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View From The Matbird Seat

By Bruce Bartels

I am just about to give myself a new title—“Crown Prince of Procrastination.” I can find plenty of ways to point my finger to try to explain my tardiness in writing a season wrap-up column. I could blame my almost yearly visit to Fort Myers to stay with my brother Jim and get a preseason look at the Minnesota Twins. That pushes me back a week or two. Or, I could blame The Guillotine moving away from print copy and transitioning online. I used to cut out a copy of the print deadline dates posted in the upper left corner of my computer screen. With no paper copy of The Guillotine, there is no print deadline—and no sharp stick prodding me! I could go on with my long list of excuses, but now that I am at the keyboard, I might as well get going.

I usually do a quick review of the state tournament along with my suggestions for improvement. With the tournament moving to Wednesday through Saturday, plenty of readers did that for me on “The Forum.” Still, I have my own small list of suggestions. There is always my annual proposal that the press sections be moved from the two ends of the arena to the two sides. It would certainly make viewing all matches easier, as you would never be looking at a bout four mats away.

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Putting the Fier in Minneota Vikings’ Wrestling

By Brian Jerzak

When Joe and JoAnn Fier started a family in Minneota, they didn’t have much of a wrestling background. Despite the lack of wrestling background, the Joe and JoAnn family has provided the program with two generations of Vikings’ wrestlers, state entrants, and state place winners. Now, well into that second generation of Fier wrestlers, the family continues to put its stamp on the southwestern Minnesota wrestling program.

“My dad didn’t wrestle, but he liked wrestling,” former Vikings’ wrestler and current assistant wrestling coach Kris Fier said. “He married a girl from Canby who was a wrestling cheerleader for Canby. Back then, Canby was who you gauged everything in wrestling off.”

“Kris is an assistant coach, and Minneota’s first wrestling state champion,” Minneota head coach Matt Myrvik said. “He was part of our first state tournament team, with his brother Kurt. Kris has been a coach with us for almost three decades.”

Watching other programs – including the team JoAnn used to cheer for – helped hook their son, Kris.

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Thirteen Years in the Making

New Ulm Wrestling

By Brian Jerzak

One of the highlights of the 2026 Minnesota State High School Wrestling tournament was the emergence of the New Ulm Eagles. Not only did the Eagles advance to State for the second time in history, but they also made their first trip to the state finals – ultimately falling to Simley 38-13. The Eagles’ best season in their history didn’t happen overnight.

“In 2013, I moved to New Ulm,” New Ulm head coach Kevin Briggs said. “This group of parents stuck together. We took the kids to practices; we took them to tournaments. More importantly, the parents got along, hung out together, and kept the kids involved. Last year’s team was thirteen years in the making.”

Before Briggs could head up the Eagles’ turnaround, the future wrestling coach had to decide which sport was going to occupy his time in the winter.

“I am from a small town – Cornell, Wisconsin,” Briggs said. “I got involved in athletics. My older brother wrestled. I played basketball and wrestled both until ninth grade. I learned that if I was going to control my own destiny and my own work ethic, I had to wrestle and not play basketball.”

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Trey Beissel’s Grit: Wrestling Through Pain to Chase Greatness

By Brian Jerzak

Hastings senior Trey Beissel went into last season as the number one-ranked wrestler in his weight class in Class AAA. If there were a pound-for-pound, regardless of class ranking, for Minnesota wrestlers, he would have been in that conversation. Heading into the state tournament, it was full speed ahead to become a two-time champion.

“My first match at team State,” Beissel said, “the guy got to my leg, and I was whizzering down, and my knee popped. I kept wrestling and didn’t think anything of it. A few seconds later, two more pops came, and that was it. I finished that match, but then the coaches said we have to get you ready for the individual tournament.”

“Him going out there and finishing that match (in the team competition) tells you all you need to know about Trey,” Hastings’ head wrestling coach Tim Haneberg said. “He is a team, first person. He put the team on his back. He put the team on the line in the first round against Elk River – he was going to finish that match. Trey ran out of injury time – popped up and somehow got another takedown. He got on top and turned the kid two or three times for the tech. He couldn’t even walk off the mat and had to be carried off the mat.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time Beissel’s state tournament run was derailed before it could get started.

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Putting Themselves In Winning Positions – Pierz Wrestling

By Brian Jerzak

Across the nation, thousands of kids attend wrestling technique camps. While good technique is essential to success, it is not the only way to win. Under head coach Skip Toops, the Pioneers’ wrestlers focus not just on learning techniques, but on applying them effectively.

“We look more at winning positions than doing wrestling moves,” Coach Toops said. “We work on winning different positions we get into in a wrestling match, being comfortable in positions during a match, and finding a way to win that position – winning positions and understanding it is the little things that make you successful.”

For Toops, focusing on the little things started in small-town Minnesota.

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Minnesota High School Report

By Brian Jerzak

The Minnesota High School Report is a weekly column during the high school wrestling season.

The boys’ individual section tournaments took place over the weekend, with 624 athletes earning spots at the high school season’s final weekend at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Across the state, I singled out finals where two ranked wrestlers faced off for a section title, or where an unranked wrestler fought through the bracket to defeat a top-ten opponent.

Looking at the team competition, where are the possible ranked matchups in the team quarter finals? Find out at the end of the story.

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Minnesota High School Report

By Brian Jerzak

The Minnesota High School Report is a weekly column during the high school wrestling season.

Today’s Better Know A Senior – Kaisen Johnson from Chatfield, Featured Event – Foley and Becker in a thriller to decide Section 3AA

The biggest set of events last weekend was the girls’ individual section tournaments around the state. This weekend, twenty-four programs earned the right to wrestle as a team one more weekend.

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View From The Matbird Seat

By Bruce Bartels

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was assisting in filling out weight certification forms for a local team. Now, as I settle into the Matbird Seat, I notice a couple more pages of the calendar, and it is the last day of the regular season, and as we glide into the week, it is the postseason. I’m guessing a few seniors, looking at the reality of the passing of time, are saying as I am, “Where did the season go!”

Advice to seniors: live these next couple of weeks to the fullest. You never get them back. And for underclassmen, “the day after your last match can be the start of your next season.”

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Minnesota High School Report

By Brian Jerzak

The Minnesota High School Report is a weekly column during the high school wrestling season.

Today’s Better Know A Senior – Anna Yaeger from Hopkins, Coaches’ Corner – Todd Card from Hutchinson, Featured Event – Two Rivers and Irondale at Park

Rocori took home the Tyler Moening Invitational title, outpointing the eleven-team field. Rocori’s Trey Kraemer, Mason Moscho, Kameron Moscho, and Zander Bitker all took home titles. The finals featured several ranked contests. At 107, top-ranked Trey Kraemer (Rocori) defeated tenth-ranked Hunter Burnett (Rock Ridge), 2-0.

Twenty-one programs took part in the Osakis Silverstreaks Girls Invitational. At the end of the day, Sauk Centre-Melrose came out on top. Natalee Friedrichs, Illeana LeClaire, and Afton Vogt each won their weight classes, leading the way for Sauk Centre-Melrose.

At 112, Roselane D. Verrett (Monticello) upset fifth-ranked Shelby Helmin (Milaca-Faith Christian) with a fall. At 124, Ashlin Gibson (MAHACA) upset ninth-ranked Jaime Bayliss (Monticello) 15-6. At 170, Anika Tureson (Staples Motley) pinned seventh-ranked Anna Jaeger (Hopkins). At 190, the upsets kept coming withMorgan Skoien (Roseau) pinning fifth-ranked Folake Olusesi (Robbinsdale Cooper).

Elsewhere, Little Falls topped Delano by six points at the eight-team North Branch Invitational. Sam Strack and Ivan Petrich both stood on top of the podium for Delano. At 285, top-ranked (AA) Sawyer Schendel (Milaca-Faith Christian) defeated fourth-ranked (AAA) Peyton Allen (Sartell-Saint Stephen), 6-1.

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Minnesota High School Report

By Brian Jerzak

The Minnesota High School Report is a weekly column during the high school wrestling season.

Today’s Better Know A Senior – Cameron Halverson from Barnesville, Coaches’ Corner – Rance Bahr from Bemidji, Featured Event – Rosemount and New Prague at Farmington

Rochester Mayo dominated the Rochester Century Girls’ Invite. The Spartans nearly doubled the points of second-place Dover-Eyota. Elsa Koepp, Violet Ettore, and Giada Barnes all took first place in the eleven-team tournament.

Similarly, New Ulm Area dominated the Highwater Ethanol Invite, with titles won by Kane Johnson, Elijah Rieser, Tegan Kral, and Braxton Kiecker.

In the 133-pound finals, ninth-ranked (AA) Kane Johnson from New Ulm Area defeated fifth-ranked (A) Travis Weiss from Adrian Area, 9-1.

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