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The Wildcat wrestling program, led by head coach Shawn Frederixon, had their best season in recent memory.

They:

-Sent five wrestlers to the state tournament

-Finished second in the North Suburban Conference with an 8-1 record

-Knocked higher-seeded North Branch out of the section tournament with a thrilling one-point win

-Gave eventual section champion Grand Rapids a good battle before bowing out in the section semifinals

-Finished with an 18-9 overall record in dual meets

-And saw Travis Kammerer set a new team record for wins in a career with 167

The five wrestlers who made it to the state tournament --seniors Kammerer, Jake Nase and Dylan Hoyt, sophomore Quade Zupko and seventh grader Kyle Schoenecker - represented the largest contingent of Wildcats to make it to the state tournament in one season since they sent eight wrestlers to state back in 1984. This year, four of the five - Zupko, Kammerer, Nase and Hoyt - won their first round matches. But they all lost in the second round. Schoenecker, at state for the first time, and Zupko, at state for the second time, will both have a chance to go to state again next season. Zupko, along with Kammerer, was named the team's most dedicated wrestler and was one of the winners of the Mann Award for the fourth year in a row.

The Wildcats' only conference loss this season was in a controversy-filled match to archrival North Branch, 32-26. The Vikings won the conference with an 8-0 record. In the section tournament, the sixth-seeded Wildcats upset third-seeded Mora 44-25 to advance to the quarterfinals against the second-seeded Vikings. The Wildcats avenged their earlier conference loss with a thrilling 32-31 win, knocking the Vikings out of sections. And the Wildcats did it without the services of their most accomplished wrestler, Kammerer, who was out with an illness. In the section semifinals, the Wildcats lost to Grand Rapids - the top seed from the northern half of the 16-team Section 7AA - 42-27. It was one of the best showings for the Wildcats at the team section tournament since 1984, the last time the Wildcats made it to state as a team.

Kammerer, a team captain this season, closed out an incredible career with 167 wins, beating the old career record of 154 set by Dan Dellwo in 1996. The awards and accolades Kammerer, a captain this season, received tell the story of his accomplishments. All Conference for the fourth year in a row; state tournament entrant for the second year in a row; the team's Most Valuable Wrestler; the team's Mr. Inspirational for the fourth year in a row; the team's most dedicated wrestler, along with Zupko; and the team leader this season in three statistical categories -- Most Takedowns, Most Near Falls Combined and Most Reversals.

Chisago Lakes High School also recognized the contributions of longtime Wildcat coach Bob Hanson, who led the Wildcats to their only three team state tournament appearances - in 1976, 1983 and 1984. Hanson was inducted into the Wildcat Wall of Fame on February 11.

CONFERENCE AWARDS

All Conference Academic

Vince Virga

All Conference

Travis Kammerer

Quade Zupko

Dylan Hoyt

Tyler Heckel

All Conference Honorable Mention

Joe Virga

Jake Nase

Vince Virga

Ben Hinderman

Bobby Sontag

William Pool

Kyle Schoenecker

TEAM AWARDS

Rookie of the Year - Kyle Schoenecker

Most Improved - William Pool

Most Dedicated - Travis Kammerer, Quade Zupko

Mr. Inspirational - Travis Kammerer

Most Valuable Wrestler - Travis Kammerer

Team Scholar - Vince Virga

Captains - Travis Kammerer, Dylan Hoyt, Vince Virga, Ben Hinderman

Turkey Toss MVP - Chase Kammerer

Lexvold Pizza - Bobby Sontag

Outstanding Wrestler Day One Hibbing Duals-Appetizer Award - Ben Hinderman

"Mann" Award - Quade Zupko, Jonah Westbury, Sean Hoyt

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY LEADERS

Wins - Dylan Hoyt - 37

Most Team Points - Dylan Hoyt - 240

Takedowns - Travis Kammerer - 89

Pins - Dylan Hoyt - 23

Most Near Falls Combined - Travis Kammerer - 32

Most Reversals - Travis Kammerer - 19

Most First Takedowns - Quade Zupko - 33

Fastest Fall - Jake Nase, Dylan Hoyt - tied at 5 seconds each

SINGLE YEAR RECORDS SET (covering last 10 years)

Individual Wins by Grade Level

7th Grade - Kyle Schoenecker - 22 (tied Dan Dellwo)

10th Grade - Quade Zupko - 35

12th Grade - Dylan Hoyt - 37

TEAM RECORDS

Individual Wins - 405

Team Points For - 2282.5

Pins record - 180

Takedowns record - 656

Reversals - 201

First takedowns - 270

20+ Match Winners - 11

INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

30 Match Winners

Travis Kammerer

Dylan Hoyt

Quade Zupko

Jake Nase

20 Match Winners

Joe Virga

Ben Hinderman

Vince Virga

William Pool

Tyler Heckel

Bobby Sontag

Kyle Schoenecker

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