The 2010 State Wrestling Tournament opens Wednesday, March 3, and runs through Saturday, March 6, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
        Two of the three 2009 team champions return to defend their titles: the Simley Spartans in Class AA and the Apple Valley Eagles in Class AAA. Simley is looking for its third consecutive title, while Apple Valley is seeking its fifth straight title.
        In the individual competition, 17 champions return for more gold medals - six in Class AAA, four in Class AA, and seven in Class A.
        Four teams are making their first appearances at the tournament: Mille Lacs, a co-op between Isle and Onamia, in Class A; and Maple Grove, White Bear Lake Area, and Northfield, a co-op between Northfield and ARTech of Northfield, in Class AAA. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Apple Valley is making its 28th consecutive and 29th overall appearance.
        This is the second year that the team competition has been seeded. The 16 coaches of the section champions logged onto a special page of the League Web site. Each coach ranked the other teams one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top four seeds were selected. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class, League Associate Director and Tournament Director Craig Perry announced the top four seeds. Perry, with the assistance of League Director of Information Howard Voigt, then conducted a blind draw of the four remaining teams to establish the opponent for the seeded teams.

        Class A Team Highlights

        Three teams that competed in the 2009 tournament return to this year's field: Frazee (Section 8); Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (Section 4); and Border West, which is a co-op between Wheaton, Herman-Norcross, and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (Section 6).
        The Frazee Hornets, who are the No. 2 seed this year, are making their fifth consecutive and 18th overall appearance. They earned consolation honors in 2009 and are in the hunt for their fourth title. They won previously in 1992, 1999, and 2002.
        Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial returns for its second consecutive appearance under this name and its fourth overall. The Knights, who placed sixth in 2009, also made one additional appearance as a co-op with Mankato Loyola in 2004.
        The Buccaneers of Border West lost in the consolation semifinals last year and are making their second consecutive and overall appearance under this name. This is the 10th appearance for Wheaton, which made appearances in 1993 and 1994, and six additional appearances as a co-op with Herman-Norcross. As a co-op with Herman-Norcross, Wheaton's last appearance was in 2007. That program also claimed a state title in 1996.
        Paynesville Area (Section 5) returns to tournament action after an eight-year absence. It's the 18th overall appearance for the Bulldogs, who won previous team titles in 1987, 1990, 1991, and 2000.
        The Cougars of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (Section 1), who are the No. 3 seed this year, also return to the tournament after a lengthy hiatus. They're making their fifth overall appearance, but first since 1998.
        Top-seeded Minneota (Section 3) returns for its third overall appearance. The Vikings made their last appearance in 1999.
        Jackson County Central (Section 2) is making its second appearance under this name and its first since 2008. The Huskies, who are the No. 4 seed this year, won their last championship in 2008. Jackson also made three appearances as a co-op with Heron Lake-Okabena-Lakefield, and four more appearances as a co-op with Southwest Star Concept of Okabena. That program won one additional title in 2000.
        Mille Lacs (Section 7) is the only Class A program making its debut appearance at this year's tournament.
        The 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday Class A quarterfinal pairings preceded by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication: No. 1 Frazee (18-0) vs. unranked Mille Lacs (20-7); No. 3 Zumbrota-Mazeppa (27-6) vs. No. 7 Paynesville Area (20-8); No. 2 Minneota (17-5) vs. No. 6 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (20-2); No. 4 Jackson County Central (19-3) vs. No. 10 Border West (23-6).

        Class AA Team Highlights

        The Spartans of Simley, Inver Grove Heights, (Section 4) return as the two-time defending champions. This is the third consecutive and 16th overall appearance for the Spartans, who are the No. 1 seed this year. In addition to this past two years, Simley also won championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1992.
        Three other teams also return from the 2009 field: Foley (Section 2); Adrian Area, which is a co-op between Adrian and Ellsworth (Section 3); and Scott West, a co-op between Belle Plaine, Jordan, and Holy Family Academy of Belle Plaine (Section 2).
        Foley and Scott West are both making their third consecutive appearances. The Foley Falcons are the No. 2 seed this year and are looking to improve on last year's runner-up showing. This is their 17th overall appearance and they won previous titles in 1989, 1993, and 1994. The Scott West Panthers, who won consolation honors last year, enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed. This is their 11th appearance overall.
        The Dragons of Adrian Area return for their second consecutive and 11th overall appearance. They lost in the consolation semifinals last year.
        Thief River Falls/Goodridge (Section 8) and Kasson-Mantorville (Section 1) both return to the tournament after a two-year absence. Thief River Falls/Goodridge is making its second overall appearance and the KoMets of Kasson-Mantorville are making their fourth. The KoMets also enter this year's event as the No. 3 seed.
        Totino-Grace of Fridley (Section 5) and Milaca/Faith Christian (Section 7) are making their 10th and ninth appearances, respectively. The Eagles of Totino-Grace made their last appearance in 2006 and the Wolves of Milaca/Faith Christian made their last appearance in 2008.
        The 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday Class AA quarterfinal pairings preceded by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication: No. 2 Foley (28-2) vs. No. 10 Thief River Falls/Goodridge (20-8); No. 3 Kasson-Mantorville (23-8) vs. No. 9 Adrian Area (26-4); No. 1 Simley (26-1) vs. No. 8 Totino-Grace (18-5); No. 5 Scott West (18-7) vs. No. 7 Milaca/Faith Christian (28-4).

        Class AAA Team Highlights

        Apple Valley (Section 3) returns as the four-time defending champion. The Eagles, who are the No. 1 seed, are making their 28th consecutive and 29th overall tournament appearance. In addition to the past four years, they also won previous team championships in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
        Two other teams also return from the 2009 qualifying field. St. Michael-Albertville (Section 7) returns for its 12th consecutive and 20th overall appearance. The Knights placed fourth in Class AA last year and are the No. 2 seed this year. If they win, it would be their seventh title. They won previously in 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
        St. Cloud Apollo (Section 8), which includes students from St. Cloud Cathedral and St. Cloud Christian School, also returns from last year's field. The Eagles are making their second consecutive and overall appearance, and they're looking to improve on last year's sixth-place showing. They enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed this year.
        The Huskies of Owatonna (Section 1), who are the No. 3 seed, are making their 10th appearance. Their last was in 2005. The Huskies are in the hunt for their third title. They won previously in 1998 and 2005.
        Eden Prairie (Section 6) is the final team with previous tournament experience. The Eagles are making their second appearance, but first since 1986.
        Maple Grove (Section 5), White Bear Lake Area (Section 4), and Northfield (Section 2) are all making their debut tournament appearances.
        The 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday Class AAA quarterfinal pairings preceded by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication: No. 2 St. Michael-Albertville (30-2) vs. No. 12 Maple Grove (17-7); No. 3 Owatonna (50-4) vs. No. 11 Northfield (22-4); No. 1 Apple Valley (38-0) vs. unranked White Bear Lake Area (16-8); No. 6 St. Cloud Apollo (24-3) vs. No. 10 Eden Prairie (18-2).

        Class A Individual Highlights

        103 pounds - Two returning medalists seek the title at 103 pounds. Shane Novak (36-3) of New York Mills was fifth last year and Isaac Novacek (34-1) of Badger/Greenbush-Middle was sixth. Matt Hickerson (36-0) of Ogilvie is the only competitor in this class with a perfect record.
        112 pounds - Hayden Zillmer (38-2) of Crosby-Ironton, last year's champion at 103 pounds, leads the field in this class. Three other 2009 qualifiers at 103 pounds join him: Zach Keller (29-1) of Medford, runner-up; Mitch Andrews (39-3) of Border West, third; and Ted Berckes (35-1) of Canby, fourth. No one had a perfect record in this class.
        119 pounds - The 2009 champion at 112 pounds, Christian Skillings (34-1) of Minneota, leads this weight class. Two other 2009 medal-winners at 112 pounds will also wrestle at this weight: Hayden Rouser (40-2) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City was third last year, and Travis Borchert (41-0) of Browerville/Eagle Valley was fifth. Borchert and Chase Levos (37-0) of St. Clair/Mankato Loyola both boast perfect records.
        125 pounds - This weight class features a past champion and a third-place finisher. Bronson Steuber (35-3) of Jackson County Central won at 119 pounds last year, and Beau Buysse (30-6) of Minneota was third in the same weight class. There are no unblemished records in this class.
        130 pounds - Drew Lexvold (41-2) of Kenyon-Wanamingo, champion at 125 pounds last year, is the highest returning qualifier. The only other returning medalist is Javier Portillo (33-1) of Crookston, who placed sixth at 130 pounds last year. No one had a perfect record in this class.
        135 pounds - Four 2009 qualifiers return to compete for this title: Jordan Novak (37-2) of New York Mills, runner-up in this weight class; Mariano Portillo (31-1) of Crookston, sixth in this weight class; Curt Maas (33-2) of Medford, runner-up at 125 pounds; and Ethan Hildebrandt (38-3) of St. James, sixth at 135 pounds. No one had a perfect record.
        140 pounds - Zach Kanzenbach (18-5) of Medford and Tony Vaske (32-2) of River Valley lead this year's field. Kanzenbach was the 2009 runner-up in this weight class and Vaske was the 2009 runner-up at 130 pounds. Two other medalists also return: Jessie Regalado (29-13) of Jackson County Central, third at 130 pounds, and Sam Derynck (34-3) of Minneota, fourth at 135 pounds. There are no perfect records in this class.
        145 pounds - Jake Long (39-1) of West Central Area, who won the title at 140 pounds last year, is the only returning qualifier. Justin Buss (26-0) of Chatfield boasts the only perfect record.
        152 pounds - The 2009 champion at 145 pounds, Ryan Thompson (32-1) of Benson, leads this year's qualifiers. Two other medalists also return: Jake Braaten (29-2) of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, third in this weight class, and Joey Posivio (26-11) of Sibley East of Arlington, fifth at 140 pounds. No one has an unblemished record.
        160 pounds - Three 2009 medal-winners return in this weight class: Cooper Moore (38-2) of Jackson County Central, fourth at 140 pounds; Shawn Johnson (13-3) of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, sixth at 145 pounds; and Stephen Erlandson (35-2) of Breckenridge/Campbell-Tintah, sixth at 152 pounds. There were no perfect records in this class.
        171 pounds - Ben McPhail (33-1) of Pine Island is the only returning qualifier. He was the runner-up at 171 pounds last year. No one enters the field undefeated.
        189 pounds - Joel Bauman (41-1) of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg returns to defend his title in this weight class. John Gusewelle (37-2) of Sauk Centre, who placed third at 160 pounds last year, is the only other returning medalist. Ian Pratt (22-0) of Mille Lacs has the only perfect record.
        215 pounds - Two medal-winners from 2009 return in this field: Alex Dreyer (24-4) of United South Central of Wells was sixth in this weight class, and Brandon Manderschied of Minnewaska Area of Glenwood was sixth at 189 pounds. No one has an unblemished record.
        Heavyweight - Aaron Rose (29-7) of Sibley East of Arlington is the only returning qualifier. He placed fourth last year. There were no perfect records in this class.
        Frazee leads the Class A field with nine qualifiers, and Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and Medford qualified seven apiece.

        Class AA Individual Highlights

        103 pounds - There are no returning medalists and no perfect records in this weight class.
        112 pounds - Cody Paulson (40-2) of Totino-Grace, who placed third at 112 pounds last year, returns in search of a title. All six medal-winners from last year's 103-pound class will compete at 112 pounds: champion Jacoby Bergeron (40-2) of Thief River Falls/Goodridge; Nate Lynn (33-8) of Adrian Area, runner-up; Mitch Dunlap (31-7) of Foley, third; Tony Morrow (29-4) of Kasson-Mantorville, fourth; Nick Clobes (37-4) of Hutchinson, fifth; and Max Anderson (32-1) of Dassel-Cokato, sixth. No one in this class enters the tournament undefeated.
        119 pounds - Donovan Sullivan (30-12) of Kasson-Mantorville looks to improve on last year's fourth-place finish in this weight class. He is joined by two other 2009 medalists: Dylan Wright (18-3) of Simley, runner-up at 112 pounds; and Joey Munos (37-3), fourth at 112 pounds. No one has a perfect record.
        125 pounds - Drew Fleming (30-1) of Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran, last year's champion at 112 pounds, seeks a new title at 125 pounds. He is joined by 2009 medal-winners Matt Nelson (35-2) of Big Lake, runner-up at 119 pounds, Sam Warne (36-1) of Perham, fourth at 125 pounds, and Chaz Abrahamson (34-7) of Thief River Falls/Goodridge, sixth at 112 pounds. There are no perfect records in this weight class.
        130 pounds - Garret Garness (38-5) of Kasson-Mantorville, runner-up at 125 pounds last year, moves up to 130 pounds. Jake Short (31-9) of Simley, who finished fifth last year at 119 pounds, is the only other returning medalist. Zach Campbell (42-0) of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton/Westbrook-Walnut Grove is the lone undefeated competitor.
        135 pounds - Ryan Swenson (25-0) of Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley returns to defend his title. Other returning qualifiers are Kyle LeDuc (42-0) of Thief River Falls/Goodridge, who placed third at 125 pounds last year, and Tommy Glen (35-5) of Simley, fourth at 130 pounds. Swenson and LeDuc both enter the tournament with perfect records.
        140 pounds - Jason Cirksena (31-5) of Kasson-Mantorville looks to improve on last year's third-place finish at this weight. He is joined by three other 2009 medalists: Andrew Youngblom (38-1) of Mora, fourth at 135 pounds; Ryan Arne (37-2) of Orono, fifth at 130 pounds; and Dan Dick (32-8) of Simley, fifth at 125 pounds. There are no perfect records in this class.
        145 pounds - Two medalists from the 2009 140-pound weight class move up in search of a title at 145 pounds. Jake Bothun (28-3) of Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle finished fourth last year, and Brandon Seppelt (40-2) of Foley was fifth. No competitors enter the tournament with a perfect record.
        152 pounds - Defending champion Blaine Miller (40-3) of Plainview-Elgin-Millville returns in search of more gold. One other medal-winner will compete, Joey Falde (36-6) of Orono, who placed fifth at 145 pounds last year. No one enters the field undefeated in this class.
        160 pounds - John Nething (41-1) of New London-Spicer, last year's fourth-place finisher in this class, is back in search of a championship. Kurtis Julson (37-3) of Simley, who placed third at 152 pounds last year, is the other returning qualifier. No one has a perfect record in this weight class.
        171 pounds - Brandon Pederson (37-0) of Waseca, third at 171 pounds last year, leads the field. He is joined by returning medal-winner Justin Bowland (35-3) of Foley, who finished third at 160 pounds last year. Pederson boasts the only unblemished record.
        189 pounds - Spencer Johnson (34-3) of Windom Area/Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, last year's runner-up at 171 pounds, is the top returning qualifier. Anthony Gullickson (36-5) of Totino-Grace qualified and finished sixth at 160 pounds last year. There are no perfect records in this weight class.
        215 pounds - Three medalists from last year's 215-pound class are again vying for a title: Colton Thorson (41-0) of Fergus Falls placed third in 2009; Marshal Ash (35-5) of Milaca/Faith Christian was fifth; and Alex LaShomb finished sixth. Jeff Nielsen (30-1) of Zimmerman, who placed fourth at 189 pounds in 2009, is the other returning medalist. Thorson is the only undefeated wrestler in this class.
        Heavyweight - Two 2009 medal-winners return in this class. Pat Brinkman (19-1) of New Ulm was runner-up at 215 pounds; and Casey Johnson (35-4) of Kasson-Mantorville placed third at this weight last year. There were no perfect records in this weight class.
        Simley leads the field with 13 qualified wrestlers. Both Foley and Monticello have 10 qualifiers. Eight individual wrestlers qualified for Kasson-Mantorville and Scott West.

        Class AAA Individual Highlights

        103 pounds - Sam Brancale (35-0) of Eden Prairie is the only returning qualifier and the only wrestler with a perfect record. He placed sixth in this weight class last year.
        112 pounds - Mitch Bengtson (42-0) of St. Cloud Apollo, who took top honors at 103 pounds last year, is one of two returning qualifiers. The other is Eric Bauer (41-1) of Hastings, who placed third at 103 pounds. Bengtson boasts the only perfect record in this weight class.
        119 pounds - Dakota Trom (39-2) of Apple Valley returns in search of more gold. He won the title at 112 pounds last year and is the only returning medal-winner in this class. No one had a perfect record in this class.
        125 pounds - Three medal-winners return, including last year's champion at 119 pounds, Matt Kelliher (40-2) of Apple Valley. The other returning 2009 medalists are Kahron Nix (31-9) of Coon Rapids, runner-up at 119 pounds, and Sam Stewart (36-3) of Andover, fourth at 112 pounds. No one enters this weight class with an undefeated record.
        130 pounds - Seven 2009 medal-winners return: Ben Morgan (40-2) of Forest Lake, third at 119 pounds; Mason Young (33-3) of Henry Sibley, Mendota Heights, third at 130 pounds; Jesse Loges (20-2) of Minneapolis South, fourth at 103 pounds; Dalton Westerlund (30-9) of Albert Lea Area, fourth at 119 pounds; Dillin Schultz (23-17) of Owatonna, fifth at 112 pounds; Matt Kahnke (31-7) of Prior Lake, sixth at 112 pounds; and Tony Skjefte (26-4) of Eden Prairie, sixth at 125 pounds. There were no perfect records.
        135 pounds - Brandon Kingsley (41-1) of Apple Valley returns in search of more gold. He won at 125 pounds last year. Two other 2009 medalists also return: Cory Hansen (36-4) of Albert Lea Area, runner-up at 112 pounds, and Kevin Nelson (39-3) of Forest Lake, runner-up at 130 pounds. Jamie Brazil (25-0) of Robbinsdale Cooper has the only unblemished record.
        140 pounds - Two 2009 medal-winners return: Zach Rohr (33-6) of Hastings, fourth at 135 pounds, and Chad Mack (39-4) of Coon Rapids, fifth at 125 pounds. Timmy Ruter (37-0) of Buffalo has the only perfect record.
        145 pounds - Five 2009 medalists return in this weight class: Jeff Engstrom (16-8) of Hastings, third at 112 pounds; Brandon Haluptzok (39-3) of Centennial, Circle Pines, third at 135 pounds; Dylan Ness (40-0) of Bloomington Jefferson/Bloomington Kennedy, third at 140 pounds; Charlie Janssen (38-5) of Forest Lake, fifth in this weight class; and Ben Horn (30-13) of St. Michael-Albertville, sixth at 140 pounds in Class AA. Ness has this year's only unblemished record.
        152 pounds - Destin McCauley (42-0) of Apple Valley, who has the only perfect record, leads this weight class. He placed second at 135 pounds last year. If McCauley wins it would be his fourth individual title. Two other medal-winners also return: Tyler Rohr (32-9) of Hastings, third at 145 pounds, and William Baker (36-5) of Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony Village, sixth at 145 pounds.
        160 pounds - Jordan Campa (36-1) of St. Michael-Albertville, who won at 160 pounds in Class AA last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Jared Flaata (34-3) of Park, Cottage Grove, and Troy Morisette (12-0) of Tartan, Oakdale, also return. Flaata was fifth at 171 pounds last year and Morisette was sixth at 152 pounds. Morisette and Ben Cox (41-0) of Minnetonka have the only unblemished records.
        171 pounds - Last year's champion at 160 pounds, Zak Coates (35-2) of Henry Sibley, Mendota Heights, leads this year's qualifiers. Mike Minske (31-2) of Rochester Mayo, fifth at 152 pounds last year, is the only other returning medalist. There are no perfect records in this weight class.
        189 pounds - Kraig Schumm (39-3) of St. Michael-Albertville and Dalton Henderson (23-2) of Owatonna are both hoping to better last year's runner-up showings. Schumm was second at 189 pounds in Class AA, and Henderson was second at 171 pounds in Class AAA. Michael Hirsch (33-2) of Austin is the third returning 2009 medal-winner. He was fifth in this weight in 2009. CJ Hays (39-0) of Woodbury has this year's only unblemished record.
        215 pounds - Joseph Borchardt (33-10) of Maple Grove, runner-up last year in this weight class, is the highest returning qualifier. Three other medalists also return: Nick Albano (22-4) of Farmington, third in this class; Mitch Hrovat (39-1) of Centennial, Circle Pines, third at 189 pounds; and Zane Petersen (34-1) of Lakeville South, fifth in this class. No one has a perfect record.
        Heavyweight - Two medalists who competed in 2009 return in search of more hardware: Donny Longendyke (41-0) of White Bear Lake Area, runner-up in this weight class, and Mark Wychor (36-1) of Moorhead, sixth at 215 pounds. Longendyke is the only wrestler with a perfect record.
        Apple Valley qualified 12 wrestlers and Owatonna and St. Michael-Albertville each qualified 10. Eden Prairie and Hastings were next with eight individual qualifiers apiece.

        The Schedule and Ticket Information

        This year's schedule starts with the Class AA individual preliminaries at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3. They will be followed by the Class AAA individual preliminaries at 6 p.m., and the Class A individual preliminaries at 8 p.m.
        On Thursday morning the team quarterfinals will start at 9:30 a.m., and a second round of team quarterfinals will follow at 11:30 a.m. At 4 p.m. the Class AA individual quarterfinals will begin. They will be followed by the Class AAA and Class A individual quarterfinals at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. The evening session on Thursday will conclude with individual wrestlebacks for each class. Class AA will begin at 7 p.m., and Class AAA and Class A start at 8 and 9 p.m., respectively.
        On Friday, March 5, the team consolation semifinals begin at 10 a.m. and the team championship semifinals follow at noon. Later on Friday afternoon, the Class AA individual semifinals and consolation quarterfinals begin at 4 p.m. The Class AAA and Class A individual semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will follow at 5 and 6 p.m., respectively. At 7 p.m. the Class AA individual consolation semifinals will begin. They will be followed by the Class AAA individual consolation semifinals at 7:45 p.m. and the Class A consolation semifinals at 8:30 p.m.
        On Saturday there will be four rounds of competition. Round One starts at 10 a.m. and will consist of all team consolation and third-place matches in all classes. Round Two will start approximately at noon and will entail all individual fifth-place semifinals and third-place matches in all classes. Round Three begins approximately at 3:30 p.m. and will encompass all individual championship matches in all classes. There will be a parade of champions at approximately 5:30 p.m. and Round Four will follow the conclusion of that ceremony (approximately 7 p.m.). Round Four will consist of all team championship matches in all classes. Award ceremonies will be held at the end of each of the two championship rounds.
        Other than the first matches of each session, all subsequent rounds will start immediately following the conclusion of the previous competition in that session. Thus, most of the start times are approximate. Fans should bear that schedule in mind in planning their arrival at Xcel Energy Center.
        Ticket prices are $12 per adult and $8 per student for each session. Daily passes are available for $22 for adults and $15 for students. Season passes, good for the entire tournament, are available to adults for $66 and to students for $45.