A trio of wrestlers battled for the title and as six locals brought home medals from the 2026 State Tournament on Saturday.
Martin County junior Pierce Rohman, Jackson County Central senior Issac Rodriguez, and JCC junior Dallas Gossen each battled for a title and took home runner-up honors. Huskies sophomore Kyler Thier rallied to his second career third place finish. Red Bulls senior Torrey Paplow chased down fourth place to finish his career. Huskies eighth-grader Mathias Liepold collected sixth place.
Rohman only trailed 1-0 during a clash of top-ranked wrestlers before Jackson Refsnider of Totino-Grace managed to take him down and pin him after 5:30 in the 133-pound Class AA title. Rohman advanced to the championship with a pair of technical falls and a decision win.
Rodriguez lost by 16-1 tech fall in 3:01 to top-ranked Gage Bjerga of Staples-Motley in the 139-pound Class A title after making the championship with a major decision and a pair of decisions.
Gossen lost by 17-2 tech fall in 3:03 to top-ranked Masyn Patrick of Holdingford during the Class A 152-pound title after winning a pair of decisions and accepting a medical forfeit to start his bracket.
Thier earned the 10-3 decision at 145 pounds over state-ranked Blake Sheppard of St. Clair-Mankato Loyola. Thier collected a tech fall and decision before losing to unbeaten champion Trey Gunderson in the semifinal round. Thier responded with a major decision before winning third place.
Paplow lost by 4-1 decision to the elusive state-ranked Aiden Mincey of Simley at 152 pounds. Paplow won a tech fall and decision before a decision loss to eventual state champion Kaleb Mead of Watertown Mayer-Mayer Lutheran. Paplow advanced to the third place match with a major decision win.
Mathias Liepold lost to state-ranked Christian Zibrowski of Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson by 24-8 tech fall in 4:57 to take sixth place at 127 pounds. Liepold advanced to the semifinals with a pair of decisions before losing by pin to state runner-up Wyatt Pilarski of Holdingford. He lost to state-ranked third-place finisher Bryan Jacobson of Kenyon-Wanamingo in the consolation semifinals.
Aaron Becker finished 1-2 for the Red Bulls at 215 pounds in his Class AA State Tournament debut. The state-ranked freshman pulled a state-ranked upset by decision to begin his bracket and got pinned by a pair of state-ranked placers. DJ Miller finished 1-2 at 285 pounds in his debut. The Red Bulls senior got pinned to start his bracket, stayed alive with a decision win, and got pinned to complete his career.
Red Bulls junior Kate Kolbe went 0-2 at 142 pounds with a loss by pin to sixth-place finisher Arianna Hulbert and a loss by decision as the first Red Bulls girl ever to make State. Huskies senior Carson Kolander went 0-2 at 189 pounds in Class A with a one loss by decision and a major decision loss to state-ranked Peyton Tellijohn of LeSueur-Henderson. Huskies freshman Payten Sorbel went 0-2 at 107 pounds in Class A with one loss by pin and then one by decision to state-ranked fifth-placer Benjamin Schmid of Mille Lacs.
Jackson County Central
Payten Sorbel (0-2) 107 – DNP (0 pts)
Bout 760 (Mat 5) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 107 – Adam Grabow (41-7) Sr., BHVP over Payten Sorbel (36-14) Fr., JCC (F 1:02)
Bout 913 (Mat 5) – Cons. Sub-Quarters: Class A – 107 – Benjamin Schmid (42-5) 8th, MLR over Payten Sorbel (36-14) Fr., JCC (Dec 8-1)
Mathias Liepold (2-3) 127 – 6th (7 pts)
Bout 781 (Mat 3) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 127 – Mathias Liepold (34-16) 8th, JCC over Keegan VonEnde (31-10) Jr., BGM (Dec 8-4)
Bout 872 (Mat 2) – Quarters: Class A – 127 – Mathias Liepold (34-16) 8th, JCC over Nathaniel Venske (26-12) Sr., CPS (Dec 7-4)
Bout 1021 (Mat 1) – Semis: Class A – 127 – Wyatt Pilarski (38-9) Sr., HOLD over Mathias Liepold (34-16) 8th, JCC (F 1:17)
Bout 1073 (Mat 1) – Cons. Semis: Class A – 127 – Bryan Jacobson (46-8) Sr., KEWA over Mathias Liepold (34-16) 8th, JCC (TF 15-0 (3:45))
Bout 1099 (Mat 2) – 5th Place Match: Class A – 127 – Christian Zibrowski (46-8) Jr., LARP over Mathias Liepold (34-16) 8th, JCC (TF 24-8 (4:57))
Isaac Rodriguez (3-1) 139 – 2nd (19 pts)
Bout 799 (Mat 8) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 139 – Isaac Rodriguez (15-5) Sr., JCC over Max Nygaard (42-5) Sr., BENS (Dec 9-5)
Bout 881 (Mat 5) – Quarters: Class A – 139 – Isaac Rodriguez (15-5) Sr., JCC over Jackson Peasley (19-5) Sr., PERA (MD 16-6)
Bout 1026 (Mat 1) – Semis: Class A – 139 – Isaac Rodriguez (15-5) Sr., JCC over Adam DeVlaeminck (40-4) Sr., MINN (Dec 5-4)
Bout 1124 (Mat 1) – 1st Place Match: Class A – 139 – Gage Bjerga (43-2) So., STMO over Isaac Rodriguez (15-5) Sr., JCC (TF 16-1 (3:01))
Kyler Thier (4-1) 145 – 3rd (16.5 pts)
Bout 805 (Mat 3) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 145 – Kyler Thier (43-4) So., JCC over Cael Smith (37-12) So., GMLO (TF 17-0 (3:14))
Bout 884 (Mat 2) – Quarters: Class A – 145 – Kyler Thier (43-4) So., JCC over Waylon Thieke (38-7) So., LEHE (Dec 1-0)
Bout 1027 (Mat 2) – Semis: Class A – 145 – Trey Gunderson (33-0) Sr., KMS over Kyler Thier (43-4) So., JCC (Dec 7-1)
Bout 1079 (Mat 1) – Cons. Semis: Class A – 145 – Kyler Thier (43-4) So., JCC over Hunter Polikowsky (38-10) So., CHAT (MD 13-0)
Bout 1106 (Mat 1) – 3rd Place Match: Class A – 145 – Kyler Thier (43-4) So., JCC over Blake Sheppard (44-5) Jr., SCML (Dec 10-3)
Dallas Gossen (3-1) 152 – 2nd (20 pts)
Bout 817 – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 152 – Dallas Gossen (41-9) Jr., JCC over Beau Carlson (27-11) So., STMO (MFF)
Bout 890 (Mat 8) – Quarters: Class A – 152 – Dallas Gossen (41-9) Jr., JCC over Henry Dohnalik (44-6) Jr., LCH (Dec 9-5)
Bout 1030 (Mat 1) – Semis: Class A – 152 – Dallas Gossen (41-9) Jr., JCC over Gavyn Hlucny (29-3) Sr., CROO (Dec 11-10)
Bout 1126 (Mat 1) – 1st Place Match: Class A – 152 – Masyn Patrick (41-1) Sr., HOLD over Dallas Gossen (41-9) Jr., JCC (TF 17-2 (3:03))
Carson Kolander (0-2) 189 – DNP (0 pts)
Bout 838 (Mat 2) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class A – 189 – Peyton Tellijohn (31-6) Sr., LEHE over Carson Kolander (27-10) Sr., JCC (MD 16-6)
Bout 952 (Mat 1) – Cons. Sub-Quarters: Class A – 189 – Trenton Huber (29-15) Jr., WEJW over Carson Kolander (27-10) Sr., JCC (Dec 7-4)
Martin County Red Bulls
Kate Kolbe (0-2) 142 – DNP (0 pts)
Bout 1194 (Mat 8) – Champ. Rd of 16: Girls – 142 – Arianna Halbert (38-15) Sr., BRAI over Kate Kolbe (16-7) Jr., MCRB (F 4:51)
Bout 1319 (Mat 4) – Cons. Sub-Quarters: Girls – 142 – Cora Flinsch (24-8) Jr., ROAR over Kate Kolbe (16-7) Jr., MCRB (Dec 6-3)
Pierce Rohman (3-1) 133 – 2nd (21 pts)
Bout 413 (Mat 4) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class AA – 133 – Pierce Rohman (48-2) Jr., MCRB over Luke Schultz (29-17) Jr., SCWE (TF 17-2 (4:00))
Bout 499 (Mat 4) – Quarters: Class AA – 133 – Pierce Rohman (48-2) Jr., MCRB over Samuel Moore (26-12) Jr., ZUMA (TF 18-3 (5:21))
Bout 646 (Mat 8) – Semis: Class AA – 133 – Pierce Rohman (48-2) Jr., MCRB over Nolan Fettig (41-7) Sr., ALAR (Dec 7-1)
Bout 746 (Mat 4) – 1st Place Match: Class AA – 133 – Jackson Refsnider (44-2) Sr., TOGR over Pierce Rohman (48-2) Jr., MCRB (F 5:30)
Torrey Paplow (3-2) 152 – 4th (14.5 pts)
Bout 439 (Mat 6) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class AA – 152 – Torrey Paplow (36-5) Sr., MCRB over Landon Bizal (29-17) Sr., TOGR (TF 20-4 (5:25))
Bout 512 (Mat 7) – Quarters: Class AA – 152 – Torrey Paplow (36-5) Sr., MCRB over Noah Cameron (27-4) Sr., LIFA (Dec 9-7)
Bout 653 (Mat 7) – Semis: Class AA – 152 – Kaleb Mead (47-3) Jr., WMML over Torrey Paplow (36-5) Sr., MCRB (Dec 10-8)
Bout 705 (Mat 8) – Cons. Semis: Class AA – 152 – Torrey Paplow (36-5) Sr., MCRB over Tate Olson (39-9) Jr., DELA (MD 14-1)
Bout 731 (Mat 8) – 3rd Place Match: Class AA – 152 – Aiden Mincey (48-8) Jr., SIML over Torrey Paplow (36-5) Sr., MCRB (Dec 4-1)
Aaron Becker (1-2) 215 – DNP (2 pts)
Bout 469 (Mat 2) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class AA – 215 – Aaron Becker (41-11) Fr., MCRB over Tyler Thilges (41-9) Sr., MAEA (Dec 4-3)
Bout 527 (Mat 2) – Quarters: Class AA – 215 – Tristan Zingler (42-7) Sr., CAFA over Aaron Becker (41-11) Fr., MCRB (F 3:05)
Bout 632 (Mat 5) – Cons. Quarters: Class AA – 215 – Joseph Connor (32-14) Sr., STPE over Aaron Becker (41-11) Fr., MCRB (F 1:45)
DJ Miller (1-2) 285 – DNP (1 pts)
Bout 475 (Mat 4) – Champ. Rd of 16: Class AA – 285 – Xander Plath (28-7) Jr., GLP over DJ Miller (34-12) Sr., MCRB (F 0:32)
Bout 582 (Mat 2) – Cons. Sub-Quarters: Class AA – 285 – DJ Miller (34-12) Sr., MCRB over Matt Raboin (30-9) Jr., CHLA (Dec 5-0)
Bout 634 (Mat 1) – Cons. Quarters: Class AA – 285 – Kemper Ely (34-8) Sr., STPE over DJ Miller (34-12) Sr., MCRB (F 2:06)