ST. PAUL?- That state wrestling tournament is where dreams can come true or come crashing down without notice.

On Saturday, four area wrestlers tried to make their dreams come true in Class A state individual championship matches at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, but only one achieved it as Wabasso/Red Rock Central heavyweight Alex Schroepfer capped off a perfect season with the title.

“It feels like nothing in the world. I worked all my life for this and I got it,” Schroepfer said after winning a 9-5 decision in the title match. “It is unimaginable.”

After a 2-0 start the first day of the tournament Schroepfer opened competition Saturday with a pin in 51 seconds of his semifinal to claim a spot in the last Class A match of the season.

After waiting hours for the biggest and final match of his career, Schroepfer went up against United North Central’s Taylor Carlson in the finale. Carlson was unranked in the last poll and had wrestled well to get into the final, but his luck ran out against Schroepfer

Right after the first whistle, Schroepfer struck quick with a power double takedown and put Carlson’s back to the mat.

“Most people look at me and think I’m slow, but I’m pretty quick. That first move really helped me out,” Schroepfer said. “That’s always the plan. I try to see if I can get them quick and clean, and if not I keep going like I did.”

Before he Schroepfer could stick the pin Carlson managed slide himself outside the ring, but the takedown and near fall were good enough for a 5-0 lead and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Schroepfer had an 8-0 lead built up in the third period before Carlson even scored a point, but by then all Schroepfer had to do was wait it out and finish claim his title.

Celebrating with Schroepfer were his coaches and teammates, including 120-pounder Spencer Jenniges who also wrestled for a state title but wasn’t able to pull it off.

Jenniges was also undefeated this season going into the championship and won a narrow 5-3 decision in his semifinal. His opponent in the title match was defending champion Cameron Sykora of Border West.

Skyora was ranked No. 1 and Jenniges No. 2 this year, and the rankings proved to be true. Jenniges kept it close early and the score was 0-0 after the first period, but the top-ranked nical pin.

Despite the loss and coming up one win short of his 150th career win, Jenniges was pleased with his runner-up medal and the tournament overall.

“I feel it went pretty good. Going into the first period against Cameron I was pretty happy with keeping it 0-0. Coach said the way I would win it was on my feet,” Jenniges said. “Cameron is known for his tilt, and it was hard to stop it. I had to beat him on my feet and couldn’t quite do it.”

W/RRC wasn’t the only team with wrestlers in finals. Minneota/Lincoln HI also had two guys go for state championships, but both lost heartbreakers that could have gone the other way.

Brock Buysse, the top ranked 106-pound wrestler in the state, started the finals with a match against the No. 2 kid, Adrian’s Skylar Hieronimus. It was 0-0 through the first two periods but Buysse started the third down and was able to escape for one point with 54 seconds left.

Buysse held his lead until the final seconds when Hieronimus caught him with a shot and took him down for two points and a 2-1 win just before time expired.

It was a tough blow for the Viking junior, but he was still pleased with second place and will use the loss as fuel for another championship run next season.

“Overall it was a good weekend. It wasn’t great, but it was good,” he said. “I just needed to wrestle those last six seconds. That’s what it all came down to. You can’t give up. I will definitely try to build off this because it does not feel very good right now. I’m just going to try and get that out next year.”

Bryce Brunner, the Vikings’ 138-pounder, also had a shot at the title slip away from him. Although he was not the highest ranked wrestler at the start of the tournament, he was No. 6 in the state, some big wins along the way helped build his confidence before facing Chatfield’s Hank Friederichs, the No. 1 ranked wrestler, in the final.

“In the middle of my quarterfinal match (against No. 2 Austin Brockhoff) I started getting more relaxed and felt more comfortable on the mat,” Brunner said. “I’m just glad I made it through the tournament and got as far as a I did. I didn’t think I had it in me to get all the way to the finals.”

Friederichs took a lead early in the title match, but Brunner never let him get too far away and only trailed 3-0 in the third period. In the final minute, though, Brunner’s patience and conservative wrestling nearly paid off as he managed to get the upper hand with Friederichs down and nearly had him on his shoulders.

As Vikings fans were cheering for a 3-point near fall that would have tied the score, the referee instead whistled the match dead for endangerment and Freiderich was let off the hook.

Brunner ended up losing 3-0, and while it was a tough loss the sophomore was also generally pleased with how his state tournament trip ended.

“When I turned him I got a little excited,” he said. “I had him turned and I didn’t hear the ref counting. When I didn’t hear him counting I got a little upset and tried to force him over, and I guess it was called potentially dangerous. If I could go back and be a little tighter or turn him at slightly different angle, I sure would love to.

“Just making it to state is a good feeling,” Brunner added. “It’s nothing to complain about. It still means something. I’m happy with it.”

In other area wrestling results, the Vikings had one other guy earn a state medal as 160-pounder Cole Hennen took sixth place.

The Class AA individual wrestling tournament also had a handful of place winner from the area, but nobody who made it to the championship match of their weight.

The area’s highest Class AA individual placer this year was 132-pounder Logan Axford of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton. He lost his semifinal and consolation semifinal to fall into the fifth-place match, but recuperated in time for a third-period pin to take fifth place.

Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Montevideo’s 138-pounder Logan Knoshal and 285-pounder Jake Lehmann both lost back-to-back matches in their semifinal and consolation quarterfinal to end up in the fifth-place matches. Both lost to bring home sixth-place medals.

Quad County’s 120-pounder, Colten Specht, split his consolation matches 1-1 to compete in the fifth-place final and also lost to earn a sixth-place medal.

MSHSL

INDIVIDUAL?WRESTLING?STATE TOURNAMENT

At Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul

Class A Consolation Quarterfinal

145: Dylan Herman (United South Central) pinned Alec Engler (M/LHI), 0:56; 160: Cole Hennen (M/LHI) decision over Cain Renner (Eden Valley-Watkins), 4-2 OT.

Class A Semifinal

106: Brock Buysse (M/LHI) decision over Caleb Kreitter (Crosby-Ironton), 2-1; 120: Spencer Jenniges (W/RRC) decision over Miguel Ambriz (LP-GE), 5-3; 138: Bryce Brunner (M/LHI) pinned Dylan Boettcher (St. Clair/Mankato Loyola), 1:18; 285: Alex Schroepfer (W/RRC) pinned Martin Granados (Blue Earth), 0:51.

Class A Consolation Semifinal

160: Zachary Carlson (KMS) decision over Cole Hennen (M/LHI), 6-2.

Class A Fifth Place

160: Aaron Trio (Maple River) decision over Cole Hennen (M/LHI), 5-0.

Class A Final

106: Skylar Hieronimus (Adrian) decision over Brock Buysse (M/LHI), 2-1; 120: Cameron Sykora (Border West) technicall fall over Spencer Jenniges (W/RRC), 15-0; 138: Hank Friederichs (Chatfield) decision over Bryce Brunner (M/LHI), 3-0; 285: Alex Schroepfer (W/RRC) decision over Taylor Carlson (United North Central), 9-5.

Class AA Consolation Quarterfinal

120: Colten Specht (Quad County) major decision over Josh Bernier (Thief River Falls), 13-2; 170: Joe Virga (Chisago Lakes) decision over Joe Weeding (United), 6-0.

Class AA Semifinal

132: Ty Griffin (Rockford) decision over Logan Axford (TMB), 5-2; 138: James Berg (New Prague) major decision over Logan Knoshal (United), 15-2; 285: Brandon Merten (Milaca) decision over Jake Lehmann (United), 7-3.

Class AA Consolation Semifinal

120: Tanner Vassar (Annandale/ML) decision over Colten Specht (Quad County), 13-4; 132: Colin Ayers (WEM/JWP) decision over Logan Axford (TMB), 1-0; 138: Devin Fitzpatrick (Mahtomedi) decision over Logan Knoshal (United), 9-6; 285: Logan Swanson (Mankato East) decision over Jake Lehmann (United), 3-1 OT.

Class AA Fifth Place

120: Dylan Connell (Chisago Lakes) decision over Colten Specht (Quad County), 8-3; 132: Logan Axford (TMB) pinned Kyle Nordstrom (Simley), 5:21; 138: Nick Mergen (Albany) decision over Logan Knoshal (United), 5-2; 285: Blake Mauss (Caledonia) decision over Jake Lehmann (United), 4-2 OT.