With another successful regular season behind them, the small but mighty St Clair Wrestling team competed well at the section tournament held at Blue Earth on February 24 with Jacob Schimek, Eli Kruse, and Blake Sheppard qualifying for the state competition.
Head Coach Gio Alvarado had glowing praise for his team as, overall, they secured 12 team wins over the season, which “is big for a team this small.” Alvarado has been an integral part of the wrestling program at St Clair for the last five years, and he shared how the team’s success and individual success have improved. “We have a small team, but we have been able to compete against good schools all year, and it speaks to our guys’ commitment to getting better with every meet and practice.”
He highlighted a few of his wrestlers that have stood out during the season, with Schimek posting an astounding 44-1 record for the year, Kruse has had a successful season once he returned from injury, and Sheppard, according to Alvarado “really turned a corner this year.” The level of competition for the playoffs is heightened, and preparation is the backbone of success; Alvarado detailed how his team prepared for the intense competition. “We really start fine-tuning our skills during our practices…we know who we are at this stage of the season, and it’s now about mental toughness and getting our guys healthy and well-rested.”
With Schimek and Kruse entering the final few matches of their careers, Alvarado made sure to give them, as well as the other wrestlers, advice before the tournament began. “The biggest thing we discussed was acting like we have done this before; we have some guys like Schimek and Kruse that have gone to state before, so it’s all about doing what we’ve done all season that gets us on that podium.”
Kruse and Schimek were seeded high enough to earn themselves a bye in the first round of competition, so both spoke briefly about their mindset heading into what could be their final matches. Schimek has been a dominant force all season, but a late-season hand injury put his participation into question. But he was determined to overcome the hardship. “The hand feels better today and it’s going to be fun to get out for possibly the last time and give it everything I got.”
Kruse has also dealt with some injuries as he recovered from a knee surgery that happened during football season, but he sounded confident and ready to rumble. “I’m grateful to be back out here after the knee surgery, and it gave me a chance to come back and leave everything on the mat today.”
Sheppard (107) won his first match handily as he pinned his opponent in the opening round; he went on to win his second match by pinfall as well, and took first place with a 7-2 decision in the final match. Braydon Won (114) fell to his opponent in his first match and entered the consolation bracket where he would finish sixth. Riley Vaughan (121) secured his first match by pinfall in the opening round, but lost his second match to finish fourth. Eli Kruse (145) displayed his technical ability on the mat in his first match of the second round, securing a pinfall in the opening round and squeaking out an 8-6 decision to secure a first place finish and a trip to State. Brody McClinton (152) lost his opening match by pinfall and finished with a fifth place finish in the consolation bracket. Chase Bade (160) won his opening match by pinfall right as time expired in the first round, but lost his second match which sent him to a third place bout where he pinned his opponent to take the victory. Lucas Vaughan (172) faced a worthy opponent in his first match as the bout went three rounds, but Vaughan secured a 6-0 decision for the victory; however, he would lose his next match by pinfall, but was able to bounce back and won third place by pinfall in the first round. Finally, Schimek (215) continued his path of destruction on the mat by winning his first match in 14 seconds–he didn’t even have time to sit down and take a photo–and the title match proved to be no different as he pinned his opponent in 31 seconds to claim first place.
Schimek, Kruse, and Sheppard advance to the State tournament held at so and so on this date. It was a successful season for this St Clair wrestling squad, but with three incredible athletes looking to claim a State title, there is still much work left to be done. Go Cyclones!
