West spotlight: It's welcome back for Bloomington wrestlers

So much has happened in the 8,300-plus days that have passed since a Bloomington wrestling team last made it to the state tournament: Five different U.S. presidents, two lasting two terms apiece, have been elected. The rise and fall of stone-washed jeans. The global acceptance of the World Wide Web. The birth of all 45 Bloomington high school wrestlers.

And, the biggest restraint on a return trip sooner: 13 state wrestling team championships for Apple Valley -- a program that for most of those years came out of the same Class 3A, Section 6 as Kennedy.

Last season change was in the air. Per MSHSL realignment, Bloomington was moved out of Section 6, but into Section 2 where a new foe -- Prior Lake -- stood in its way. Bloomington, which is a co-op between Jefferson and Kennedy high schools, lost in the section championship match, yet again denying a return trip to state.

This season, the tide finally turned.

In what coach Chuck Vavrosky called the team's best dual match of the season, Bloomington took down the Lakers in the Section 2 championship match to clinch a triumphant return to a spot that was so familiar many years ago.

At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, the Eagles take the mat against St. Cloud Apollo at Xcel Energy Center in their first team state appearance since the spring of 1986.

"Getting out into that other section gives a team a breath of fresh air," said Vavrosky, the team's coach since 1986 and a state champion at heavyweight in 1979. "It means a lot to us. We had a lot of our youth program watching us [at the section tournament], high-fiving us at the end. It is a big deal for us."

Bloomington Kennedy was once a wrestling mainstay that made nine team appearances from 1978 to 1986. It's been a long road back for the program. Kennedy has had its successes. Marcus LeVesseur finished his high school career by winning a state championship for the Eagles in 2001 after winning three others with Minneapolis Roosevelt. Zach Bigboy was a three-time winner from 2003-05. Current 135-pounder Robby Fisher was the state champ at 125 a year ago.

Finally, though, it's a teamwide celebration.

"It's crazy," said Dylan Ness, the state's top-ranked Class 3A wrestler at 140 pounds. "I believed in this team. We've worked really hard, wrestled a lot different. We've achieved one goal; now we want to go higher."

Just by making the state field, Ness and his teammates have already won over plenty.

"The whole school gets to go now," he said.

Aside from the team tournament, Bloomington will send six wrestlers to the individual field later this week.

As for fear of those competing being spooked by the bright lights, high ceiling, large crowds and mammoth flurry that is a state tournament, Vavrosky has none.

Bloomington wrestlers have experience in the annual Christmas Tournament in Rochester and a 54-team bi-state meet in LaCrosse, Wis.

Plus, it's an annual message from Vavrosky and his staff to younger wrestlers to head to St. Paul during state tournament week and take in the sights. You never know how it might pay off. So far, so good.

"That's what we hope, that some of these kids are just peaking right now," Vavrosky said. "We want them to find out that they can compete with these other kids."