Logan’s Biggest Surprises from the 2024 State Tournament
Another state tournament has come and gone. This year was special for me as my first year covering the event through the lens of a media member. During the championship semifinals, I had time to relax and take in the sport. I watched four(!) returning state champions get knocked off in the semifinals (that’s right - the SEMIFINALS - not even the FINALS). At this point, it dawned on me just how unpredictable the state wrestling tournament truly is. I present to you seven biggest surprises of the 2024 MSHSL State Championships:
Justus Heeg, Simley, 133
Justus Heeg was the #7 seed and the only 8th grader in the entire 133AA bracket. On route to his state title, the Simley eighth grader knocked off the #1, #2, and #3 ranked wrestlers in the state. Heeg majored a D-II commit in the quarterfinals, pinned a D-III commit in the semis, and defeated a three-time state finalist and D-II commit in the finals. Did I mention Heeg is only an eighth grader?
Chatfield’s Dominance
Chatfield was advertised as the best team in Class A and, boy, did they overdeliver. Chatfield won 32 of 39 individual matches during the team portion, and outscored their opponents 146 to 28 - AT THE STATE TOURNAMENT! They won their finals match by 40, which the largest margin of victory in a Class A State Finals since the MSHSL went to a three-class system in 1996.
Kylie Donat, Bemidji, 142
Kylie Donat was a first-time state entrant in perhaps the most loaded bracket in the entire girls state tournament. She was seeded 4th behind three wrestlers who had 2 state medals each (and all of the medals were top-three places). That didn’t stop Donat from shocking the world by knocking off a state champion in the semifinals AND a three-time state placewinner in the finals! Donat capped off a nearly flawless senior year with a record of 36-1 and her first MSHSL State Championship.
Nick Wagner, Canby, 189
Wagner was a 5th seed and far from a known commodity coming into the state wrestling tournament (at least from a state-wide perspective). He had never won a section title or made a trip to the state tournament. Wagner went on a historic run, defeating the #1, #2, and #3 rank wrestlers to claim the 189A State Title. This included a pin of the reigning state champion in the semifinals. In the last five matches of his career, Wagner defeated all five wrestlers. Four of those wrestlers were state medalists.
189AAA Chaos
Due to the realignment of weight classes prior to the 2023-2024 wrestling season, we knew there would be some loaded upper weight brackets. 189AAA was one of those brackets. The bracket contained 3 returning state finalists and two returning state champions - but NOT ONE (I repeat: NOT A SINGLE ONE) of those wrestlers made the finals! Instead it was #6 seed John Murphy (STMA) and #4 seed Marcell Booth (Apple Valley) shocking the world and earning their trips to the state finals. John Murphy was one of just two sophomores in the 189AAA bracket, but that didn’t stop him from claim his first state championship. Colleges will be banging down his front door for the next couple years.
Finals Finders Club
This year, three unseeded wrestlers found their way into the state finals. Angelica Benitez (Prior Lake, 106) and Phoebe Kunerth (Minnetonka, 130) both advanced to the finals on the girls side, while Reed Sommer (Kenyon-Wanamingo, 121) making the state finals on the boys side. Frankly, I’m surprised Sommer was the only unseeded wrestler to advance to the finals on the boys side. Consider this: 624 boys advance in Class A/AA/AA and half of those wrestlers are seeded. Out of 312 unseeded wrestlers, only 1(!) advanced to the finals.
127AA Madness
Another hyped pre-tournament storyline met and exceeded expectations. The 127AA bracket was touted as the deepest and possible most unpredictable bracket at the state tournament. Well, the #1 seed was defeated in the quarterfinals, an unseeded wrestler took 4th, and the score of the finals match was 13-12. Talk about an adrenaline rush of a bracket! The aforementioned finals match was likely the highlight of the entire tournament, where Christian Jelle and Calvin Singewald took turns getting “oohhs” and “aahhs” from the Xcel Energy Center crowd.