As the Cannon Falls wrestlers gear up for state, their excitement for the season’s finale builds. For the wrestlers, going to state as a team would be an amazing opportunity, but the likelihood of making it that far is slim. Other teams that have wrestlers at every weight class, meaning they don’t forfeit any matches, make it difficult for the Bombers to succeed with their limited lineup. As 8th grader Preston Carlisle puts it, “I feel like the team as a whole is doing good this year, but the holes up in the heavier weights are what kill us. I feel like I have improved from where I was because of my team and can now see what I was doing wrong. Overall I feel like our team has the potential to send a few kids to state this year. As a team, it’s a tough conference right now with Kasson. It would be fairly hard for us to bring the whole team to state, but miracles happen.” Because of Kasson’s number of wrestlers and history of getting three state titles in five years, the Bombers aren’t expecting to reach state as a team. However, sending at least a few wrestlers to State is a big goal for the team, so pushing each other to their limits will improve the chances of making it a reality.

The Bombers have already shown that they are capable of competing at a high level with one example being just last Saturday at the Rochester Century tournament. Placing 3rd as a team, with Erwin Strelow, Dylan Rohr, Hayden Strain, Peter Fitterer, Cooper Peterson, and Ryan Linde all placing first in their individual weight classes,  State seems to be in their grasp. Captain Dylan Rohr said, “The season so far has been a series of ups and downs. We won our first duel against Triton, but then we lost in Pine Island by just one forfeit. But mostly the season has shown us what the future will hold, taking into consideration that we are losing three seniors: Hayden, Charlie, and I. We are a young team with a lot of potential coming up in the next couple of years.” The hope for the future looks good for the wrestlers, and with coach Dudley Flodeen reaching a new school record for career wins, 236, it’s no wonder that success has followed these dedicated wrestlers.

With both wins and losses in the bag, the wrestlers have learned to use all of what they have been taught in order to attempt making it to State. The importance of the last matches before State only grows as the season continues, so more work is key to a successful end to the season. Having motivation to reach their goals is one aspect that contributes to their success, but because “wrestling is cool” as Sam Ludden, a wrestler, says, success also come from the amount of fun these wrestlers get out of the sport.