Sports
Five Spartans Pin Down Wrestling Titles
On Saturday, the Simley High School wrestling team added a handful of individual championships to the Class 2A team title it captured last week.
What a weekend for the Simley High wrestling team.
After capturing their —and ninth state title in school history—last Thursday, the Spartans took home five individual Class 2A state titles on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Jake Short, wrestling at 145 pounds, earned his third individual state title, while Kyle Gliva, at 113 pounds, and Nick Wanzek, at 152 pounds, each pinned down his second state championship. First-time title-winners included Juan Torres, at 126 pounds, and Micah Barnes, at 170 pounds.
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The state championship ended what could be described as an incredible season for Barnes, a senior who finished with a perfect 47-0 record in individual matches. The Pioneer Press Wrestler of the Year won championships at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, The Clash Duals and the Cheesehead Invitational en route to being a state title-holder.
Not to be overlooked, though, is Short, who the Pioneer Press called the “newly crowned king of Minnesota’s First Family of Wrestling.” In a family of state individual champions — his father, Simley coach Will Short, is a member of that group — Jake is the first Short to win three.
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"It feels really good to be known as a Short; I'm proud of that," he told the Pioneer Press. "It's made me set my standards high. That comes with pressure, and I'm OK with that. I think I handle that well."
All told, seven Spartans reached the championship round of the state individual tournament. Losing their title matches were Stephen Mincey, at 132 pounds, and Cody Hazelett, at 195 pounds.
Other top individual performers for Simley include Mack Short, fourth place at 138 pounds, and Matt Kadrlik, fifth at 285.
As a team, Simley finished the season with a 29-3 dual-match record, won the Section 4AA championship, placed second out of 34 teams in the Minnesota Christmas tournament and was third in the 24-team Cheesehead Invitational.
For more Class 2A individual weight-class results, click here.
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