B-B-E wrestling team third at state, Hanson claims second gold medal (VIDEO)

The attached video features Maximus Hanson in his state championship match on March 2 in St. Paul.

The Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa wrestling team's final dual at the Class 1A state tournament was not for the faint of heart.

With their backs truly to the wall in the third-place match of the Class 1A state tournament on Thursday, February 29 at Xcel Energy Center, the Jaguars came alive with a full-throated roar in the upper weights after trailing 31-12 through the 152-pound match against No. 5-ranked Jackson County Central.

Then they dropped the hammer and won the next three matches by fall, all in the first period, to close the gap to 31-30. Earning the three pins were Brett DeRoo, Ethan Mueller and Maximus Hanson.  

At 215, a loss by a major decision at 215 put them down 34-30 going into the heavyweight match.

With Carson Gilbert having the weight of the entire match on his shoulders, the junior 215-pound wrestler put the smack down early and won by fall with a time of 1:15 against JCC's Michael Hansen. Pandemonium followed! The team finishes with a win!

Final score: B-B-E 36, Jackson County Central 34. The Jaguars finished with the third place state trophy in hand and a 23-3 overall dual record. They won the Central Minnesota Conference title for the third time in four years with a 6-0 record.

The No. 4-seeded JCC Huskies, who were state champions in 2022 and 2023, finished the season 20-5. In the state championship, Chatfield downed Staples-Motley 47-7.

In the fifth-place match, No. 6-ranked and No. 5-seeded Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial Area defeated United North Central 34-18.

Head coach Jordan Fester, in his second year leading the program, said on Saturday night, "I never imagined in two years of coaching that this is where I'd be standing at, but it's been a great run with these guys. We're hoping to be back again next year."

Four Jaguars earn individual state medals

A terrific haul of state medals was earned by four members of the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa wrestling team during last week's individual state tournament at Xcel Energy Center.

B-B-E's wrestling team was the only one in the West Central Tribune coverage area to earn four individual state medals: Ryan Jensen got third at 139, Tanner Viessman got fifth at 145, Maximus Hanson took first at 172 and Carson Gilbert placed third at 215.

Jensen finished his senior year 47-1, and he is B-B-E's all-time career wins leader with a 237-49 record. On February 2 this year, he surpassed Canon Swanson's (Class of 2020) previous record of 225 wins. Overall in five state trips, Jensen earned four state medals.

Brett DeRoo, who had a key pin while being bumped up to 160 pounds in the team's third-place win on Thursday, went 2-2 at state. He suffered a crushing loss by a 4-3 decision to the top-ranked wrestler at 152 pounds in the state quarterfinals and then went 1-1 in the consolation bracket.