Before the Class 3A wrestling state tournament, the 132-pound weight class was considered the toughest, including four-time state champion Reid Ballantyne of Stillwater and three-time champ Derrick Cardinal of Forest Lake. But the top seed was undefeated Zach Hanson Lakeville North.
Ballantyne withdrew before the individual meet because of injury. Cardinal and Hanson lived up to expectations, meeting for the championship. Cardinal, a senior, got an escape in overtime for a 3-2 victory to join the exclusive club of four-time champions.
“It feels really good and satisfying to prove everyone wrong,” said Cardinal, now with a school-record 240 victories.
“When I first moved down to 132, they had me ranked No. 3, behind Reid and Hanson. Then they bumped me up to No. 2. That win over Zach proves that I should have been No. 1 the whole time.” Continue reading at mnwrestlinghub.com →