Three points over the course of a dual match in wrestling is a slim margin. But, as has been the case all season long, there hasn't been much of a margin for error for Hastings.

The Class 3A, No. 7 Raiders (22-8) lost their regular-season finale to Simley 28-25 on Feb. 6, and with it their chance to claim a Metro East Conference championship in their first season in the league.

It was another in a season's worth of close matches for Hastings. Of their five losses to Minnesota teams this winter, only two have come by more than 10 points — both lopsided defeats to No. 2 St. Michael-Albertville. The Raiders also have defeated fellow Class 3A powers Anoka, Farmington and Coon Rapids.

They've had a stretch of 10 consecutive victories, as well as a three-match losing streak.

"It's been a good year, just a little up and down," Raiders coach Josh McLay said. "We have a really balanced team. Every kid we put on the mat is a good wrestler, but we don't have the real top-end studs like we might've had in the past.

"We still have a heck of a team, but it's all about pulling out those close matches and piling up points. Nothing's going to come easy for us."

That goes for the road to Xcel Energy Center as well. Hastings has the No. 1 seed in the Section 1 tournament, but advancing through to the state meet won't be simple, McLay said.

'A good mix'

Hastings may not have "the big names," as McLay puts it, but he said the Raiders do have a slew of talented wrestlers who have put up points consistently all season.

Heading into section competition that begins on Thursday, Hastings had six wrestlers ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes. Both sophomore Adam McSorley (120 pounds) and senior Cullin Brendeland (220) are ranked sixth in their respective weight classes. Juniors Spencer Kopp (126) and Mark Vaith (195) and seniors Austin Eichmann (145) and Jon Vouk (182) are also ranked.

"These are great kids that have really put together strong seasons for us," McLay said. "The leadership on this team has been incredible. They're just as strong on the mat as they are off it."

The team GPA was 3.82 for first semester this school year.

Looking for a run

Even though Hastings has the highest seed in its section, McLay doesn't necessarily see his team as the favorite. The Raiders simply have a better path now. Previous victories over second-seeded Farmington and third-seeded Owatonna give the Raiders confidence.

"Those were early on in the year, and they really showed us what type of team we had to be," he said. "It's important to get that top seed, but you never know how things will shake out."

Still, he likes his team's chances. They've been a "gritty, grind-it-out team" all season, McLay said.

He inherited the program five seasons ago from longtime coach Paul Vaith. Since then McLay has reinforced what he said Hastings wrestling has always been about: "hammering the fundamentals."

"We've lost a couple close matches to some really good teams," McLay said, "because we just couldn't pull out those two, three points each time. For us to win, it's going to be all our guys just getting in there and finding ways to earn points. If you can do that, good things happen."