HAYFIELD &045; At this point in the season, with the state’s No. 7 ranking in Class AAA, the Albert Lea High School wrestling team is a marked unit.

Opponents would love to knock off the Tigers heading into the postseason. Several tried Saturday and came up short.

The Tigers took the title in the always-tough Hayfield Invitational.

&uot;We had an opportunity to wrestle some quality smaller schools in the area, and we were fortunate to come out on top,&uot; said ALHS coach Larry Goodnature.

The Tigers won with 186.5 points, followed by Stewartville with 166.5, Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland 159, USC 132.5, Blooming Prairie 125.5, Blue Earth Area 110.5, WEM 106, Southland 101, Hayfield 68, Lewiston-Altura 54, Rushford-Peterson 51.5 and St. Charles 29.

Albert Lea had five finalists and two champions.

Adam Elseth dominated at 135 pounds, winning 15-5, by fall in 1:31 and, in the finals, 11-1.

&uot;Elseth had a great day,&uot; said Goodnature.

So did senior Adam Morreim, who took the title at 140 with a fall and decisions of 8-2 and 4-0.

Josh Hansen finished second at 112, falling 6-4 to GMLOK junior Adam Schlee in the finals.

Randy Larson was the 215 runner-up to Blooming Prairie sophomore Jay Salinas, who pinned his way through the tournament. Chris Hable took second at 275, reaching the finals with two falls.

The Tigers’ other places: Zach Hansen, fifth, 103; Alex Hansen, fourth, 119; Brandon Klukow, fourth, 145; Dustin Eggum, third, 152; Jared Butler, fourth, 160; Mike Honeycutt, fifth, 189.

&uot;Winning the tournament was a team effort because we needed a lot of wins in the wrestlebacks,&uot; said Goodnature.

The Tigers, 15-2 overall in dual meets and 6-1 in the Big Nine, host Winona Friday.