Apple Valley wrestling coach Jim Jackson was kidded before the season that his Eagles could go ahead and have another state championship trophy engraved. The ever-serious Jackson believed such talk foolish because No. 1 Apple Valley would have to go through No. 2 Hastings just to qualify for the state tournament.
Well, summon the engraver.
“No, no, no,” Jackson said Friday night. “We haven’t won anything yet.”
If that’s his stance, the Eagles put together a heck of a warm-up act.
Apple Valley, ranked No. 3 in the nation, won the Section 3AAA title with a dominating performance. In the most anticipated matchup of the season, the Eagles used a flurry of power in the lower weights en route to a 40-19 victory over the Raiders in the section championship meet at Hastings.
In qualifying for a state-record 26th consecutive state tournament appearance, Apple Valley separated itself from the rest of Minnesota’s top contenders and clearly established itself as the favorite to win a state-best 16th wrestling championship.
Apple Valley (34-1) will face the Section 4AAA champion in the big-school quarterfinals Feb. 28 at the Xcel Energy Center.
Apple Valley won nine of the 14 matches and never allowed Hastings (30-2) to make a run at the Eagles, who defeated the Raiders in last season’s Class AAA state championship match.
“Ever since we got beat by them last year, we have been working for this chance at them,” Hastings senior 130-pounder Luke Vaith said.
“We knew our jobs and what we had to do. It didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. What can you do?”
From the outset, Hastings could only sit back and ponder that question.
To pull off an upset, Hastings needed to win at least seven weights and keep Apple Valley from accumulating bonus points in the matches it won.
That strategy evaporated when the Eagles raced to a 20-0 lead after four matches. Three of Apple Valley’s early winners earned bonus points. At 103 pounds, Eric Devos made quick work of Jeff Engstrom with a pin in 49 seconds that gave the Eagles a 6-0 lead. At 119, Destin McCauley pinned Tyler Rohr in 1:35, and Tom Kelliher followed with a technical fall victory over Bobby Petersen at 125.
“We were ready to go, and I think it showed,” Kelliher said. “We got off to a good start in the lower weights, and that really sent us on our way.”
Vaith slowed the Eagles’ run with a 10-2 victory over eighth-grade reserve Brandon Kingsley. Kingsley drew raves from the Apple Valley crowd when he held Vaith to a major decision.
“He was one of our unsung heroes, no doubt about it,” Jackson said of Kingsley. “He gave Vaith everything he wanted.”
Another Apple Valley reserve, John Sturrock, made a similar contribution, losing an 8-3 decision to heavily favored Adam Petersen at 160 pounds.
Despite the early large deficit, Hastings coach Paul Vaith clung to threads of optimism.
“You always have to believe,” he said.
“Things just didn’t fall our way,” Hastings heavyweight Andy Trembath said. “They are a great team.”
Jackson did admit afterward that Apple Valley’s performance separated the Eagles from the rest of the Class AAA field.
“We wrestled very well, and I am proud of the kids for that,” he said. “We have great kids and a great coaching staff. I think you saw how well our coaches prepare our kids because they really wrestled well. We aren’t there yet, though. We still have matches to prepare for at the state tournament.”
– Apple Valley senior 125-pounder Tom Kelliher wore a Northern Illinois sweatshirt in honor of the shooting victims at the college this week. Both of Kelliher’s parents attended the DeKalb, Ill., school.
