-18 5th Section
Jack Carlson 10th 19-15
Riley Reese 9th 19-20 6th Section
Jason Trantina 12th 16-25 5th Section
Blake Neelan 11th 16-26 6th Section
Steven Petrich 10th 15-10 5th Section
Luke Bjerga 9th 10-9 6th Section
Graduates:
Dalton Wells 19-12 70-60 (48 Falls)
MILLE LACS RAIDERS
Head Coach: Josh Hughley
Great River Conference: 5-0
Overall: 20-12
The Raiders were defeated in their quarterfinal section 7A dual by Holdingford 62-15. They had ten section place winners, one state qualifier and a medal winner. Back from that team they have eight section place winners back, including two state medalists. They will also return five with experience, including ten with eleven with fourteen plus wins. Look for this young team to challenge those overall dual records and to make a strong challenge to defend their conference honors. They should make a strong challenge for a top four spot in what should be a very balanced section dual meet campaign. The key leaders should include: Zach Remer (44-3), Donovan Schmid (39-2), Carter Adickes (31-13), Cam Wilkes (26-12), Creedon Spengler (25-12), Tucker Strecker (24-19), Bailey Geist (19-20) and Chase Calander (19-17).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Zach Remer 10th 44-3 1st Sec./4th State/AC
Donovan Schmid 11th 39-2 2nd Sec./3rd State/Transfer BD/CL-B
Carter Adickes 9th 31-13 4th Section
Cam Wilkes 12th 26-12 5th Section
Creedon Spengler 10th 25-12 5th Section
Tucker Strecker 12th 24-19
Bailey Geist 11th 19-20 4th Section
Chase Calander 11th 19-17
Landyn Remer 10th 16-21
Finn Scheidweiler 12th 14-26 5th Section
Chris Ecker 12th 14-24 6th Section
Diego Salinas 11th 7-12
Graduates:
Daniel Miller 39-6 3rd Section
Joe Bistodeau 23-20 4th Section
Jakob Wind 22-20
OGILVIE LIONS
Head Coach: Adam Halvorson
Great River Conference: 4-2
Overall: 16-10
The Lions were defeated by LPGE 54-16 in their quarter-final Section 7A dual. They had seven section place winners and a pair of state qualifiers. Returning this season they will have six section place winners, including one state qualifier. They will have twelve with experience joining those section place winners. The Lions will had five back with twenty-seven plus wins. Look for the Lions to improve on those dual meet ranks and likely move up in the conference. If they spread out in their weights and stay healthy they should make a challenge for a top four top in what should be a balanced section dual meet campaign. The Lions key leaders should include: Degas Birkaker (42-7), Landon Halvorson (40-11), Dylan Smith (36-14), Beau Hudoba (34-14), Kaden Felde (27-20), Hayden Bolling (15-28) and Owen Heins (15-12) and Brody Smith (15-29).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Deegan Birkaker 10th 42-7 3rd Section
Landon Halvorson 12th 40-11 2nd Section
Dylan Smith 11th 36-14 3rd Section/AC
Beau Hudoba11th34-14
Kaden Felde 9th 27-20 6th Section
Hayden Bolling 11th 15-28
Brody Smith 9th 15-29
Owen Heins 11th 15-12
Devin Hufstedler 10th 12-18
Talan Baker 10th 11-17
Ethan Houtsma 12th 9-7 6th Section/AC
Chad Baumann 12th 8-23 6th Section
Carter Magaard 9th 8-18
Matthew Sholtz 9th 7-3
Ryan Shoeltz 11th 6-18
Isaiah Voss 10th 5-3
Jaekoon Cho 11th 3-6
Lucas Fradette 9th 4-3
Graduates:
Rhett Hudoba 37-15 1st Section/AC/159-94 Career
DEER RIVER WARRIORS
Head Coach: Steve Berg
Overall:
The Warriors were defeated in the Section 7A quarterfinal dual by Staples-Motley 33-28. They had nine section place winners, including three state qualifiers. Back from that team are eight section place winners, including two state qualifiers. They will have nine with double figure wins and two with experience. Look for the Warriors to improve on their dual meet marks. This young team should make strides of improvement thru out the course of the season. They could surprise a couple of their foes along the way. Their key leaders should include: Gus Thompson (31-12), Jo Jo Thompson (29-6), Charles Ikola (28-12), Tygh Gullickson (27-15), Tate Evans (24-13) and Lee Perrington (16-15).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Gus Thompson 11th 31-12 3rd Section
Jo Jo Thompson 12th 29-6 1st Section
Charles Ikola 11th 28-12 3rd Section
Tygh Gullickson 12th 27-15 2nd Section
Tate Evans 10th 24-13 4th Section
Lee Perrington 11th 16-15 4th Section
Hunter Rhodes 10th 14-19
Dylan Gielen 11th 13-16
Wyatt Gullickson 9th 11-21 6th Section
Myles Thompson 9th 4-6 5th Section
Graduates:
Austin Mundt 28-12 2nd Section
BLACKDUCK/CASS LAKE-BENA BEARS
Co-Head Coaches: Alex Johnson
Overall:
The Bears defeated WHN 51-24 and they were defeated in their Section 7
A quarterfinal dual by Royalton-Upsala 56-21. They just nine section place winners, two state qualifiers and one state medal winner. Back from that team are four section place winners and two with with experience. They will four back with eighteen wins plus. Look for the Bears improve on their dual marks from last season if they can fill with younger wrestlers and stay spread out in their weights. Their key leaders should include: Tyrees Goodman (29-21), Brody Mistic (25-21), Carter Pater (23-17) and Shayne Swedberg (18-9).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Tyrees Goodman 12th 29-21 3rd Section
Brody Mistic 9th 25-21 6th Section
Carter Pater 11th 23-17 4th Section
Shayne Swedberg 12th 18-9 5th Section
Jeremy Moose 12th 6-10
Sawyer Stroeing 9th
Graduates:
Christian Pater 32-3 1st Section
Eli Sharbono 27-8 4th Section
Landon Gross 3-1 3rd Section
Nayahtae Lausche 2-6 6th Section
WALKER/HACKENSACK/AKLEY/NEVIS WOLVES
Head Coach: Colby Mariah
Overall:
The Wolves were defeated by Black Duck/Cass Lake-Bena in their section 7A dual 51-24. They will have back four section place winners and six with experience. They just one wrestler that graduated from last years them. Their key leaders should include: Dawson McGee (35-5), Ficker Smith (27-10), Callan Whitney (25-10) and Nathan Keiser (18-20).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
Dawson McGee 12th 35-5 3rd Section/AC
Flicker Smith 12th 27-10
Callen Whitney 10th 25-10 4th Section
Nathan Keiser 12th 18-20 6th Section
Phillip Crocker 12th 6-11 4th Section
Dane Patten 11th 9-13
Payton Yeats 10th 6-24
Joe Hed 11th 5-14
Josh Leko 9th 5-11
Devin Johnson 12th 3-2
Graduates:
Riley Johnson 14-19
CROSBY-IRONTON RANGERS
Head Coach’ Brain Wood
Mid-State Conference: 0-6
Overall: 1-24
The Rangers were defeated in their Section 7A dual by Ogilvie 61-12. The Rangers will have back two section place winners a state qualifier and four with some experience. They should make some improvement on their dual meet marks, if they can fill in with some younger wrestlers. Their key leaders should include: John Paul Fitzpatrick (44-7) and Gabe Ridlon (30-21).
RETURNING WRESTLERS:
John Paul Fitzpatrick 12th 44-7 1st Section/AC
Gabe Ridlon 11th 30-21 3rd Section
Michael Anderson 10th 10-31
Ethan Anderson 8th 6-18
Bril Asraf 11th 4-27
Weston McKay 9th 2-9
Graduates:
Fletcher Peterson 2-24
