Hastings put together a strong showing at the Board-Hyland Cardinal Invitational on Saturday at Coon Rapids High School, earning a runner-up finish in a field of 12 teams. The Raiders totaled 178 team points, finishing behind Centennial, which won with 245 points. Mankato East placed third with 161.5.
The day featured a mix of title runs, medal performances, and several deep bracket pushes, highlighted by a championship at heavyweight and five top three finishes on the boys side.
At 285, Elijah Christopher delivered the marquee result of the event for Hastings by dominating his bracket. Christopher capped his championship run with a 17-2 technical fall over Mankato East’s Tyler Thilges. His aggressive scoring sealed bonus points that helped Hastings secure its second-place team finish.
At 139, Trey Beissel continued his standout start to the season. Beissel won his bracket in convincing fashion with a 19-4 technical fall over Coon Rapids’ Jack Bridenstine, earning a title while scoring repeatedly on takedowns and near-fall turns. Beissel also earned his 200th career win during the invite.
Two additional medal finishes came at 133, where Donavin Ward placed third and Gage Cook placed fifth. Ward finished his day with a medical forfeit win over Jaxon Jubinal of Park, while Cook earned his fifth-place result by winning via forfeit against Coon Rapids’ Alijah Hibbler.
At 121, Grant Cook wrestled his way to a third-place finish, winning by fall over Coon Rapids’ Adrian Chang in 2:31. William Bainbridge reached the championship match at 127, pushing Mahtomedi’s Aidan Carlson to the final whistle before dropping a 5-4 decision to finish as runner-up.
Hastings added points at 189 where Mark Svoboda earned a finals berth, finishing second to Mankato East’s Max Morgan. At 145, Brock Lundstrom placed fourth after wrestling through the upper half of the bracket and finishing behind Centennial’s Benjamin Johnson in the consolation match.
Other scoring results included a seventh-place win from Rowan Henson at 107, defeating Park’s Nolan Gelhar by fall in 1:34, and additional match participation that helped accumulate depth points across the lineup.
The Hastings girls side also made its presence known with multiple titles and a long list of medalists.
Trinity Yates led the way by winning the 106.1-116.7 grouping, finishing first in a bracket that included three Raiders on the podium. Hazell Aquino placed third and Kira Poellinger finished fourth, giving Hastings a rare sweep of the top four places.
Audrianna Dahlberg earned a championship at 129.3-139.2 while teammate Elli Levine finished second, making it another one-two finish for Hastings. At 131.3-140.6, Madeline Burg took second, while Ava Savola and Amelia Chandler followed in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The heavier divisions also produced hardware. Lily Watts placed first at 165.5-182, topping a four-place podium. At 185-197.5, Hastings claimed two of the top three spots with Esme Renneke winning the bracket and Kenley Butler finishing third.
Darriyanah Kelly placed second at 108.9-119.3 and Seebrina Chudzik took third in that same grouping. At 136.8-147.1, Emma Taylor wrestled to runner-up honors while Adalynn Cadwell and Natalie Leifeld both finished as place winners.
The strong showing between both programs highlighted depth, advancement through the consolation rounds, and several decisive wins that added bonus team scoring. Hastings now carries strong momentum into its upcoming dual schedule.
The boys wrestling team travels to So. St. Paul on Dec 11 for a 5:00 p.m. triangular against the Packers and Two Rivers Warriors. Dec. 12, they return home for a triangular with St. Francis and Tartan starting at 5:00 p.m. Friday’s event also includes youth night with the Middle School Choir performing the National Anthem and the annual Santa versus the Grinch match during one of the intermissions. Dec. 19, the boys head to the MatBoss MN Christmas Tournament slated for a noon start which continues on Dec. 20 starting at 9:00 a.m.
Dec. 13, the girls head to Hopkins for a 71-team invitational at 8:00 a.m. then the girls have a road trip over two hours to Holmen Wisconsin on Dec 18 with the dual starting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 the girls will host a quad meet with St. Paul Harding, Coon Rapids and Huson Wi.at 9:00 a.m.