Nineteen total athletes (13 guys, six gals) from Chatfield, FCLMC, Caledonia/Houston, LARP, and GMLOS took on the state individual wrestling tourney. Coming off a team championship, Chatfield placed five total to lead the way. Carson Rowland claimed a state title, Javier Berg finished runner-up, Kail Schott third, and Gage Bartels fourth on the guys side. Chloe Berg took fifth for the girls. Rowland overshadowed defending state champs Berg and Schott by getting the Gophers an individual champion. The junior, ranked #5 at 152 (42-8), started with a fall, then won three-straight decisions over ranked foes; 5-0 over Medford’s #8 Evan Schweisthal (25-5), 3-1 over Long Prairie/Grey Eagle-Browerville’s #2 Tucker Zigan (44-4), and 5-3 over Staples-Motley’s #1 Colbe Tappe (41-2). Rowland scored a third period takedown and back-points versus Tappe. He beat Tappe two days earlier during team state. It was quite a step up for Rowland, as he made state last year but wrestled just one match. Berg, ranked #1 at 114 (39-5), beat three ranked foes, Central’s #9 Parker Honl (30-12) by fall, Ogilvie’s #4 Beau Hudoba (47-9) by 7-0 decision, and JCC’s #3 Kayden Eller (45-9) by 12-3 major, to make the finals. Berg’s win over Eller avenged a pinfall loss at team state. The junior, in a state title re-match, then fell to Pipestone Area’s #2 Miklo Hernandez (40-2) by 4-3 decision. Hernandez recorded a third period takedown for the winning points. Berg won last year’s title match at 106 by 7-3 decision. Schott, ranked #1 at 189 (31-3) but nursing a couple ailments, made the semifinals via a fall and a 16-5 major. Leading in his semis match, Schott was pinned in the third period by Canby’s #6 Nick Wagner (44-6). A repeat state title was thus nixed. Kail recovered by posting a 12-3 major and a pin of Paynesville Area’s #2 Peyton Hemmesch (30-5) to take third place. The senior is a rare triple state champion; football (2021), individual wrestling (2023), and team wrestling (2024). He won 182-pounds last year. Like Rowland, Berg, and Schott, #6 Bartels (35-9) also made the semis. He did so courtesy of 6-0 and 4-3 decision wins, the latter over #9 Deegan Birkaker (48-5) of Ogilvie. Bartels then fell to Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial’s #3 Parker Kamm (31-9) by 4-2 decision, beat Tracy-Milroy/B/W/W-G’s David Schuh (42-15) by 1-0 decision, then fell to Sibley East’s #7 Benito Diaz (43-2) by fall. Bartels, a three-time state entrant, finished in fourth place. He took sixth last year. Gal Chloe Berg, ranked #5 at 124 (21-7), lost to Northfield’s #4 Lainey Houts (23-7) by 12-7 decision out of the gate. The senior then posted back-to-back falls over Mora’s #9 Bridget Bankers (30-9) and West Central Area/A/B/E’s #6 Lucea Wales (14-6) for her fifth-place finish. Berg was 126-pound state runner-up last year. Chatfield’s other five boys’ participants did not place. Junior Ayden Miner (160) went 2-2. Ranked sixth (31-11), he won a 10-6 decision over Eden Valley-Watkins’s #10 Isaac Ortiz (28-8), lost 6-0 to Medford’s #3 Tommy Elwood (39-2), won a 9-3 decision over Osakis’ #8 Gaven Simbura (37-16), only to lose to FCLMC’s #7 Kane Larson (44-6) by 5-2 decision. Miner beat Larson at sections and at a TRC team dual. Miner came won win away from placing. Kaisen Johnson (121) and Ben Carrier (172) each went 1-2. Johnson, ranked #9 (30-12), won his first match by fall, but then lost by 11-3 major and 4-2 decision in overtime to Staples-Motley’s #2 Eli Greenwaldt (50-5). Johnson fell to Greenwaldt 10-4 in the state final dual. Carrier (31-14) lost by 7-0 decision to BBE’s #1 Maximus Hanson (49-0), won a 5-0 decision, then lost to Frazee’s #5 Preston Mayfield (41-9) by 15-4 major. Miles Mulhern (285), ranked #2 (36-11) went 0-2, losing both of his matches by fall on unranked foes. Jack Dornack (145) got the one and done treatment, losing by 2-0 decision to Holdingford’s #3 William Pilarski (38-8) in his only match. The senior (34-13) was nearing 100 career wins.