Kimball wins Class A Team Wrestling 2021 State Championship
Posted: Saturday, March 27, 2021 - 3:01 PM
Minnesota State High School League
Wrestling State Tournament
Class A wrestling
Kimball made school history on Saturday, March 27, by capturing the first athletic championship for the central Minnesota school following a 49-21 victory over Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie in the Class A title match of the Minnesota State High School League’s wrestling state tournament at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Earlier in the session, the top-seeded Cubs recorded a 45-26 victory over No. 4 Royalton-Upsala before capping their historic season with a 25-4 record.
The Cubs were two-time Class A runner-ups in 1997 and 2012, respectively, before taking a final successful step in completing a championship journey in 2021.
In the final, No. 3 Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie (29-8) zipped to a 15-0 lead with two pins and a decision in the first three weights. But the Cubs quickly erased that deficit with a run of 10 consecutive victories in cruising to a championship that culminated a modified season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sophomore Gavin Winter started the spree with a pin at 126 pounds and the victories just snowballed from there, concluding with senior Brandon Guggisberg, who had a major decision at 220.
After a 36-21 loss to Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Feb. 16, the Cubs ended the season on a 13-dual winning streak.
Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie, making its third consecutive state tournament appearance, earned a spot in the championship dual with a 37-36 victory over No. 2 Jackson County Central. Senior Hayden Captain clinched the victory with a pin of Jackson County Central’s Trace Michaelson, a junior, at heavyweight. The Raiders, the Class A runner-up in 2001, were seeking their first wrestling state championship as well.
