After clinching this year’s section team tournament for the first time since 2020, five individual boys wrestlers are headed to the 2024 Class AAA state individual competition after the section individual tournament held on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Anoka High School.
Defending 2023 state champion Forest Lake senior Mark Rendl will return to the Xcel for the individual tournament after dominating the 285 class with a big win over an opponent from Champlin Park. The berth is Rendl’s third-straight after taking third place two years ago and becoming the first-place title winner a season ago – and he’s hungry for more.
“We know Mark – he’s going to do what Mark does. There’s no other goal from him than to be a state champion,” said head coach Joe Kunshier.
Two other wrestlers will wrestle in their third-straight state appearance. Forest Lake’s junior Grant Marr earned his third-straight state appearance by winning the 127-pound weight class, defeating the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state from St. Francis. Senior Parker Lyden, who’s committed to Division I Campbell University, won his class of 139 to also advance to yet another state tournament.
Two seniors are getting the chance to wrestle for an individual title, as well. Jackson Marr, whom Kunshier said has had “a great season,” pushed his way to his first bid at the Xcel Energy Center with a runner-up second-place finish in the 145 class.
“He was so close to getting there last year, I wasn’t surprised that he punched through in his senior year. He’s worked his butt off and he’s done a great job of getting where he needs to be to break over that hump,” Kunshier said.
Hunter Gruba also earned his first state nod with a second-place finish after falling to one of the top-rated wrestlers in the state from Andover in the heavyweight 215-pound class.
“I’m super proud of him. I was not surprised at all that he got through that bracket,” Kunshier said. “He fought through, and I could see it in his eyes.”
Kunshier, who earned Section 7AAA Coach of the Year honors, will be sending seven total wrestlers to state individuals as a whole, with two girls wrestlers, freshman Bella Carlson and junior Nas’Jarae White, also earning tickets to state following their efforts in the Section 7AAA tournament earlier this month.
“To have those athletes who were trained in our room, it means a lot,” Kunshier noted about the pride he takes in being a homegrown program. “It’s a building block to the future, and it’s just making sure we are building that growth-like program and continuing that strong tradition of boys wrestling in Forest Lake. It just solidifies the mission that we’ve done and set out to do. We have put a lot of individuals into the state tournament over the last 20 years or so. It’s gratifying to know that we are continuing to do that.”
Outside of the state berth, the Rangers still had a variety of solid performances on the night. In the lightweight 107-pound class, eighth grader Kaden Clark posted a fourth-place finish, while sophomore Kody Kohoutek also finished fourth in the 133. Sophomore Dayton Dale earned third at 152, with a third sophomore in Cullen Christenson placing fourth at 160. Sophomore Aidan Wasilk took third at 172 before Gus Christenson finished with fifth place at 189.
As the five state individuals prepare for the Class AAA individual state tournament beginning on March 1, Kunshier provides his message to the seven individuals prior to next weekend’s action.
“I remember a phrase my father used, and my old coach used it as well: The hay is in the barn,” Kunshier said. “We’ve done everything that we can possibly do. There’s a difference between the hard work you put in and transitioning into the competition. I think it’s all about living in that moment and converting to making sure you are prepared and staying in that moment.”
The Rangers will compete as a team against No. 1-seeded Mounds View on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 9 a.m., followed by the seven wrestlers competing in the individual competition on Friday, March 1, both at the Xcel Energy Center.
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