State wrestling is underway! (UPDATES, VIDEO*)

Noah Jensen outside the competition floor at Grand Casina Arena in St. Paul this morning.

Shortly after 11 a.m. today, the Class 2A individual matches are near the middle weights at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul.

For B-B-E freshman Noah Jensen, he is about to begin the third Class 1A state wrestling tournament of his career. For the second straight year, Jensen will compete in the individual tournament. Last season, Jensen placed 3rd at the 107-pound bracket. This season, he has been in the No. 2 spot in the Top 10 of 114 pounds this whole season in The Guillotine rankings. Currently, the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 114 is sophomore Liam Sommer of Kenyon-Wanamingo. Sommer is the top seed in the bracket and has a 44-1 overall record.

In Jensen's state bracket this year, he is first paired for the opening match with eighth grader Rylan Moritz (32-8) of Aitkin. Jensen has a 42-3 overall record as the Section 5A champion. I'm guessing shortly after 12 p.m., he'll be preparing to take the mat for the Round of 16

In the girls' wrestling tournament...
B-B-E sophomore Elizabeth Rademacher is competing today in the state girls' individual tournament. Rademacher is having a tremendous sophomore season and takes a 33-10 record into her first state tournament. He is paired against the No. 2-ranked wrestler, senior Lauren Elsmore of Pine Island. Elsmore is 32-5 overall.

While you're in the mood to read, you can also take in a video clip from West Lake Johanna Lutheran church. Click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website for more: WestLakeJohannaChurch.

**STATE UPDATE: Noah Jensen won by a 17-1 tech fall early in the 3rd period in his state opener! Jensen will face a sophomore from Goodhue in his semifinal match, which takes place tomorrow. The Goodhue wrestler won by fall in his opener.

Here's a video from the first period of Noah's match:

In other lower-weight state matches, two upset losses occurred with neighboring wrestlers. Benson's Max Nygaard lost a tough 9-5 decision at 139 to a fellow senior from Jackson County Central. Also, Paynesville's Jamison Meagher, the No. 2 seed at 121, lost his state opener by a 6-3 decision to a fellow sophomore from Westfield.

In the girls' division, Rademacher we'll be wrestling in her state opener sometime after 2 p.m.

**Update: Rademacher lost by fall late in the second period. Her opponent from Pine Island was a state champion last year. Rademacher wrestled very well, and the score after the first period was 3-0.

What's coming tomorrow...

Both Jensen and Rademacher will wrestle tomorrow at Grand Casino Arena during the 9 a.m. round of action. Those matches begin with Class 3A male athletes, and then it goes to Class 2A and Class 1A. The girls' wrestlers follow the Class 1A boys. Both the state quarterfinals and wrestlebacks take place at the 9 a.m. session. 

Jensen will be in the 114-pound state quarterfinals. His opponent from Goodhue is sophomore Arlyn von Knobelsdorf, who holds a record of 23-4 and is ranked No. 6 in The Guillotine Top 10 polls.

Rademacher will be in the win-or-go-home wrestlebacks. Her opponent will be senior Amelia Converse of St. Croix Lutheran, who has a 14-5 record this season.

The individual state semifinals plus additional rounds of wrestleback matches take place on Friday night.

After supper, it's time to shift gears to basketball!