The event not only served as a tune-up for wrestlers in grades 7-12, it was also a fundraising event in honor of Justin Joseph (JJ) Kukowski, an avid sports fan who passed away on March 12, 2007 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Proceeds from the InterMat JJ Classic go towards the Justin Kukowski Center for Spiritual and Physical Healing, a treatment center for patients dealing with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
The final round included tight matches, dominating performances, upsets, dramatic finishes, and a closing exhibition showdown.
No finals match had a more dramatic finish than the 215-pound finals match between Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, MN) and Collin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD). Jensen, who wrestled at 171 pounds last season, completely dominated the first two periods of the match and took a 7-0 lead into the third period. Jensen added to his lead in the third period to go up 9-0. But as attempted a tilt, Kuefner reversed Jensen and put him to his back, picking up a pin with 13 seconds remaining in the match.
"It wasn't my plan, but it works," said Kuefner after the match.
Apple Valley High School (MN) crowned three champions, the most of any program. Winning titles for Apple Valley were Derek Scott (125), Ben Sullivan (160), and Jake Waste (171).
Scott cruised to a 6-0 victory in the finals over Andy Underhill (Burnsville, MN) to win the title at 125 pounds.
Sullivan, a state champion and two-time NHSCA Nationals All-American, was dominant in the finals, winning by major decision, 9-1, over Cody Anderson (White Bear Lake, MN).
It was Sullivan's first competition since transferring to Apple Valley.
"I just came from Alaska," said Sullivan. "I'm loving the school. I'm loving my decision. The guys are great. The coaches are great."
Waste, who is ranked as the No. 44 senior recruit in the country by InterMat, registered a 10-3 victory in the finals over Hunter Rud (Byron, MN).
Waste outscored his three opponents at 171 pounds 34-6, but still had high praise for the competitors in his weight class.
"I had tough kids," said Waste, a 2009 Cadet National Triple Crown winner. "Every kid is going out there to beat me. I go out there, just do my thing and work as hard as I can."
The 145-pound final between Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) and Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazzepa, MN) was a seesaw battle. Leiskau scored first with a body lock to go up 2-0 and ran the score to 4-0 with a tilt. But Kyllo battled back, reversing Leiskau to his back to take the lead 5-4 heading into the second period. The only points in the second period came from a Leiskau reversal, which gave him the lead back at 6-5 with a period to go. Leiskau added a third-period takedown to take the match 8-5.
Leiskau is up six weight classes from his competition weight class of 119 last season.
"I just worked out a lot over the summer," said Leiskau, a past NHSCA Nationals All-American and Toshiba Midwest Classic placewinner. "I've been wrestling too light the last two years, so I decided to make the change."
Foley High School (MN) crowned a pair of champions at the 2010 InterMat JJ Classic in Tristan Manderfeld (103) and Keith Thell (119).
Manderfeld turned in a dominating performance on Saturday, shutting out two age-group national champions to win a deep 103-pound weight class that was filled with national talent. Manderfeld won 12-0 over 2010 Schoolboy National Triple Crown winner Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, NE) in the semifinals, before taking out 2009 Folkstyle Nationals champion Jarred Oftedahl (Benilde-St. Margaret's, MN), 5-0, in the finals. Manderfeld was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event.
Thell, a state placewinner last season, edged Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN), 4-2, in an action-filled match. The two wrestlers exchanged takedowns in the first two periods and the match was knotted at 2-2 heading into the third period. Thell was able to score a reversal in the third period, which proved to be the difference in the match.
Nate Jozsa (Mount Zion, IL) put together an impressive tournament to win the title at 112 pounds. He took out returning state placewinner Jimmy Scieszinski (Van Meter, IA) in the semifinals before stopping local favorite Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, MN) in the finals.
"I would like to thank Nathan Martinez, T.J. Williams, and Mount Zion High School for getting me this far," said Jozsa.
He now has his sights set on the next events on his wrestling schedule.
"I'll be going to Super 32 next weekend, Border War Nationals, and then I'll start high school (wrestling) at Mount Zion High School at 2A in Illinois," said Jozsa.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the finals came at 135 pounds, where Matt Tlougan (Byron, MN) knocked off two-time state champion and NHSCA All-American Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, NE), 2-0, in overtime. Tlougan shot a single leg off the whistle in overtime and converted it into a winning takedown.
Hayden Rouser (ACGC, MN), a state third-place finisher in 2009, became the first InterMat JJ Classic champion ever crowned as he defeated 2010 state runner-up Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon Wanamingo, MN), 2-0. Rouser scored a takedown off a Kelly in the first period, which turned out to be the lone points scored in the match.
At 140 pounds, Jacob Anderson (River Valley, MN) gave up the first takedown of the match to go down 2-0, but went on to score five unanswered points to win 5-2.
Trey Hable (Albert Lea, MN) rolled to a convincing 14-6 major decision victory over Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chanhassen, MN) to win the championship at 152 pounds.
Chad Matthees (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN) registered a 14-4 decision over Apple Valley's Corbin Farrell at 189 pounds.
At heavyweight, Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman All-American Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, MN) defeated Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, MN) in the championship match.
The inaugural InterMat JJ Classic closed with an exhibition showdown between a pair of champions from this year's event, Waste (171) and Matthees (189). Waste scored the only two takedowns in the match and picked up a 5-2 victory.
Finals Results:
103: Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, MN) dec. Jarred Oftedahl (BSM, MN), 5-0
112: Nate Jozsa (Mount Zion, IL) dec. Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, MN), 4-0
119: Keith Thell (Foley, MN) dec. Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN), 4-2
125: Derek Scott (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Andy Underhill (Burnsville, MN), 6-0
130: Hayden Rouser (ACGC, MN) dec. Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, MN), 2-0
135: Matt Tlougan (Byron, MN) dec. Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, NE), 2-0 OT
140: Jacob Anderson (River Valley, MN) dec. William Sustercich (Foley, MN), 5-4
145: Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) dec. Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN), 8-5
152: Trey Hable (Albert Lea, MN) major dec. Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chan, MN), 14-6
160: Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, MN) major dec. Cody Anderson (WBL, MN), 9-1
171: Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Hunter Rud (Byron, MN), 10-3
189: Chad Matthees (ZM, MN) major dec. Corbin Farrell (Apple Valley, MN), 14-4
215: Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, MN) pinned Colin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD), 3:47
285: Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, MN) dec. Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, MN), 5-3
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