The Mayo Civic Center will once again play host to some exciting wrestling matches this weekend as the Section 1AAA individual tournament gets underway.

For Albert Lea it will be a time for a host of wrestlers to leave their mark on Albert Lea wrestling.

Senior Logan Kortan will go after his fifth trip to state Friday as the No. 1 seed in a loaded 160 pound weight class.

“My ultimate goal is to win the section and place high in state,” Kortan said. “It would mean a lot, It would pretty cool to make it for five years.”

Kortan enters the tournament as the No. 4-ranked wrestler at 152 by The Guillotine and will face a field of four rated wrestlers. Owatonna’s Jordan Gnerer is the No. 2 seed and is ranked No. 9 while Austin’s Ethan Eggum is ranked No. 8 and Mayo’s Zach Hanson No. 10.

Eggum carries a 32-2 record and will likely meet up with Kortan in the semifinals while Gnerer and Hanson could meet in the other semifinal match.

Kortan has placed at state every season he’s made the field and is coming off a fifth place finish last season. His best finish came as an eighth grader when he finished third.

Senior Cody Hansen will try for his fourth consecutive trip to state at 125 as the No. 1 seed and the No. 3-ranked wrestler in Class 3A. Hansen placed third at state last season at 112 and has his sights set on a title this season.

“My goal is to be state champion this year,” Hansen said.

Cory Hansen, Adam Kermes, Trevor Rasmussen, and Ethan Reed are all seeking return trips to state this year.

Hansen is likely a lock at 112 as the No. 3 ranked wrestler in 3A and the second place finisher at 103 last season at state to make a return trip to state.

Reed enters as defending section champion and No. 1 seed.

Kermes enters the tournament as a No. 1 seed and freshman Trey Hable is a No. 1 seed at 103.

“We have probably we have eight or nine wrestlers with a chance of moving on to the state tournament,” said Tigers head coach Larry Goodnature.

Dalton Westerlund at 119 and Matt Tiegs at 171 are the two other state hopefuls for Albert Lea and both begin the tournament as No. 2 seeds in their classes.

The Section 2A individual meet gets underway Friday for New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva and the United South Central wrestling teams.

The Rebels enter the tournament with seven seeded wrestlers. At 125 Dustin Dylla is a No. 4 seed, at 130 Zach Wigern is a No. 4 seed, at 135 Brady Thisius is a No. 4 seed, at 145 Preston Staloch is a No. 3 seed, at 152 Dylan Thisius is a No. 5 seed, at 160 Jake Herman is a No. 3 seed, and at 215 A.J. Dreyer is a No. 3 seed.

The Panthers have Colton Schlaak and Tim Bartness seeking are seeking their fourth consecutive trip to state. Schlaak will wrestle at 145 and Bartness at 152. Schlaak is the No. 1 seed at 145 and Bartness is the No. 2 seed.

David Lassahn is the No. 4 seed at 103, Matt Tomsche comes in as the No. 4 seed at 160, David Lindell the No. 2 seed at 189, and Aaron Haggerty the No. 2 seed at 215.