Saints march to another title
ST. PAUL - The Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints won 8 of the last 9 matches to overtake Kenyon-Wanamingo and win the Class A state wrestling championship 32-25 on Saturday evening at the Xcel Energy Center.
The first-place trophy came in the Fighting Saints' first visit but is the second state championship of the school year. It follows by three months claiming the Class A football title.
The Saints trailed 19-0 after seeing the strength of the Knights' line-up in the first five weights. Aaron Doraska, for the second night in a row, turned the tables with a dramatic 12-10 victory in a match where he trailed 6-0.
That started a run of eight straight victories. Three-time individual state champion Kevin Steinhaus fittingly put the Saints' into the lead for good with a second-period pin at 160. State champs Mitch Hagen and Joel Bauman upped the lead and Brad Kneisl clinched at 215 with a hard-fought decision for a 32-19 advantage.
KMS was seeded first and K-W second in the final eight.
