A lifelong dream fulfilled
Wagner goes out on top with 189A state championship
Photo by Ari Selvey/The Journal Canby’s Nick Wagner celebrates his first-place finish during the Class A Wrestling State Tournament Saturday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
ST. PAUL — Canby’s Nick Wagner pulled out a win via 6-5 decision over Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial’s Nick Slater in the 189-pound Class A state individual wrestling championship match on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. The senior Lancer’s win in his final match makes him one of three Canby wrestlers to medal at the tournament, alongside third-place Sam Drietz in 145 and fifth-place Eli Greenman in 121.
“It was an amazing feeling to get to the top and know all the hard work that I put in all year finally paid off and I was going to go out on top,” Wagner said.
The first day got off to a rocky start, Wagner said, but he felt that the pair of wins helped him settle in so he could wrestle up to his potential on the second day of competition.
While he had some time to ease into things on the first day, he needed to be at his best from the start on Day 2 of the tournament. He took on Chatfield’s Kail Schott — the No. 1-ranked wrestler in Class A 189 and reigning state champion — in the semifinals. While Wagner came into the match as the underdog, he decisively established himself as the top dog with a pin to send himself to the finals 4:26 into the match.
“After that pin… my confidence was so high,” Wagner said. “I remember just jumping up and down in my coach’s arms yelling, ‘I’m going to the finals! I’m going to the finals!’ After I knocked him off, I knew I was going to win.”
The performance comes just a year after Wagner didn’t make it out of the first round in the championship bracket. After a loss in his opening round last year, Wagner won his first consolation match before being sent home without hardware in the second. Wagner said that experience just made him want to work harder to come back stronger this year.
Wagner came into the tournament ranked No. 6 in Class A 189. In his opening round match against West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville’s Jeremy Blascyk, Wagner ran away with an 8-1 decision. After a fairly one-sided first-round contest, he staved off No. 8 Hank Meyer of Kimball Area for a 6-5 decision.
Wagner started wrestling young, just 3 or 4 years old, he estimated. While he put together a great high school career even without the state title, the win made him like he reached his potential.
“If I wouldn’t have won it, I would’ve felt like I had more to prove and like I didn’t do everything that I could. It just feels more complete,” Wagner said. “That was really my goal ever since I started wrestling when I was a little kid. I’ve always wanted to be a state champion.”
Wagner added that it wasn’t until the start of this year that he really felt like he had a chance of attaining that lifelong goal and that he still wouldn’t have believed it fully until he actually accomplished it.
At this point in time, Wagner says this is the end of his wrestling career. He’s certainly finishing on a high note.
Sam Drietz, ranked No. 8 in 145, rose up to claim a third-place medal for the Lancers with a win over No. 5 Bailey Peichel of Frazee while Eli Greenman went home with a medal for the second year in a row, taking fifth place in 121A a year after finishing fourth.
CLASS A
CANBY
Nick Wagner, 189A CHAMPION
Round 1: Nick Wagner (CAN) over Jeremy Blascyk (WCAA) (Dec. 8-1); Quarterfinals: Nick Wagner (CAN) over Hank Meyer (KIAR) (Dec. 6-5); Semifinals: Nick Wagner (CAN) over Kail Schott (CHAT) (Fall 4:26); championship: Nick Wagner (CAN) over Nick Slater (LCWM) (Dec. 6-5)
Sam Drietz, 145A
third place
Round 1: Sam Drietz (CAN) over Eli Kruse (SCML) (Dec. 5-0); Gavin Johnson (KEWA) over Sam Drietz (CAN) (Dec. 2-1); Cons. round 1: Sam Drietz (CAN) Over Adam Lohse (WCAA) (Dec. 7-0). Cons. quarterfinals: Sam Drietz (CAN) over Kenny Erickson (AITK) (Dec. 7-2); Cons. semifinals: Sam Drietz (CAN) over Alex Schuh (TMBW) (Dec. 6-2); Third-place match: Sam Drietz (CAN) over Bailey Peichel (FRAZ) (Dec. 5-1).
Eli Greenman, 121A fifth place
Round 1: Eli Greenman (CAN) over Luis Lopez (MEDF) (Dec. 8-6); Quarterfinals: Eli Greenman (CAN) over Ian Phrakonkham (FOBA) (Dec. 15-10); Semifinals: Zach Remer (MLR) over Eli Greenman (CAN) (MD 9-1); Cons. semifinals: Eli Greenwaldt (STMO) over Eli Greenman (CAN) (Dec. 9-3); fifth-place match: Eli Greenman (CAN) over Moe Erdman (ADAR) (Dec. 9-2)
Gavin Noyes, 285A DNP
Round 1: Gavin Noyes (CAN) over Nick Becker (EVW) (Dec. 3-1); Quarterfinals: Keegan Kuball (WEJW) over Gavin Noyes (CAN) (Fall 3:32); Cons. Round 1: Gavin Noyes (CAN) over Jonathan Rose (FOBA) (Fall 3:45); Cons. quarterfinals: Brandon Mugg (ROUP) over Gavin Noyes (CAN) (Dec. 5-1).
TMB/WWG
Devin Carter, 127A runner-up
Round 1: Devin Carter (TMBW) over Orran Hart (BHVP) (Dec. 8-3); Quarterfinals: Devin Carter (TMBW) over Jeremiah Bien (GOOD) (Dec. 10-6); Semifinals: Devin Carter (TMBW) over Owen Gruchow (WCAA) (MD 9-0); Championship: Donovan Schmid (MLR) over Devin Carter (TMBW) (Dec. 9-2).
Eathan Martinez, 215A fifth place
Round 1: Eathan Martinez (TMBW) over Braden Shamp (BHVP) (Dec. 14-9); Quarterfinals: Jacob Schimek (SCML) over Eathan Martinez (TMBW) (Fall 1:11); Cons. Round 1: Eathan Martinez (TMBW) over James Flynn (FEBE) (Dec. 7-5); Cons. quarterfinals: Eathan Martinez (TMBW) over Jaxon Bartkowicz (HOLD) (Dec. 7-1); Cons. semifinals: Carson Gilbert (BBE) over Eathan Martinez (TMBW) (Dec. 4-3); Fifth-place match: Eathan Martinez (TMBW) over Isaiah Renne (ACGC) (SV-1 9-5)
Alex Schuh, 145A
sixth place
Round 1: Alex Schuh (TMBW) over Jude Olson (BWB) (Dec. 11-5); Quarterfinals: Alex Schuh (TMBW) over William Pilarski (HOLD) (SV-1 9-7); Semifinals: Nolan Ambrose (JCC) over Alex Schuh (TMBW) (Fall 1:56); Cons. semifinals: Sam Drietz (CAN) over Alex Schuh (TMBW) (Dec. 6-2); fifth-place match: Tanner Viessman (BBE) over Alex Schuh (TMBW) (Fall 2:37).
David Schuh, 133A sixth place
Round 1: David Schuh (TMBW) over Tate Evans (DERI) (Fall 3:35); Quarterfinals: Trey Gunderson (KMS) over David Schuh (TMBW) (Fall 0:56); Cons. round 1: Alex Schuh (TMBW) over Dalton Wilson (LSH) (Fall 0:48); Cons. quarterfinals: David Schuh (TMBW) over Justin Olson (BVHP) (Fall 2:45); Cons. semifinals: Gage Bartels (CHAT) over David Schuh (TMBW) (Dec. 1-0); Fifth-place match: Bo Zwiener (WERA) over David Schuh (TMBW) (Dec. 10-6)
MINNEOTA
Kaden Lasnetski, 107A sixth place
Round 1: Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) over Brody Herbst (LCWM) (MD 10-2); Quarterfinals: Charles Ikola (DERI) over Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) (Dec. 5-0); Cons. round 1: Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) over Kaston Clarke (FMCC) (Dec. 10-4); Cons. quarterifinals: Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) over Danny Salazar (PERA) (Dec. 7-0); Cons. semifinals: Kyler Thier (JCC) over Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) (Dec. 6-1); fifth-place match: Christian Zibrowski (LARP) over Kaden Lasnetski (MIN) (TF-1.5 4:59 16-0)
CLASS AA
UNITED
Daniel Gunlogson, 139AA third place
Round 1: Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Sinko Vukas (SSP) (MD 10-0); Quarterfinals: Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Tony Baumann (HLWW) (Dec. 5-3); Semifinals: Jack Nelson (MOWE) over Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) (Dec. 5-0); Cons. semifinals: Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Isaac Blocker (CAHO) (Dec. 1-0); third-place match: Daniel Gunlogson (DBLQ) over Ethan Sylvester (TOGR) (Dec. 2-1).
Brady Rhode, 285AA third place
Round 1: Brady Rhode (DBLQ) over Clayton Danielson (GRRA) (TF-1.5 5:18 15-0); Quarterfinals: Brady Rhode (DBLQ) over Samuel Winkels (AUST) (Fall 2:58); semifinals: Logan Bender (CHLA) over Brady Rhode (DBLQ) (Fall 1:01); Cons. semifinals: Brady Rhode (DBLQ) over Carson Schoenbauer (SCWE) (Fall 1:21); third-place match: Brady Rhode (DBLQ) over Samuel Winkels (AUST) (Dec. 5-0).
Kameron Sather, 145AA DNP
Round 1: Kameron Sather (DBLQ) over Andrew Schwab (SSP) (MD 11-2); Quarterfinals: Justin Jobe (GRRA) over Kameron Sather (DBLW) (Dec. 7-2); Cons. round 1: Kameron Sather (DBLQ) over Cyrus Jones (MIED) (Fall 2:11); Cons. quarterfinals: Jonah Coleman (KAMA) over Kameron Sather (DBLQ) (Dec. 7-3).
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