Last year, St. Michael-Albertville adopted a well-known motto with a historical attachment: Veni, vidi, vici. The phrase attributed to Julius Caesar, the legendary Roman general and dictator, translates to “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

This year? No fancy phrase or lofty mottos. Just business.

The Knights won their third consecutive Class 3A team championship, completing a 29-0 season with a 46-18 victory over Shakopee.

“We were just working hard every day in the wrestling room, harder than everyone else,” said undefeated senior 189-pounder John Murphy. “We sell accountability. Everyone doing the same thing. We have a great team bond. There’s a feeling in our room that’s like no others.”

Junior 114-pounder Landon Thoennes said the Knights’ memorable loss to Hastings in the Class 3A final in 2023 still sticks with them.

Hastings finished that match with five consecutive pins to win by a single team point.

The Knights haven’t forgotten. That loss provides daily motivation to do everything necessary to remain on top.

“There’s a picture posted in our wrestling room of our faces after that loss,” Thoennes said. “We don’t ever want to be looking like that again. It drives us every time we point to it.”

St. Michael-Albertville jumped out to a 26-0 lead and was never threatened.

It was another rout in a season of them for the Knights, who’ve established a reputation of excellence that opponents can’t match.

“Just wearing the name St. Michael causes opponents to lose their mojo,” Thoennes said. ”You can see it on their faces. They’re not happy to face us.”

Simley resumes its place atop Class 2A

There was something missing from the 2025 Simley wrestling season.

A state championship.

After winning six consecutive Class 2A championships from 2019 through ’24, the Spartans felt the sting of defeat in 2025, losing in the semifinals.

They were determined to get back to the top of the heap.

“We didn’t like that feeling,” said junior 145-pounder Jake Kos. “We used it to light a fire under our butts all season.”

Simley defeated No. 3-ranked and previously undefeated New Ulm 38-13. New Ulm was making just its second state tournament appearance and brought a big crowd of loud supporters.

“I’ve been preaching all year that this is about the whole village,” Eagles coach Kevin Briggs said.

Simley, which has now won 18 titles, slowly pulled away from New Ulm en route to the summit once again.

“It feels even better having come from not winning it last year,” Kos said. “And having some young guys on the team makes it even greater.”

Staples-Motley repeats in Class 1A

It’s often said that repeating as champions is harder than winning the first time. So before the season, the Staples-Motley wrestlers made a vow to work harder than before, when they won the Class 1A state title.

Their hard work paid off Thursday when the Cardinals downed Chatfield 41-14 to win the championship one more time.

Staples-Motley had wrestled a rugged schedule in preparation. The Cardinals posted a 24-3 record, not losing to a Class 1A team all year.

“We were practicing way harder than we did last year,” said senior 160-pounder Colbe Tappe. “We were practicing six days a week.”

Freshman Garrett Bjerga got the Cardinals off to a strong start with a victory at 107 pounds. “We needed to get some momentum to start the meet. And that’s what I did.”

Tappe admitted that this season was tougher than winning the title in 2025, but it may have set the standard for future teams.

“Much,” he said. “We have some young guys that learned a lot this season. I’d look out for Staples-Motley for the next few years.”