If any doubts lingered that
Apple Valley (Minn.) was the No. 1 high school wrestling team in the nation for the second straight year, those doubts vanished last week when the unbeaten Eagles won their sixth consecutive Class AAA state championship.
Destin McCauley.
Photo courtesy of Apple Valley High
Enhancing their claims, the Eagles then tied their own Minnesota record by crowning seven champions two days later at the individual state tournament.
Leading the way was the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit, 152-pound senior Destin McCauley, who earned his fifth state championship, a record shared by only three others. He completed his already legendary career with a state-record 286 victories (only seven losses) and 197 pins. He finished his senior year with a 49-0 record and won his final 98 matches.
Aptly nicknamed "The Franchise," McCauley also has won two national freestyle titles and a Pan-American title. On March 21 he will head for the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., with an eye on making the 2012 USA Olympic team. He will finish his senior year with online work and enroll at the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 2012.
Coach Jim Jackson told MaxPreps, "I feel great for our kids and our families. They have been training a lot of these kids since they were 5 years old."
A strong case could be made for this year's team being the best in Minnesota history, because no other team has produced seven state champions, two second-place and two third-place finishers.
Where will McCauley stand in history?
"To me, he's the greatest high school wrestler in Minnesota history," Jackson said. "He's a great athlete. He's quick, explosive and has great balance. The sky is the limit. He can be a multi (NCAA) champion and an Olympian."
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Apollo (St. Cloud, Minn.) 119-pound sophomore Mitch Bengtson captured his third consecutive state title and has won his last 136 matches. He is just five shy of tying the state record.
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St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) won its 26th Division I state title before a crowd of 14,121 at Value City Arena and all 10 of its starters are underclassmen.
