State wrestling: final recap

For the first time in several years, no local competitor claimed an individual weight class title during the 2010 Minnesota State High School League-sponsored state wrestling championships tournament that concluded Saturday, March 6, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

No local teams were involved in any of dual meet tournaments respectively won by Apple Valley (AAA), Simley (AA) and Jackson County Central (A).

The top local finishers in the individual portion of the tournament included:

*Austin Leibel, St. Francis , second at 119 pounds (AAA)
*Kahron Nix, Coon Rapids , third at 125 pounds (AAA)
*Sam Stewart, Andover , fourth at 125 pounds (AAA)
*Chad Mack, Coon Rapids , third at 140 pounds (AAA)
*Kyle Begin, Anoka , fifth at 152 pounds (AAA)
*Tommy Teigen, Meadow Creek, fourth at 160 pounds (AA)
*Zak Antolak, Anoka , fifth at 171 pounds (AAA)
*Cody Raze, St. Francis , third at 215 pounds (AAA)

Leibel lost to Apple Valley's Dakota Trom 9-4 in the final round of wrestling at 119.

Meantime at 125,  Nix beat Stewart 6-1 in their third-place. Stewart had beaten Nix the week before in the championship round of the Section 7AAA tournament. In other third-place matches, Mack had no problem winning his final bout of the tournament at 140, 13-6 over Buffalo's Tommy Ruter, and neither did Raze, who whipped up on Maple Grove's Joe Borchardt 12-3 at 215 pounds.

In fifth-place matches, Antolak pinned Owatonna's Tyler Thomas at 171 while a few matches before his 152-pound teammate, Begin, pinned Alexandria's Lucas Betterman. Teigen of Meadow Creek claimed the AA fourth-place spot at 160 after sustaining a 7-3 loss to John Nething of New London Spicer.