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    Steve Elwood •

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    The Clash X: Introducing the first 11 teams

    The Clash, the premier high school wrestling dual meet event in the country, will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the 2011-12 season. The Clash X will take place Dec. 30-31 at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. The field is expected to be the deepest and strongest since the event's inception in 2003.

    InterMat and The Guillotine will be releasing the field of teams for The Clash X in three installments over the next two months, starting with the first 11 teams.

    1. Apple Valley, Minnesota
    Record at The Clash: 46-6
    Appearance at The Clash: 10th
    Returning State Champions: 5
    Returning State Placewinners: 7

    Apple Valley (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)
    About Apple Valley: What more can be said about this powerhouse from Minnesota? The Jim Jackson-led Eagles are the two-time defending national champions, 19-time state champions, and four-time Clash champions. What surprises many is this high school has only been open since 1977, but won its first title in 1980. Apple Valley is the envy of all Minnesota wrestling and the Eagles treat The Clash as their Super Bowl. Last season this group of kids destroyed everything in their path, winning the Keith Young Invitational, Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Cheesehead, and The Clash, followed by the state tournament. No school came close to defeating Apple Valley.

    The Eagles qualified a remarkable 13 wrestlers to the state tournament and ended with seven state champions, two state runner-ups, and a pair of state third-place finishes. In the team dual portion their wrestlers went 39-3 in the three duals. At the end of the season, every poll had this legendary team at the top. Last season will be hard to duplicate, but Apple Valley returns several experienced wrestlers with impressive state and national credentials. Seniors Brandon Kingsley, Dakota Trom and Ben Sullivan - all three state champions (Sullivan's title won in Alaska) - will lead this team. The Eagles also bring back 2010 state champion Daniel Woiwer, and 2011 state champion Mark Hall. State third-place finisher Seth Gross will be returning, as will several underclassmen with experience.

    2. St. Paris Graham, Ohio
    Record at The Clash: 0-0
    Appearance at The Clash: 1st
    Returning State Champions: 5
    Returning State Placewinners: 6

    Jeff Jordan (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)
    About St. Paris Graham: Every year it is the tournament's goal to attract teams in the hunt for the national title. St. Paris Graham certainly fits into the "sweet spot." This legendary team out of Ohio coached by Jeff Jordan will be looking to follow up on its championship finish in last year's Walsh Ironman. It is the program's second Walsh Ironman championship in the last three years. St. Paris Graham can also claim two national championships in the past four years. This past season, the Falcons wrapped up their 11th straight state championship and 13th overall. Ten grapplers qualified for the state tournament and eight wrestled for the championship. Of these eight state finalists, six were state champions.

    3. Clovis, California
    Record at The Clash: 0-0
    Appearance at The Clash: 1st
    Returning State Champions: 2
    Returning State Placewinners: 5

    Clovis returns five state placewinners, including state champions Daniel Gaytan and Nick Nevills (Photo/ClovisWrestling.com)
    About Clovis: Another new entrant to The Clash is Clovis, California. Clovis is coming off perhaps the program's best season ever. The Cougars finished the season ranked seventh nationally. In the state of California there is only one team champion and one individual champion in each of the 14 weight classes. Clovis competed in a hard-fought battle with Bakersfield, but managed to wrestle the crown away with 186 points, which was second most ever in California. This deep team qualified all 14 wrestlers for the state tournament, had nine state placewinners, and two state champions. It was the Cougars' ninth team title and individually it made 23 state champions.

    4. Simley, Minnesota
    Record at The Clash: 30-18
    Appearance at The Clash: 9th
    Returning State Champions: 4
    Returning State Placewinners: 6

    Jake Short (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)
    About Simley: Coming back to The Clash for its ninth trip is Simley High School out of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. This powerhouse team led by the father-son duo of Jim and Will Short brings a deep and talented team back. Simley finished this past season ranked sixth nationally and is expected to be in the hunt for a national title in 2011-12. The Spartans captured their fourth straight state title this past season, bringing the program total to eight. Jim Short took over this program in 1970 and embarked on a 28-year career as head coach. In 1998, Jim handed the reigns over to his son, Will, a 1993 All-American at the University of Minnesota. Will coached for 10 years and in 2008 Jim rejoined his son as co-head coach. It's impossible to think of Simley without thinking of the Short family. Will is one of four Short brothers to win an individual state championship for Simley. Will's son, Jake, is a two-time state champion heading into his junior season.

    5. Carl Sandburg, Illinois
    Record at The Clash: 22-8
    Appearance at The Clash: 6th
    Returning State Champions: 0
    Returning State Placewinners: 2

    About Carl Sandburg: Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois will be celebrating its 60th year of competition. This school of 3,800 kids became a high school wrestling force in Illinois in 1993 when Mike Polz took over as head coach. His son, Conrad, was a three-time state champion who now wrestles at the University of Illinois. Just how dominant has this program been? How about state champion in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and runner-up 10 times. Carl Sandburg also managed a third-place finish 11 times. Since 1993, the program has produced 44 state placewinners and 12 individual state champions.

    6. Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota
    Record at The Clash: 12-18
    Appearance at The Clash: 6th
    Returning State Champions: 2
    Returning State Placewinners: 6

    Sam Stoll, who is ranked among the nation's top 25 freshmen by InterMat, was a 2010 InterMat JJ Classic champion (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)
    About Kasson-Mantorville: Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota is a relative new power in Minnesota's Class AA. This growing school is 13 miles west of Rochester and appeared in the InterMat Fab 50 throughout much of last season, finishing the season ranked 44th. Coach Paul Mann took over this program in 2003 and has since helped five individuals make it to the top of the podium. The Komets will be making their sixth appearance at The Clash.

    7. St. Michael-Albertville, Minnesota
    Record at The Clash: 20-16
    Appearance at The Clash: 7th
    Returning State Champions: 1
    Returning State Placewinners: 4

    About St. Michael-Albertville: STMA will be returning for its seventh appearance at The Clash. The Knights have been making plenty of noise in the Minnesota high school wrestling world. STMA finished runner-up to Apple Valley in Class AAA. Seven wrestlers from STMA finished this past season with over 30 or more wins. Coach Dan Lefebvre is coming off his sixth season as head coach. Notable STMA alums include the Thorn brothers (Mike and David) and Chas Betts.

    8. Arrowhead, Wisconsin
    Record at The Clash: 2-4
    Appearance at The Clash: 2nd
    Returning State Champions: 2
    Returning State Placewinners: 4

    About Arrowhead: Arrowhead will be returning for the second straight year to The Clash. This perennial power finished runner-up in the state tournament in 2011 and is looking improve upon its 26th place finish at The Clash. The Warhawk wrestling team has become a Classic 8 Conference power, claiming conference tournament titles in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. The program has produced 15 individual state champions, including three this past season. Arrowhead advanced to the WIAA state team tournament every year from 2004 through 2008, and again in 2011. The Warhawks reached the state semifinals in 2004, 2006, and 2008, and finished runner-up in 2005 and 2011. Arrowhead has produced numerous collegiate wrestling standouts, including the Askren brothers, Ben and Max, both NCAA champions at the University of Missouri.

    9. Hastings, Minnesota
    Record at The Clash: 18-24
    Appearance at The Clash: 8th
    Returning State Champions: 0
    Returning State Placewinners: 4

    About Hastings: Hastings is led by head coach Josh McLay, the only wrestler ever to win three individual state titles for the program. McLay, also a Junior Nationals double champion, went on to have a successful collegiate wrestling career at the University of Minnesota. Hastings has qualified for the state tournament eight times and won a state championship in 1996. Some of the more well-known alumni, in addition to McLay, include Nik and Dan Lewandowski, brothers who won Division III national titles for Augsburg.

    10. Baylor, Tennessee
    Record at The Clash: 7-5
    Appearance at The Clash: 3rd
    Returning State Champions: 4
    Returning State Placewinners: 10

    The Baylor School is a Tennessee high school wrestling power. Jordan Leen, a 2008 NCAA champion and three-time All-American for Cornell, wrestled at the Baylor School
    About Baylor: The most decorated team in Tennessee history is returning to The Clash for a third straight year. Ben Nelson, formerly of Minnesota (two-time state medalist at Wayzata High School), heads up this gutsy squad. This program started back in 1949 and had one coach until 1985. Tennessee is one of the few states that crown both a dual meet and tournament team champion. Baylor has won either (or both) in each of the past 14 seasons. Baylor scored 315 points at this year's state tournament, which set a state record. Jordan Leen, a 2008 NCAA champion and three-time All-American for Cornell, wrestled at Baylor.

    11. Vacaville, California
    Record at The Clash: 26-26
    Appearance at The Clash: 10th
    Returning State Champions: 0
    Returning State Placewinners: 2

    About Vacaville: Vacaville returns for a 10th straight year. This program is celebrating 50 years of wrestling starting in 1961. The Bulldogs won their first state title in 2007. Vacaville has been a force in California and finished a respectable 10th at The Clash this past season. This past season Vacaville became one of only a few teams in the country to win 1,000 dual meets. Coach Adam Wright prides his team on coming to Minnesota every year to wrestle the best teams in the nation in a dual meet format.

    Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com.

    This story also appears in the April 15 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.
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