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Devon Groess won first place at 114 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Dylan Groess won first place at 121 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Logan Davis won first place at 127 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Ryan Collins won first place at 133 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Brody Ignaszewski won first place at 145 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Nick Korman won first place at 160 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Brecken Wacholz won first place at 172 pounds to advance to state. Provided

Evan Schroeder won second place at 215 pounds to advance to state. Provided

The Albert Lea wrestling team traveled to the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester Saturday morning for the Section 1AAA tournament as 13 individuals were looking to punch their tickets to the state wrestling tournament. 

A staggering eight Tigers earned their spots in this week’s tournament, seven of which took first place in their respective weight classes. Devon Groess, Dylan Groess, Logan Davis, Ryan Collins, Brody Ignaszewski, Nick Korman, Brecken Wacholz and Evan Schroeder will all make their way to St. Paul for the individual state tournament starting Friday. 

Starting with the lightest class qualifier, sophomore Devon Groess went 2-0 on the day in the 114-pound class after a bye in the opening round. He won in a first-period fall in the semifinals before defeating Jacob Wilson of Owatonna in the finals, in a low-scoring 2-1 decision. 

At 121 pounds, sophomore Dylan Groess had a similar path, receiving a bye in the first round before going on to record a 53 second pinfall in the semifinals. Ranked No. 5 in the state at 121 pounds, Groess handily defeated Gabe Robb of Owatonna in the finals, pulling away for a 10-1 major decision. 

Davis, a senior and ranked No. 2 at 127 pounds, was the third qualifier for Albert Lea. Davis earned a bye in the first round as well, then going on for technical falls in both the semis and finals. Davis defeated Northfield’s Charlie Johnson 21-6 in the finals to claim the section crown. 

Collins, a sophomore, dominated his semifinal matchup at 133 pounds, winning a 17-1 technical fall. He then went on to pick up one of Albert Lea’s wins over ranked opponents on the day, defeating No. 6 Lake Karsten of Owatonna in a 7-4 decision in the finals. Collins entered the tournament unranked. 

At 145 pounds, Ignaszewski wasted no time in his semifinal matchup, winning a 17-1 technical fall. In the finals, it was a ranked matchup, as Ignaszewski, ranked  No. 7, took on No. 5-ranked Caden Staab from Northfield. Ignaszewski came out on top in a 4-1 decision. 

At 160 pounds, No. 6 ranked senior Korman won in a 10-2 major decision in the semifinals. He then met No. 5-ranked Zane Engles in the finals where Korman won an 8-5 decision in the second ranked vs. ranked finals of the day. 

Wacholz, ranked No. 8 at 172 pounds, took part in three matches in the tournament. He won via pinfall in the quarterfinals before taking on another ranked opponent in the semifinals in Owatonna’s RJ Reinhardy, where he won a dominant 20-8 major decision. Wacholz then cruised in the finals where he met Rochester Mayo’s James Nelson and won 16-1 via technical fall. 

The Tigers’ final qualifier was Schroeder at 215 pounds. Schroeder was the lone Tiger taking second place after a 2-1 decision win in the semifinals before falling via pinfall in the finals to No. 6-ranked Ryan Kuyper of Northfield. Despite the finals loss, no wrestleback was needed in the bracket, punching Schroeder’s ticket to the tournament. 

Also wrestling for Albert Lea, but missing out on advancing to the individual tournament include Trent Ignaszewski (third, 139 pounds); Maverick Attig (third, 152 pounds); Triton Cox (third, 189 pounds); William Velasquez (fourth, 285 pounds); and Austin Rinoen (sixth, 107 pounds). 

The eight Tigers who qualified for the individual tournament start their quests for a state title starting at 9 a.m. Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. 

The Tigers also qualified as a team for the state dual tournament which begins at 9 a.m. Thursday. 

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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