ST. PAUL - The Minneota wrestling team will battle for third place in the Class A state tournament after falling 35-33 to Kimball area in the state semifinals at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday afternoon.
The No. 3-seeded Vikings fell behind 15-0 after three matches, but recovered to tie the match at 18 with six matches to go. But the No. 2-seeded Cubs picked up two consecutive pinfalls, and at 220 pounds, a 19-3 technical falls by Austin Schiefelbein sealed Kimball's victory.
Cole Hennen (126 pounds), Theodore Bueltel (138), Travis Longtin (145), Alex Lessman (152), Isaac Josephson (182), Adam Josephson (195) and Josh VanOverbeke (heavyweight) each won for the Vikings.
With the win, the Cubs will face two-time defending state champion Jackson County Central in the Class A finals.
Minneota hits the mat one more time for the third-place match, taking on Badger/Greenbush-Middle River. The Gators fell 46-25 to JCC in the semifinals.