High School Wrestling Focus: Chatfield tops Power Rankings after toppling GMLOS

Isaac Trotter, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·6 min read

Feb. 24—Matt Mauseth knew the 2021 season had a chance to be special. But the Chatfield Gophers might have already exceeded Mauseth's high expectations.

Chatfield made a big statement when it knocked off Class A powerhouse GMLOS on Feb. 20, 41-27. The Gophers are loaded from top to bottom. They have the talent and moxie to make it out of a loaded Section 1A tournament and compete for a state title.

All that and more in this week's installment of the High School Wrestling Focus.

TOP 5 PERFORMANCES

1. Marshall Peters, Mayo

Peters is wrestling at an elite level. The Spartans' leader pinned John Marshall's Darius Jordan and also dominated Goodhue's Alex Nelson on Saturday. Peters is highly motivated to make a run to the state podium.

2. Maddox O'Reilly, Goodhue

O'Reilly has been terrific this year for Goodhue, and he stayed hot on Friday and Saturday against elite competition. O'Reilly pinned Kasson-Mantorville's Keyan Laganiere on Friday and then beat Rochester Mayo's Ian Funk 4-3 on Saturday. O'Reilly is 10-1 this year and the 145-pounder could make some noise in the individual Section 1A tournament.

3. Grady Schott, Chatfield

Schott's tight 3-2 victory over GMLOS' state-ranked Noah Sayles proved to be the deciding match in Chatfield's victory over GMLOS.

4. Blake Lehnertz, Dover-Eyota

Lehnertz is a perfect 13-0 for the Eagles this season after edging Kenyon-Wanamingo's Tyler Craig 3-1 in a down-to-the-wire affair. Dover-Eyota just keeps cranking out studs from its wrestling room. Lehnertz is another one.

5. Vicente Deleon, Byron

Kenyon-Wanamingo's Armani Tucker has been one of the biggest and nastiest heavyweights in southeastern Minnesota, but Deleon pinned the K-W star in 3:59 on Feb. 19. That's a big-time effort from the Byron heavyweight.

POWER RANKINGS

(Editor's note: These rankings are considered "pound-for-pound" rankings, similar to many rankings systems in boxing and mixed martial arts. They represent the best teams in southeastern Minnesota, relative to the class they play in.)

1. Chatfield

Previous rank: (6)

We have a new No. 1. Chatfield on quite a roll, including knocking off GMLOS on Feb. 20. Chatfield is 16-1 on the year and absolutely dominating everyone in its path. Seth Goetzinger, Carson Rowland, Ben Carrier, Kail Schott, Tate Karver and Grady Schott all had big victories in the big win over a super talented GMLOS team.

2. GMLOS

Previous rank: (1)

GMLOS got tripped up against Chatfield, falling 41-27, but it was a lot closer than the final score indicated. That's life in a loaded Section 1A. Last week wasn't a total clunker either because the Bulldogs knocked off a very good Class AAA team (Rochester Mayo) on Feb. 18. GMLOS' long-term goals are still very much alive. The Bulldogs are 17-3 and might be the best bet to emerge out of Section 1A, but they'll need Noah Sayles, Christian Jacobsen, Cameron Sneed, Rece Voigt, Braxten Wiste, Donavon Felten, Cohen Wiste and Anthony Romero to be at the top of their games.

3. Kasson-Mantorville

Previous rank: (2)

A loss to Zumbrota-Mazeppa probably didn't make practice in the legendary Kasson-Mantorville wrestling room very fun. The KoMets bounced back by cruising past both Goodhue and Triton on Feb. 18, and Caledonia and Austin on Feb. 20. Bennett Berge, Anthony Moe-Tucker, Jackson Kennedy, Cole Glazier, Logan Vaughan and Kail Wynia are roadblocks for any opponents, while K-M coach Jamie Heidt is one of the best in the business.

4. Rochester Mayo

Previous rank: (3)

GMLOS and Faribault handed Mayo two tough losses on Feb. 18. GMLOS is one of the best teams in Class A and Faribault is a Section 1AAA powerhouse yet again this year. The Spartans moved to 14-4 overall and 9-3 in the Big Nine with victories over Goodhue and John Marshall on Feb. 20. Art Trimble's crew has only lost to Faribault (18-1), Northfield (17-3), Owatonna (16-5) and GMLOS (17-3).

5. Kenyon-Wanamingo

Previous rank: (7)

The Knights made a statement when they beat Dover-Eyota 40-18 on Feb. 11. Five days later, the Knights had to try to beat Dover-Eyota again. This time, it was much closer, but yet again K-W earned a confidence-boosting 34-33 victory. The Knights are the only team to beat Dover-Eyota this year. They're moving up the Power Rankings quickly.

6. Dover-Eyota

Previous rank: (4)

For some reason, Kenyon-Wanamingo has Dover-Eyota's number. The Knights are the only team that D-E has lost to and they've fallen twice to the Section 2A title contender. Still, the Eagles are a dangerous team, and they're more than capable of making a deep postseason run. Gavin Gust is a perfect 14-0. Brodie Kellen (12-2), Jackson Duellman (10-4), Tyler Mix (9-3), Bolton Thesing (11-3), Blake Lehnertz (13-0) and Tyler Shea (12-2) are guys to keep an eye on.

7. Zumbrota-Mazeppa

Previous rank: (5)

Zumbrota-Mazeppa has been a rollercoaster this season. It beat Kasson-Mantorville to end the KoMets' 12-year HVL winning streak. But then it lost to a .500 Albert Lea Area squad. The Cougars have what it takes to wrestle with the state's best. Bringing it every single night is the next challenge. Long-time Z-M coach Link Steffen knows how to have the Cougars wrestling their best by tournament time.

8. Lake City

Previous rank: (8)

Lake City is 15-3 and a perfect 8-0 in Section 1AA duals. Sam Nutt, Nate Evans, Jonathan Harvey and Max Balow have been standouts for the Tigers this season, and their lone losses have come at the hands of Dover-Eyota, Chatfield and Zumbrota-Mazeppa in hard-fought, tight matches. Lake City will cause some teams fits come postseason time.

9. Plainview-Elgin-Millville

Previous rank: (9)

Isaac Walch, Martin Prieto, Cael Marx, Kael Lamb, Dereck Boyum and Cooper Hofschulte are all studs for P-E-M. The Bulldogs crushed Pine Island 54-24 on Feb. 18. They've won two in a row. P-E-M is 11-9 and 4-2 in Three Rivers Conference duals.

10. Goodhue Wildcats

Previous rank: (10)

Goodhue sits at 15-7 on the season. Their losses have come against some of the elite teams in the area like Rochester Mayo, Lake City, Shakopee, Kasson-Mantorville and Chatfield. Maddox O'Reilly has been excellent this season, and Josh Grant is one of the best wrestling coaches in the area. Goodhue might not be good enough to beat the top-tier teams right now, but it could be scary good in the next couple of years.

MATCHES TO WATCH

Thursday, Feb. 25: Chatfield and Rochester Mayo will battle in a matchup of two of the best teams and programs in southeastern Minnesota.

Saturday, Feb. 27: Dover-Eyota will host Blooming Prairie and La Crescent.

Saturday, Feb. 27: Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Pine Island and Triton will clash at Pine Island.

Tuesday, March 2: Kenyon-Wanamingo will host Plainview-Elgin-Millville and Zumbrota-Mazeppa. All three teams are in the top 10 of the Power Rankings.