Humble, hungry Anoka wrestlers excited to take their shot

A knee injury delayed the start of Hunter Deleon's senior season of wrestling for Anoka. While teammates battled on the practice mat last week, Deleon worked nearby on his upper-body strength.

Coaches want Deleon's knee to be strong for what could be the Tornadoes' deepest postseason run in almost a decade. Powerful St. Michael-Albertville was moved out of Class 3A, Section 7, a welcome change for remaining teams such as Anoka.

Ranked No. 4 by The Guillotine in the wrestling publication's Nov. 27 polls, Anoka hopes to win its first section title and make its first state tournament appearance since 2007. St. Michael-Albertville won the past six consecutive section titles.

"It's time that we go back there," said Deleon, an all-conference selection last season who will wrestle at 152 pounds. "This is our year, and we're going to train hard for it."

Anoka is the only team from Section 7 in The Guillotine's top 12. That could change, however. St. Francis and Coon Rapids both are "Lean and Mean" honorable mentions.

Anoka's promotion to favorite isn't charity. Past rankings validate coach Todd Springer's belief that the second- or third-best teams in Section 7 would be worthy state representatives. Since 2012 no section has produced more ranked teams in The Guillotine's final regular-season poll.

Last season's Anoka team was one of the five best in Springer's 15-year tenure. But St. Michael-Albertville blocked the Tornadoes' path to the state meet.

"It's hard when you have such talent in one section, but only one team goes," said junior Calvin Germinaro, a 132-pounder and nephew of Tornadoes' alum Brandon Paulson, an Olympic silver medalist. "There were teams not ever ranked who went to state that we beat during the year."

Springer won't let Anoka rest. The subtraction of St. Michael-Albertville doesn't mean reaching the state tournament is a given. Wrestlers have gotten the message: Stay hard. Stay humble. Stay hungry.

"We used to be the hunters and St. Michael-Albertville was the hunted," said senior Jeremy Rodman, who placed fourth at state at 220 pounds last season. "Now we're on top, so we have to work even harder to keep ourselves there."

Strong offseason effort helped Rodman to a fast start. He already has beaten Buffalo/West Lutheran senior Adam Treptau, who defeated Rodman in the third-place match at state.

Rodman, Germinaro, sophomore Tyler Eischens (second at state at 113 pounds) and ninth-grader Colby Njos, a 113-pounder who recently pinned top-ranked Annandale/Maple Lake senior Holden Youngs, lead the way. But a lineup of 14 experienced wrestlers, all competing at their natural weights, excites Springer.

Deleon said he and his teammates would have given St. Michael-Albertville "just as much of a fight as we usually do." But no one in Anoka's program minds that doing so will not be necessary.

"I'd be lying if I told you we're not excited," Springer said. "I don't see a program like St. Michael-Albertville dominating the next six years. The wealth is going to be spread around, and that's good for wrestling around this area."

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574