Wrestling 2023-24: Hastings, STMA are positioned to revive magic of last season

The 2022-23 wrestling season ended memorably, with:

A shocking and thrilling finish in a state tournament team championship match.

A highly anticipated dual in an individual final between two of the best wrestlers in state history.

The addition of three wrestlers to Minnesota's top 20 in all-time victories.

Can wrestling keep that momentum?

We can't count on another match like the Class 3A team championship, in which Hastings trailed 32-9 before winning the final five matches, the last three by pin, for a 33-32 victory over St. Michael-Albertville.

We can only hope for an individual final like the one at 195 last winter, when Waconia's Max McEnelly won 3-2 over Stillwater's Ryder Rogotzke, who began the season in the 182-pound class but moved up with the goal of facing McEnelly.

But mostly, we can see what 2023-24 holds.

The two teams involved in the Class 3A final are among the best in the state again. St. Michael-Albertville copped the No. 1 ranking, thanks to eight returning state tournament place-winners, led by defending state champs Landon Robideau, a 152-pound junior who has already won two state individual titles (last year at 132), and 172-pounder Jed Wester, last year's winner at 160. The Knights have ranked wrestlers at nine of the 12 weights.

Hastings lost plenty to graduation, but the Raiders still have the brothers Beissel. Both were state champs a year ago, Trey at 106 pounds, older brother Blake at 113, and give Hastings ample ammunition in every match.

Mounds View has struggled to get past Stillwater in the section tournament in recent years, but this could be the year the Mustangs end the Ponies' run of seven straight state tournament appearances. Both teams have gobs of state tournament talent back, but the Mustangs, who haven't made the state tournament since 2007, have started quickly this season, winning all six of their dual meets by an average score of 58-6. Setting the pace is 215-pound rock Quin Morgan, son of wrestling legend Marty Morgan.

If it's Class 2A, it must be Simley. The Spartans have had a lock on the state's midsize class for much of the past decade, having won five straight state titles and 16 state championships overall.

Other metro-area teams expecting success in Class 2A include Totino-Grace, which has made 10 state tournament appearances in the past 11 years; Watertown-Mayer, with three wrestlers ranked No. 1 in their weight classes (Joel Friederichs, 107; Titan Friederichs, 114; Bryce Burkett, 172); Scott West and Becker.

Fifteen metro boys wrestlers worth keeping an eye on this winter:

Titan Friederichs, Watertown-Mayer, sophomore, 114

Lawson Eller, New Prague, junior, 121

Blake Beissel, Hastings, senior, 121

Zytavius Williams, Eden Prairie, senior, 127

Jack Nelson, Mound-Westonka, senior, 139

Alex Braun, Woodbury, senior, 152

Tyson Charmoli, St. Francis, senior, 152

Landon Robideau, St. Michael-Albertville, junior, 152

Marco Christiansen, Minnetonka, senior, 189

Cole Han-Lindemyer, Farmington, senior, 189

Cy Kruse, Totino-Grace, senior, 215

Quin Morgan, Mounds View, senior, 215

Mark Rendl, Forest Lake, senior, heavyweight

Last year, a number of girl wrestlers from Minnesota were considered among the best in the nation in their weight classes. One, Hastings' Skylar Little Soldier, even ascended to No. 1 in her class (145) nationally.

This year, no Minnesota girls wrestler is among the top 25 in the national pound-for-pound rankings released by a cooperative of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling.com.

Only nine are ranked among their top 30 in the 15 weight classes ranked.

The highest ranking goes to Northfield junior Ella Pagel, a two-time defending state champion who is No. 3 at 170 pounds. Two Minnesota 100-pounders are ranked, Northfield's Caley Graber at No. 4 and Shakopee's Bianca Eide at No. 9. Two more are ranked at 115 pounds, Gigi Bragg of Anoka at No. 5 and Kamdyn Saulter of Rosemount at No. 15. Other ranked Minnesotans are Forest Lake's Aspen Blasko, No. 6 at 110; Stillwater's Audrey Rogotzke, No. 18 at 135; Shakopee's Cassandra Gonzales, No. 10 at 140; and Little Soldier, No. 11 at 145.