Did You Know That It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year?

Did you know that it is the most wonderful time of the year? Seriously, it is. It's the three days where folks from across the state gather in St. Paul to see who has what it takes to win a state title at the Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.

First off, yesterday, 24 teams started the day off with dreams of winning a state team title. by the evening, we were down to the final 6, the two remaining teams in each class, A, AA, and AAA. The team title winners were:

Class A: Staples-Motley defeated Chatfield 33-16

Class AA: Watertown Mayer- Mayer Lutheran topped Kasson-Mantorville 33-20

Class AAA: St. Michael Albertville beat Shakopee 46-18

Today and tomorrow, it's individual wrestlers looking to add a state title to their prep wrestling career. You can follow along here for free, and today is where it gets exciting. You've got some of the best wrestlers in the state, all chomping at the bit to get going.

To me, when I am there watching the first round of individual wrestling, it's like watching the film Gladiator. 8 wrestling mats spread out like a quilt across the floor of the Xcel Energy Center, fans cheering each takedown and pinfall, athletes celebrating each victory and others feeling the sting of defeat.

I've been known to say a time or two that the Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament is a better state tournament than the Boys Hockey tournament, and I still stand by that, as you've got more kids competing and more hardware being handed out.

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Unfortunately, I'm not able to make the tournament this year, one of the first times in 20 years, which makes me a little sad, but I know I can still follow along online.