skip navigation

2A/1A individual prelims: Totino-Grace senior Svihel aims for one position higher

By Jack Warrick and Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune staff writers, 03/01/19, 10:16PM CST

Share

Hel moved up to 126 pounds this year, and so did the wrestler who defeated him last season, Byron’s Mitchel Petersen. Plus a roundup of other action and top wrestlers who advanced.


Jake Svihel of Totino Grace wrestled Brandt Bombard of North Branch in a Class 2A 126-pound quarterfinal match Friday. Svihel won with a pin at 2:58. Photo: Aaron Lavinsky * aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

Totino-Grace senior Jake Svihel, a three-time state runner-up, has one more shot at a wrestling state championship Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Svihel moved up to 126 pounds this year, and so did the wrestler who defeated him last season, Byron’s Mitchel Petersen.

Petersen, a junior, said the two are friends and wrestled at Pinnacle Wrestling School when they were younger. They are the top-ranked wrestlers in the weight class in Class 2A.

“Last year, I let my nerves get the best of me,” said Svihel, who takes a 55-0 record into the semifinal. “This year I’m kind of turning that nervous energy into positive energy, trying to control what I’m thinking, block out all negative thoughts.”

Related Stories