Three Giants, One Champion

InterMat's Steve Elwood recently spent three days at Minnesota's state high school wrestling tournament to document a developing a story about three of the nation's top heavyweights competing in the same state tournament bracket, all in search of the same prize.

This is a story about numbers. They are the first numbers all of us learn. 1-2-3. That's what this is about. Oh, there's more. Plenty more. But in the end, this is about those simple numbers 1-2-3.

Michael Kroells (Photo/The Guillotine)

Let's start with one of them. How about the No. 2? In this case, No. 2 is assigned to Michael Kroells. This young man is in search of his second high school state wrestling championship in Minnesota. He has not lost a high school wrestling match since he was in the state finals as a sophomore against Spencer Johnson, who currently wrestles at Nebraska. Kroells won title No. 1 rather easily last season, and he has cruised through his senior campaign without a loss.

Let's jump to the No. 3. This number belongs to Austin Goergen. This talented big man from Caledonia is attempting to win an unprecedented third heavyweight title. It's never been done in Minnesota before. Prior to two weeks ago, his last high school loss was the sectional final to Casey Johnson as a sophomore. He has run the table the last two regular seasons.

Finally, we stop on No. 1. This belongs to the young sophomore Sam Stoll, who is in search of his very first gold medal. Sam went undefeated this season and was never really challenged. He is the future at this weight in Minnesota.

Here's where this story starts gathering momentum. All three of these warriors are ranked in the top 10 in the United States. All of them wrestle in Minnesota and all are in Class AA. After this is over, only one of these guys will be able to say they got their number. Only one of these guys will be able to say they survived the most harrowing heavyweight Minnesota state tournament, and came out on top. I have the pleasure of following these three fighters as they narrow their paths and wait for that inevitable collision that is coming this weekend. I'm bringing the rest of you along for the ride.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

This is the team portion of the tournament and it's an entire day of duals. Of our three heavyweights, only Sam Stoll and Michael Kroells will be wrestling. Austin Goergen will be watching and waiting.

Sam Stoll entered the state tournament with a 41-1 record and ranked third behind Michael Kroells and Austin Goergen (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)

Here are the Class AA heavyweight rankings in Minnesota coming into the tournament:

1. Michael Kroells 41-0
2. Austin Goergen 33-1
3. Sam Stoll 41-1
4. Jesse Hein 41-0
5. Matt Kadrlik 37-4

That's a combined record of 193-6 for the season. Today, Stoll is scheduled to face Hein in the first round of team (dual meet) quarterfinals, and likely Kadrlik in the team semifinals. If the favored teams win, Kroells will get Kadrlik in the finals. It goes according to plan. Stoll gives Hein his first loss of the season, 5-3, and then has a brutal 3-2 win over Kadrlik in the next round. Kroells pins Kadrlik

Friday, March 2, 2012

Stoll definitely has one of the more unfortunate draw in the individual competition. His first round is against Kadrlik, the wrestler he beat the previous night, and then likely a rematch with Hein. Stoll makes a big mistake in the first period and loses to Kadrlik. He now has to count on Kadrlik to beat Hein in the quarterfinals to stay alive. Fortunately for Sam, this is exactly what happens.

But this is a big disappointment for the fans from Minnesota. If Sam wins those first two matches, he would likely get Michael Kroells in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Kroells easily dispatches his first two opponents with pins. Kroells looks completely at ease at 285 pounds. He has been ranked No. 4 nationally at 220 all year and some questioned why he would move up to this weight class. His response, "Frankly, there's no one at 220 that challenges me. This is the weight with all the talent. I want to know if I'm the best. Plus, I want to prove I am the top heavyweight in Minnesota. I want to stop this train. I want to send a message!"

Austin Goergen (Photo/Mary Christen)

In the upper part of the bracket, Austin Goergen wins easily with a first period pin and then a 17-0 technical fall. Goergen weighs 227 pounds and stand 6' 1." But he looks much bigger in a singlet. I think many people consider him a larger heavyweight. But he has cat-like quickness and is very strong. He is also a gentle and kind young man. He wants to make friends with his opponents and loves competition. Austin has a speech disorder and sometimes struggles to complete a sentence. But on the mat, there are no obvious weaknesses.

Goergen has a routine that never varies. First he goes through a series of stretches. Then he always thanks God for the opportunity to be in this position in life. Finally he puts on the head phones and cranks AC/DC. The two songs he plays over and over are "TNT" and "Shook me all night long." If he makes it into the championship match, he plans on wearing his gold singlet and his bright yellow shoes. Austin is a man that stays with this plan and it never varies. Never has.

Ben Morgan and Dakota Trom battle in the state quarterfinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)

Most fans of this sport in Minnesota agree there are three premier matches to look out for in the individual competition. Since Minnesota's tournament is not seeded, many times these matches can occur in the quarters and semis. That is exactly what happened at the 132-pound weight class where Apple Valley's Dakota Trom (looking for his four state championship) and Forest Lake's Ben Morgan (looking for his second) hook up. In a tense battle, Morgan comes out on top 7-2. This was a rematch from the Minnesota Christmas Tournament earlier this season -- a match also won by Morgan.

Fortunately, the second premier match happened in the finals. Future Minnesota Gopher Sam Brancale, an InterMat JJ Classic champion, was in a rematch with three-time state champion Mitch Bengtson. This one was as tight as can be with Brancale getting a reversal in the last 10 seconds for a 2-1 victory.

With Sam Stoll taking the surprising early loss, this left Goergen-Kroells as the third premier match. They have never met personally or on the mat. This buzz has been building ever since Michael Kroells started wrestling at 285 pounds on mid-January. Everyone wondered if this was really going to happen.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

We are now two matches away from the showdown. If it happens, it will be the last match in Minnesota high school wrestling this season. In any ordinary year, it's not unusual for fans to start filing out before the heavyweights hit the mat. Unfortunately, many of the kids that wrestle at 285 pounds aren't technically-skilled wrestlers. Many fans think the heavyweights are boring and don't have the skills the lighter weight kids have. This is not the case with Goergen and Kroells. Both are extremely skilled on their feet with leg attacks, fireman's, and various throws and slide-byes. They are a treat to watch. Both can pin from any position.

Michael Kroells cruises to a major decision victory in the state semifinals over Simley's Matt Kadrlik (Photo/Mary Christen)

In the semifinal round, both Goergen and Kroells do something that hasn't been done this tournament. They both wrestle a full six-minute match. Kroells defeats Kadrlik for the second time this weekend, but instead of getting the fall, he wins an 8-0 decision. Goergen seems to struggle with the size of his opponent and settles for a 7-0 win.

So far, neither Michael Kroells nor Austin Goergen has given up a point in this tournament. Michael tells me that he ran the table here without giving up a point during his first title run as a junior. I begin to wonder if a wrestler has ever gone two straight years at the state tournament without surrendering an offensive point. And will it happen this year?

There is a long delay before the championship round. The normal routine of consolation matches needs to be completed. Sam Stoll has taken the longest road possible to make it to the third-place match. Along the way he needed to take out Jesse Hein again, who he defeated two days ago. In the end, Stoll, a Cadet National double champion last summer, wins his third-place match.

Sam Stoll battles back to finish third after he was upset in the opening round on Friday (Photo/Mary Christen)

Sam is about as kind as he is large. The fans from Kasson-Mantorville scream "Sam, Sam, Sam" each time he emerges from the tunnel and onto his mat placement. Stoll gets his inspiration from his head coach, Jamie Heidt, a former Iowa Hawkeye wrestler. Heidt weighs about 100 pounds less than Stoll, but remains his practice partner in the room. Sam says he fears no one after getting Heidt day after day after day. Sam has a twin brother about half his size and wants to win for him as well as his favorite coach. But in the end this gentle giant is one giant step away from the match he longed for all year.

During this break and throughout the tournament, I get the pleasure of talking to Kroells and Goergen down in the tunnel. This is my 30th state tournament, but first time up close with the kids as they both enter and exit. There's a common theme going on here. There's hope and confidence everywhere on the way in. There's exultation and despair on the way out. I see many kids running into the tunnel after a loss with tears flowing, hoping no one is watching. I see kids whip their headgear at the wall, kick garbage cans and scream in agony. The winners don't seem nearly as happy as I expect. Most are completely out of breath and are only looking for more oxygen. Both Michael and Austin feel compelled to comment on the way some kids behave after a loss. They both have been trained to handle a win or loss the same way ... with class. One of these two guys is going to suffer this fate in a few hours. Both are convinced it will be their opponent.

Michael Kroell's puts Simley's Matt Kadrlik in danger (Photo/The Guillotine)

Michael Kroells was recruited by half the Ivy League schools and Stanford. He carries a 4.0 GPA. After taking a look at these big-time, outstate schools, Michael chose to stay home and wrestle for the Minnesota Gophers. He is a pretty straight-forward kid. He has a smile that lights up a room and is very cordial. Like Stoll, Michael also has a twin. I ask him if he ever wins for anyone. He quickly mentions Al Flynn (longtime coach) and his dad Larry. He loves his dad, who is his biggest fan and makes sure everyone on The Guillotine forum knows it. But it's done respectfully like all the other things this family does.

Michael's routine is pretty simple. He puts on the headgear three matches before his bout. The sweat pants come off two matches away and the warmups, one match away. He does not listen to music. But there is something deep going on in him. Kroells finds a way to channel hatred and anger towards his opponent. He does not want to be friendly or any of that chummy stuff he sees all around him. He has a job here, and that is to win. He feels he has to psychologically work himself into this part-evil frame of mind to conquer. But then after the match it turns right off. He no longer has any of that rage. Mission accomplished.

It's getting closer and each of these two warriors reflect on the moment. Austin is a soft-hearted, sentimental man and knows this is the last match he will ever wrestle in Minnesota. Tomorrow it all ends. Michael talks about how much he will miss his friends on the team. Both seem to know their lives are about to change. Neither believes their opponent can beat them.

I choose to watch this in the stands. I have no interest in watching either of these two men come back into the tunnel after losing. Over the last three days, I've crossed over the line with these guys and I don't want to see either dream crushed. I know it's going to happen. This sport is almost dehumanizing. There is always a loser and no one to blame but the mirror. No wrestler is coached to lose and most of the elite wrestlers don't do it enough to know the ugly taste of watching your opponent get his arm raised. In a championship match, this is often followed by a victory celebration of some sort. Many kids run into the stands to hug family members, while the loser can't wait to get out of the arena. The pain is excruciating. I'm not interested in seeing it.

Michael Kroells controls Austin Goergen in the their state championship match at heavyweight (Photo/The Guillotine)

I know Austin has already thanked God and is cranking AC/DC and is sporting his yellow wrestling shoes. I know Michael has started the channel of anger. I know Austin wants to see his dad cry (happy tears) for only the second time in his life. I know Michael wants to be known as the very best wrestler in the state of Minnesota. It's time.

They shake hands and within 30 seconds, Kroells is in on a low single for a takedown. Michael has plenty of pinning moves from the top position and he throws several Austin's way. Goergen fights off every one and struggles to get out. All of those moves are countered beautifully by Michael and the period comes to an end with the score 2-0.

Kroells wins the coin toss and chooses down. He gets an early escape, 3-0. This next takedown could decide the match. All of Goergen's shots are blocked. Kroells tries moves that work on just about everyone else in the state. Kroells shoots for a double leg and finds success. It's now 5-0 with only the third period to go. Goergen chooses down. He scores a beautiful reverse to bring the score to 5-2. It occurs to me both wrestlers have given up points for the first time this entire weekend. Austin tries valiantly to turn Kroells. Michael isn't budging, but the referee warns Kroells for stalling. Not long after he yells stalling again and it's 5-3 with 30 seconds to go. Goergen desperately tries for a pinning combination and Kroells counters with a slick reversal. It comes to an end with the final score 7-3. Michael Kroells win his second straight state title. Austin Goergen finishes as state runner-up for the first time in three seasons.

Michael Kroells gets his hand raised after winning his second state championship (Photo/The Guillotine)

This story started out all about numbers. Stoll was looking for his first championship, while these other two men were looking for Nos. 2 and 3. In the end, this was not about the numbers. It was about three gentle giants desperately battling for pride. The numbers don't matter nearly as much as the sweat. The numbers don't matter nearly as much as the heart these three display. The numbers don't matter. In the end, it's about fighting harder than humanly possible. Michael Kroells, Austin Goergen, and Sam Stoll have each, at one time, been a champion. Each of them has experienced gut-wrenching losses. None of them will forget this weekend. Neither will we.

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