Fifty-two individual state champions were crowned at the MSHSL state wrestling meet on Saturday, Feb. 28, but two of the biggest matches in the largest class, Class 3A, centered on top-ranked, undefeated wrestlers losing in the finals.

Hastings senior 133-pounder Trey Beissel was expected to win his second state championship — he won at 106 pounds as a freshman — after rolling through the regular season. But he injured his left knee in the Section 3 tournament and competed in the state meet at Grand Casino Arena with a large support brace around his left leg.

He was fit enough to compete successfully until Saturday, when St. Michael-Albertville junior Brody Bergeron proved to be too much for Beissel, winning 8-1.

“I couldn’t really bend it and stuff like that, but I just tried to go out there and do what I could do,” said Beissel, who will wrestle for the Gophers next year.

Bergeron said he was aware that Beissel was slowed down by an injury and didn’t want to target his knee, but said Beissel was still wrestling well.

“You’ve got to plan just the same,” Bergeron said. “That’s wrestling. Injuries happen.”

St. Michael-Albertville senior John Murphy and Moorhead senior William Ward took the spotlight in the 189-pound finals. Both were undefeated with Division I scholarships: Murphy to the Gophers, Ward to Arizona State. Ward won the highly anticipated match 5-4 with a takedown in the third period.

St. Michael-Albertville, which won the Class 3A team title Thursday, had four wrestlers take home titles: Bergeron, Jackson Thorn at 107 pounds, Landon Thoennes at 114 and Landon Robideau at 145.

Shakopee senior Kyler Walters completed an undefeated season, 35-0, with a victory at 172 pounds.

Class 2A

Grand Rapids senior Christian Jelle has never faced the type of adversity he dealt with this season. After back-to-back undefeated championship seasons as a sophomore and junior, the senior 139-pounder came down with an unidentified illness that lingered through most of the season.

He wound up losing four times, which he hadn’t experienced since his freshman year.

“I’ve never had a season like this before,” said Jelle, who will wrestle at Oklahoma next year.

Jelle, who finally started feeling like himself mere weeks before the tournament, defeated Bennett Kujawa of Becker 18-5 to win his third consecutive championship.

“I felt slow, I couldn’t breathe well,” Jelle recalled. “I decided to work through it.”

The hardship he faced helped him develop appreciation for his craft.

“Being able to come out here and compete every day, and be healthy, it’s just amazing,” he said. “I’m grateful for every second of this.”

Watertown-Mayer twin brothers Joel and Titan Friedrichs won championships at 121 and 127 pounds, respectively. It was Joel’s second state championship and Titan’s fourth. Titan concluded his high school career with an MSHSL career record for consecutive victories at 194. Both will wrestle for the Gophers next year.

“I love my brother for everything,” Joel said. “I know I wouldn’t be here without him and he wouldn’t be here without me.

Class 1A

Miklo Hernandez never had a choice. His father introduced him to wrestling when he was young to keep him from hurting himself and to avoid damaging the house.

“I used to jump on everything: The trampoline, the couch, the bed. My dad finally got me him into wrestling,” the Pipestone sophomore 133-pounder said.

The rest is history. Hernandez won his third state championship with a 17-2 technical fall victory over Ian Phrankonkam of Fosson-Bagley. Hernandez hasn’t lost a high school match since eighth grade.

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg senior Trey Gunderson won his fourth state championship with a dominant senior season. Gunderson finished the year 33-0 by beating Elijah Greenwalt of Staples-Motley with a 17-1 technical fall.

Girls

Apple Valley senior 155-pounder Cassy Gonzales defeated Cece Rock of Luverne with a 7-4 sudden victory to win her fourth state title. Gonzales completed her high school career undefeated at 92-0.

Simley junior Charli Raymond remained on track to become just the second wrestler in state history to win six state championships when she beat Annica Barze of Roseville with a 15-0 technical fall. Does Raymond ever think about tying the state record?

“Not a lot, but I do sometimes,” she admitted.

Sarah Pulk of Badger/Greenbush-Middle River won her fourth state championship when she pinned Olivia Martinez of Rochester Mayo. It was Pulk’s fourth pin of the meet.

Northfield’s Caley Graber and Stillwater’s Audrey Rogotzke won their third career championships. Graber, who made history in 2024 when became the first girl to win a match at the boys’ tournament (which she called the “best memory” of her high school career), won by a 19-3 technical fall over Lauren Elsmore of Pine Island.

Rogotzke was happy to win her third title. After winning a championship as an eighth-grader, the same year her brother Ryder won the Class 3A 182-pound title, she believed she was on the path to winning five. But she lost as a ninth-grader and a sophomore, setbacks she believed “made me better.”

“Plus, I’m the only three-time champion in the family,” Rogotzke said, smiling.