KoMets take home Swalla Duals title

The challenges keep coming for the Kasson-Mantorville wrestling team as it looks to defend its state championship from a year ago. Although it was to be expected that the KoMets would have a target on their back, the dominant fashion in which they have knocked down everything that has stood in their way may not have been foreseen.
The KoMets continued to assert themselves as they took out Kenyon-Wanamingo in a HVL showdown in Stewartville on January 26 and proceeded to win the Swalla Duals championship for the third straight year on January 28. As the victories pile up, the hit list has become more impressive for the defending state champions.
K-M’s showdown with Kenyon-Wanamingo involved two programs who have traditionally dominated the Hiawatha Valley League. With the conference championship presumably on the line, the KoMets nearly shut out the Knights outside of an 11-3 decision by Seth Brossard over Brady Laumb at 132 pounds in a 58-4 victory for K-M.
After also picking up a 63-3 victory over Stewartville that night, the KoMets turned their attention to their signature event and one of the top wrestling tournaments in the area, the Swalla Duals on January 28.
To open the tournament, the KoMets breezed by pool play picking up a 65-6 win over Blue Earth Area, who is currently ranked 10th in Class A, and a 66-6 win over Caledonia, who was a state tournament entrant last year. That set up the main event of the day as K-M would face Simley for the championship.
Making their first appearance at the Swalla Duals since 2013, the Spartans have had a rivalry with the KoMets late in the season. If it weren’t for a last match victory by Foley in the Class AA Semifinals last year, it could have been a rematch of last year’s Class AA championship dual and perhaps a preview of what could happen in this year’s state tournament.
After Bennett Berge kicked things off with a 9-4 decision against Cael Berg, Nic VanOort scored picked up a win in a last-second thriller against Luis Fierro at 126 pounds. Although the