Shakopee captures third consecutive Class AAA wrestling crown
Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2021 - 3:05 PM
Minnesota State High School League
2021 Wrestling State Tournament
Class AAA championship
Top-ranked Shakopee completed a season without a blemish on its record following a 30-24 victory over host St. Michael-Albertville in the Class AAA championship dual on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The victory gave the Sabres (26-0) a three-peat Class AAA crowns and capped a modified season during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those modifications was holding the state semifinals and championship duals at a high school site amid state-mandated spectator limits.
Shakopee is the first school in the Class AAA field to compile three consecutive state championship since Apple Valley won the final crown of an amazing 12 titles in a row in 2017.
The top-seeded Sabres, who boasted three shutouts during the season, capped their third championship in a row with a run of seven consecutive victories in the final weights en route to defeating No. 3 seed St. Michael-Albertville for the second time this season. After freshman Jed Wester gave the Knights (32-4) a 24-3 lead with a pin over senior John Kroll at 145, Shakopee roared back with 27 unanswered points.
Junior Riley Quern started the spree with a 7-2 decision over St. Michael-Albertville junior Jimmy Heil at 152. Later, Shakopee 195-pounder Joey Johnson, a senior, and 220-pound senior Tommy Johnson recorded quick pins to give the Sabres the lead for good. St. Michael-Albertville finished runner-up for the 11th time in the program’s rich history of success.
Shakopee advanced to the championship dual with a 34-25 victory over No. 4 Anoka in the semifinals. In a prelude of what has been the script all season, the Sabres used their power in the upper weights to erase a deficit. This time, the Sabres trailed 25-16 before rattling off four consecutive victories.
In the other semifinal, St. Michael-Albertville upended No. 2 Stillwater for a 31-27 victory. The Knights turned the tide with a mild upset at 220 when junior Marcus Mueller recorded a 5-3 decision over Stillwater senior Nicholas Dauffenbach. Stillwater was hoping to earn another berth opposite Shakopee to forge a rematch of the Class AAA championship in 2020.