State! State is GREAT!

Canon Swanson shown in his state opener today in St. Paul.

Canon Swanson won his state tournament opener by a 9-3 decision over Grand Meadow-Leroy-Ostrander's Chris Romero (20-8) in the 113-pound bracket this morning in St. Paul. He led 4-1 after the first period and was never threatened from there. Swanson (39-3) is in his second straight trip to the state tournament, and he is looking to improve on a sixth-place finish at state in 2016.

Next is Tyler Bents at 126.

**Updates! At 126, Tyler Bents (30-11) defeated his first-round opponent in a 4-2 decision! His opponent, freshmen Lincoln Carpenter of Sibley East, was ranked 10th in the last Guillotine poll. Bents trailed 2-0 out of the gates but got an escape with 55 seconds left in the first period. About midway through the second period, Bents nearly turned Carpenter (31-9) for back points. Just seconds into the third period, Bents got an escape after starting in the down position to tie the match at 2-2. Bents moved aggressively heading into the final minute and earned a takedown near the edge of the mat with 44 seconds left for a 4-2 lead. That score stood up to the end, with Bents advancing to the state quarterfinals for the first time in his career.

Here's video from the end of Tyler Bents' state opener:


At 145, Adam Jaeger won by an 8-4 decision over Cole Vanoverbeke (31-11) of Minneota to advance to the quarterfinals. Jaeger got an early takedown, then Vanoverbeke got an escape with 1:10 left in the first period. Jaeger earned another takedown with 55 seconds left, but Vanoverbeke cut it to one point in the last 40 seconds. The third period started with Jaeger up 4-3, and just 12 seconds in Jaeger got another takedown for a 6-3 lead. Vanoverbeke scored one more escape with 1:40 left. With 51 seconds to go, Jaeger got one last takedown for an 8-4 lead. Vanoverbeke got one last escape, but Jaeger (40-2) took an 8-5 win by decision that sends him to the state quarterfinals for the second time in his career.

Isaiah Gilbert shown between periods two and three in his state opener.

At 152, Isaiah Gilbert lost a 7-3 decision to No. 8-ranked sophomore Ian Frenzel (33-4) of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena. Gilbert trailed 2-0 after an early takedown in the first period, but he battled for an escape before the first buzzer. Early in the second period, Gilbert got an escape to tie it at 2-2. With 1:08 left, Frenzel earned a takedown to make it a 4-2 deficit, but Gilbert again got an escape to make it 4-3 with 60 seconds to go.

With Gilbert in the up position to start the third period, Frenzel got an escape just seconds in for a 5-3 lead. Gilbert had a couple good shots at a takedown, but Frenzel scored again on a takedown with 1:20 left for a 7-3 lead. Frenzel had Gilbert tied up for the final minute and was able to avoid stalling points on his way to the quarterfinals. Gilbert falls to 31-12 and waits to see if he has a chance to continue in the wrestlebacks.

The Class 1A state quarterfinals begin at 4 p.m. today at Xcel Energy Center. Three Jaguars will be fighting for all they've got to earn their way into the semifinals! The Bonanza Valley Voice is excited to cover wrestling today at state and will be matside for the state quarterfinals. Our state tournament coverage is being sponsored by over a dozen local businesses. These businesses will be highlighted in another blog update this afternoon.

The quarterfinal matchups for the B-B-E Jaguars will be posted this afternoon as well. Now it is time for lunch!!!