The last time Waconia’s Max McEnelly and Stillwater’s Ryder Rogotzke wrestled each other was two years ago for the 195-pound championship at the Class 3A state meet.
Gophers wrestling team tops Ohio State by winning rematch of a Minnesota high school state final
Waconia’s Max McEnelly defeated Stillwater’s Ryder Rogotzke on Friday to settle the match, just as he beat him at state in 2023.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 8, 2025 at 3:13AM
On Friday in Columbus, Ohio, the pair wrestled to decide the outcome of a Big Ten dual between the Gophers and Ohio State. McEnelly’s 15-5 major decision at 184 pounds lifted the No. 7 Gophers to a 20-17 victory over the No. 4 Buckeyes.
It was the fifth consecutive dual victory for the Gophers (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten). The loss was just the second of the season for the Buckeyes (12-2, 4-2).
In 2023, McEnelly defeated Rogotzke 3-2 to win his fourth state title. That bout was at 195 pounds after Rogotzke moved up from 182 during the season to challenge McEnelly.
McEnelly, now ranked No. 4 at 184 pounds, improved to 16-0 this season. Rogotzke, who started the season at 197 pounds, fell to 5-5.
The Gophers grabbed a 7-0 lead with a decision by Isaiah Salazer at 197 and a major decision by heavyweight Gable Steveson.
The 13-4 victory for Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist ranked No. 1 at heavyweight, was his 61st in a row — the third-longest run in program history behind Dustin Schlatter’s 65 and Cole Konrad’s 76. Both of those streaks took place from 2005-07.
This season, Steveson is 9-0 with six technical falls and two pins. He is 94-2 in his Gophers career, including 57-0 overall in dual meets and 42-0 in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes won the next four matches to open a 14-7 lead.
Tommy Askey, ranked No. 8 at 157, got the Gophers within 14-11 with a 11-2 major decision victory over Brandon Cannon. Andrew Sparks, ranked No. 11 at 165, followed with an 18-1 technical fall victory to put the Gophers ahead 16-14. It was the ninth tech fall for Sparks (18-4) this season.
The Buckeyes regained the lead 17-16 when Carson Kharchla, ranked No. 5 at 174, earned a 7-1 decision over Clayton Whiting.
The Gophers will wrestle Purdue at Maturi Pavilion on Sunday.
Waconia’s Max McEnelly defeated Stillwater’s Ryder Rogotzke on Friday to settle the match, just as he beat him at state in 2023.
