Kasson-Mantorville defeats defending champion Simley in 2A wrestling state semifinals

Simley’s run of six straight Class 2A state championships ended Thursday when the Spartans lost to rival Kasson-Mantorville 31-27 in the state tournament semifinals at Xcel Energy Center.

Kasson-Mantorville, the second seed in the 2A bracket, led 28-27 going into the final match. Komets senior Jacob Duitsman defeated Luis Fierro Gutierrez 7-0 at heavyweight to secure the victory.

Kasson-Mantorville will face No. 1-seed Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran in the state championship Thursday night. Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran defeated Becker 32-26 in the semifinals to advance.

Simley, the No. 3 seed, narrowly beat Grand Rapids in the quarterfinals 34-33. Simley took a 33-27 lead when Simley 215-pounder Vristol Short got a technical fall. Grand Rapids heavyweight Clayton Danielson responded with a pin to tie the score at 33. Simley was credited with a 34-33 victory by virtue of a tiebreaker, having won seven individual matches.

“We’re still Simley,” Short said. “I knew I had to get a tech or a fall (pin) and I got the tech. I felt no pressure on me.”

In other 2A quarterfinal matches, Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran beat Totino-Grace 55-14, Kasson-Mantorville defeated Perham 38-15, and fourth seed Becker beat Marshall 38-25.

In Class 3A, top seed St. Michael-Albertville will meet second seed Shakopee for the 3A title. The Knights beat Albert Lea 54-8 while Shakopee defeated Stillwater 27-26, thanks to Max Coles' victory at heavyweight.

In the quarterfinals, St. Michael-Albertville cruised past Hastings 60-8 while Shakopee rolled past Elk River 58-12. Stillwater beat Prior Lake 52-15 and Albert Lea won four of its last six matches to pull out a 33-26 victory over Bemidji.

Chatfield and Staples-Motley will compete for the Class 1A state championship. The two schools met last fall in the Class 2A football semifinals, which Staples-Motley won 36-24.

In the semifinal round, Chatfield beat Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 43-15 while Staples-Motley blanked Jackson County Central 64-0.

In the quarterfinals, Chatfield, the top seed, beat West Central Area/Brandon-Ashby-Evansville 56-10 while Staples-Motley, the second seed, beat United North Central 51-11. Jackson County Central advanced after defeating LeSueur-Henderson 37-25, and Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial got a pin from heavyweight Mason Adams to lift the Knights over Canby 33-27.