Albert Lea had 13 wrestlers still competing after Day 1 of the Section 1AAA individual tournament

Eleven Albert Lea wrestlers advanced to the semifinals Friday after winning their opening-round match in the Section 1AAA individual tournament at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.

Another two wrestlers were still competing in the wrestle-back bracket with hopes of winning true second and advancing to the state tournament.

The top two finishers in each weight class Saturday advance to the Class AAA individual state tournament, which begins Wednesday at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Five Tigers wrestlers earned falls in the opening round including Dakota Wangness (103), Lucas Hansen (112), Cory Hansen (160), Conner Kortan (189) and Caleb Gaudian (215). Wangsness and Kortan pinned their opponents in 27 and 19 seconds, respectively.

“We did what we had to do out there and wrestled tough,” Tigers coach Larry Goodnature said. “We have to keep our momentum going and not have a let down from the excitement last week.”

Other Tigers wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals were Garrett Wangsness (119), Tristan Westerlund (135), Caleb Kolodge (140), Dalton Westerlund (145), Trey Hable (152) and Alex Nielsen (HWT).

“They have to forget about the team this weekend and wrestle as individuals,” Goodnature said, of his wrestlers. “We can get as many kids to the state tournament that way.”

The Tigers’ Devin Nelson (125) and Dustin Samudio (171) were still active in the wrestle-back bracket entering Saturday. Spencer Carstens (130) was the lone Albert Lea wrestler eliminated.

See the Scoreboard for individual match results.