The Sartell Sabre’s boys wrestling team is entering its final meeting of the season this week. With individual sections happening this Saturday at Bemidji High School, the Sabres are ready to lay it all out there. The team has had a much-improved season in dual meets this season. The Sabres have posted a 12-7 record this season, which is the best in the past four years.
The team got the 5th seed in the team section tournament and had to travel to Bemdiji to face the lumberjacks, where they ultimately fell in a tough dual. A couple of notable team moments this year for the Sabres were winning the Defender Duals and the Mora invite.
There have been some standout wrestlers for the Sabres this year, including three ranked wrestlers in the lineup. At the 107 lb. weight class, eighth grader Noah Bartkowicz has had a great season. He is currently ranked 11th in the state and is looking to have a great section tournament. Jayce Gruber is the 114-pounder for the Sabres and is having a phenomenal season thus far. He is ranked 9th in the class right now and is looking to punch his ticket to the state tournament. The Sabres’ heavyweight, Peyton Allen, is also ranked. He is number three in the state and is also looking to punch a ticket to state this weekend.
Some other standout wrestlers for the Sabres include the 160-pound senior Michael Hamak, the 145-pounder Barrett Leblanc, and the 215-pound sophomore Carter Allen. There have been some guys who have improved mightily over the past year and have stepped into big roles in the lineup. Rowan Stewart, Cael Linn, Michel Kulu, Noah Hoadley, and Jack McGrew are some other guys who have been a big part of the reason for the Sabres’ success. All the hard work that everyone has put in has been paying off on the mat this season, with many Sabres turning in above .500 records.
The girls’ wrestling team has had a great last part of the season as well. They hosted individual sections two weekends ago, with four girls qualifying for the state tournament.
Chloe Wehry has been a standout all season with an undefeated record and ranked number one for her weight class. She breezed through the tournament to her third state appearance. Abby Swenson had a great section tournament, upsetting the number one seed in the first round of the tournament on her way to a second-place tournament and getting to state. Jaiden Schwegel, who is ranked 3rd in the state, pinned her way through the tournament to make her first state appearance as an eighth grader. Finally, Favor Kulu got second place in the tournament and ranked 8th, and she will be making her first appearance at state as a freshman.
Look for the Sabres to have a big weekend at individual sections, as well as State, the following week.
