They're the two most high-profile wrestlers in the state and soon-to-be-teammates. And the similarities between Waconia's Max McEnelly and Simley's Gavin Nelson don't stop there.
McEnelly, a senior, is a three-time Class 3A state champion, at 170 pounds (2020), 182 (2021) and 195 (2022). He hasn't lost a high school match since 2020. He has a cumulative record of 138-1 during that span. He's developed a national reputation, having won titles at the regional and national levels and finished third at the U17 world championships at 92 kilograms in Rome last summer.
Nelson is a senior two-time Class 2A state champion at 220 pounds, posting an 88-2 record over that two-year span. He's also gained a national and international following, having finished fifth at 92 kg in the Cadet division in the world championships.
Both are strong, quick and dominant, both played running back for their high school football teams (Simley will play in Class 4A state championship game in Friday's Prep Bowl) and both soon will be teammates at the University of Minnesota.
One thing that hasn't happened often: They've never seriously met on the mat.
"We haven't really wrestled," Nelson admitted earlier this fall. "We're buddies."
While there is no scheduled match between Simley and Waconia — and even if there were, there's no guarantee McEnelly and Nelson would square off — there is a possibility they could meet in an invitational or a summer tournament. After that, however, the best chance they could go up against each other is in the University of Minnesota wrestling room.
St. Michael-Albertville repeat?