![Max McEnelly of Waconia defeated Gabe Nagel of Little Falls in their 170 lb. class 3A championship match. ] JEFF WHEELER • Jeff.Wheeler@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/TPNDLJUQ5U5GFGZREY7Q5SVO7Q.jpg?&w=1080)
Pound for pound, who's the best?
The strong wrestling culture in Minnesota means there's always the question of which wrestler is considered the best on a pound-for-pound basis. A few names come to the forefront this season.
Kasson-Mantorville senior 182-pounder Bennett Berge has a chance to become just the seventh wrestler in state tournament history to win five state championships. He's four Class 2A titles in, at 138, 160, 170 and 182 pounds. Lakeville North senior Jore Volk is a back-to-back state champ and is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A at 132 pounds. Stillwater senior 170-pounder Hunter Lyden and Simley 220-pound junior Gavin Nelson, both coming off undefeated state championship seasons, deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.
But Waconia junior Max McEnelly stands out most. A University of Minnesota commit, McEnelly has not lost a meaningful match in more than a year. He has won two straight Class 3A tournaments, at 170 and 182, is 91-1 over the past two prep seasons and won the 195-pound title in the 16U division at the USA Nationals in Fargo last summer. He's a pretty fair football player, too, a second-team All-Metro selection in 2021.
Simley rolls along
In 2019-20, Simley swept through an 22-0 season, winning such high-profile meets as the Cliff Keen Invite, the Cheesehead Invite in Wisconsin and the Minnesota Christmas Tournament en route to the Class 2A team title.
Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic complicated matters, the Spartans proved to be the best team in the state — and perhaps the nation — with another perfect season and six individual state champions.
Simley suffered a few high-end losses — four of its six state champs graduated — but don't expect the Spartans to vacate their top spot in Class 2A and statewide.
In addition to their returning champs in Nelson and senior 138-pounder Chase DeBlaere, the Spartans have five other state tournament place-winners coming back (Brandon Morvari, Peyton Spychalla, Kaiden Schrandt, Cash Raymond and Travis Smith) and two others set to make waves in 170-pounder Landan DuVal and 195-pounder Soren Herzog.
Girls step into the spotlight
Last spring, the Minnesota State High School League's Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly to sanction the first girls' wrestling state tournament, and the inaugural individual state meet will be this winter, running concurrently with the boys' meet.
