Next stop, state: Owatonna has four Section 1-AAA champions, qualify seven for state tournament

Rochester -- It was just seven days ago, that the Owatonna wrestling program qualified for the Class AAA state dual tournament at the Rochester Civic Center.
Despite a severe snowstorm pushing the Section 1-AAA individual tournament to just Saturday, the goal was simple… place second or better and you’re in.
While there was some heartbreak for a few, it was a rather exciting afternoon for Owatonna.
Seven grapplers, led by defending state champions Peyton Robb and Brandon Moen, punched tickets to the Excel Energy Center for the state tournament with all 14 Huskies placing in the tournament.
“I think we had a great day,” commented co-head coach Scott Seykora. “To send half your team to the state tournament as individuals, I’m just proud of the effort.”
In the first two rounds of wrestling, Owatonna placed 12 in the semifinals, with just Parker Westphal (160) and Parker Holton (195) the lone losses. From the 12, seven would reach the finals with four battling back to wrestle for third.
In the finals, Kaden Nelson provided the fireworks early.
Trailing 6-5 late in the third period, Nelson tied the match 6-6 with a standup, but would cut Marshall Peters of Rochester Mayo to be neutral and with a 7-6 deficit. With just 15 seconds left, Nelson got in on a deep double-leg on the edge of the mat, winning his first Section 1-AAA title with a thrilling 8-7 victory. He would win his first two matches by pin and a major decision.
Owatonna won four of the seven matches in the finals with Peyton Robb (145), Cade King (152) and Brandon Moen (182) all earning pins. The trio of state-ranked grapplers have been a focal point to the middle of the Huskies’ lineup all season and continued that trend Saturday, winning all their matches by large margins.
Starting 2-0 on the day, Landen Johnson (113), Nick Staska (170) and Goy Tut (285) each fell in the finals. Johnson lost to state-ranked Trayton Anderson of Farmington by pin in the first period, but would win the challenge match 4-0 to solidify his spot. Staska and Tut on the other hand, each suffered heartbreaking losses.
With a 7-2 late in the match to Elijah Hollins of John Marshall, Staska managed to hit a quick standup to cut the lead to 7-3, but was unable to record finish a throw with time winding down. He would also lose in the challenge match to Northfield’s John Vitito 5-2, eliminating his state bid to finish third. Losing to Faribault’s Dillion McEachran last Saturday in the championship dual, Tut was locked into another nail biter. McEachran managed to ride Tut for the first 30-second period after a each wrestler earned a standup in regulation. After the Faribault junior picked down, Tut was unable to hold him down, surrendering an escape and a match-sealing takedown to fall 4-1.
After placing third, Haden Fox (120), Jerez Autridge (126) and Griffin Thorn all received challenge matches due to the second place finisher being an opponent they did not wrestle on the day. Thorn, who was upset in the semifinals by Austin Rendler of Faribault, placed second due via an injury default from Austin. Autridge and Fox would both drop their matches to remain third place finishers. Compiling just a 4-5 record at the varsity level prior to Saturday, Autridge was a bright spot for the Huskies’ future.  
“He’s a kid that on the edge of the JV/Varsity range and he did a nice job filling in for us during the year when we had some injuries,” commented Seykora. “To come in and lose a true second match, he did a nice job.”
Bryce Goodwin (138) and Joe Fox (132) each made the semifinals, but dropped two of their final three matches. Goodwin finished fourth while Fox finished sixth. Westphal and Holton placed sixth and fifth respectively. Prior to the commencement of the finals, there was a brief break to announce coaching awards for the three classes for Section 1. Owatonna’s Adam Woitalla and Scott Seykora were named the Section AAA head coaches of the year.
State wrestling will start Thursday with the dual tournament at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. Owatonna has the No.4 seed and will wrestle Hastings in the first round.