The Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester draws some the state’s best wrestlers from all three classes year in and year out and because of that it has a state tournament-like atmosphere.

Four Tigers who have state tournament experience thrived at the Christmas Tournament and went on to place while one wrestler was impressive in his first trip as Albert Lea finished 16th overall with 97 points. Apple Valley won the team title with 265.5 points, edging out Simley, which scored 243 points.

Albert Lea senior Trevor Rasmussen, ranked third at 140 pounds by the Guillotine, placed fourth Saturday and was the highest finisher on the team.

Rasmussen defeated Anoka’s Zac Threadgill 3-2 to advance to the semifinals, but Rasmussen’s run would end there as Bismarck’s Joe Schumacher earned a 9-0 major decision victory against Rasmussen. Rasmussen went on to place fourth after losing 3-2 to Simley’s Dan Dick, who is a state champion in Greco-Roman and a two-time place winner at the state high school tournament.

Rasmussen placed sixth at the state tournament as a junior and failed to place last season, losing his only match by fall.

A fourth place finish at the Christmas Tournament would seem to bode well for Rasmussen and Albert Lea head coach Larry Goodnature noticed a difference in Rasmussen’s wrestling as he progressed through the tournament. Goodnature said Rasmussen seemed to get more aggressive as he advanced at the Christmas Tournament.

“I think it’s going to give him some good confidence,” Goodnature said.

Junior Cory Hansen, ranked fourth at 130 pounds, ran into another Apple Valley wrestler in his quarterfinal match, this time Devin Scott, who is ranked third at 135. Scott and Hansen went to overtime in their match and Scott got a 3-1 decision for the victory. Hansen went on to finish sixth for the second consecutive year after Chad Mack of Coon Rapids defeated him 2-1.

Sixth-ranked Dalton Westerlund ran into last year’s Class A state champion at 119 pounds, Bronson Steuber, from Jackson County Central and was beaten 7-2 in the quarterfinals at 130 pounds. Westerlund, a sophomore, made his way through wrestlebacks and got another shot at Steuber for fifth place. Steuber narrowly defeated Westerlund 3-1 and Westerlund had to settle for sixth place.

Sophomore Trey Hable, ranked fourth at 119, placed seventh at 125. Hable had five matches in wrestlebacks after he was eliminated in his second match Friday by Cambridge-Isanti’s Travis Holt. Holt pinned Hable in 1:19 Friday, but Hable got the final say in the seventh place match when he earned an 11-4 decision against Holt Saturday.

Freshman Lucas Hansen, who is ranked sixth, placed fifth at 103 pounds, earning a fall against White Bear Lake’s Mick Roemer. Hansen lost his opening match to West Fargo’s Jordan Shearer 6-2, but four matches later he made his way through the wrestlebacks to get to the fifth place match.

The Christmas Tournament is one of the few individual-type tournaments the Tigers wrestle in during the season and it’s something Goodnature has thought about changing after this weekend.

“They seem to get fired up for a team meet, but as individuals it’s something they can’t get up for,” he said.

Albert Lea wrestles at Rochester Dec. 30 against Mayo.