STA grapplers turning some heads in the wrestling world

Tim Spitzack Editor

TheSt. Thomas Academy (STA) wrestling program was the biggest surprise this winter among prep teams in our distribution area. While STA has been a powerhouse in other sports, they had never achieved much success on the mat, until recently. The team finished its dual meet season 13-8 and qualified six of the 14 varsity wrestlers for the state tournament, held March 4-5 at the Xcel Energy Center. Making it to the big show were Thomas Holmquist (113-pounds), Gabriel Cohn (120), Josiah Solliday (138), Jake Borman (182; ranked #8), Jackson Cercioglu (195; ranked #4) and Vincent Mueller (285, ranked #1). Seventh grader Grayson Eggum, ranked #9, narrowly missed the cut. He finished third at the section tournament – top two advance – and was 30-9 on the season.

In the first round, Holmquist, a junior and returning state qualifier, faced ninth-ranked Nick Strand from Bemidji. He lost by a narrow margin of 8-5 and did not advance. He finished the season 33-9. “Tommy has a ton of potential to place high at State next year,” said co-head coach Graydon

Anderson. “He is one step away from being great. His level of dedication is high.” Cohn, a freshman, qualified for the tournament but injured his knee before the sectional tournament and had to forfeit his match at State. Cohn, who finished the season 26-10, is capable of doing great things when healthy. “His pin and tech fall rate is just sky-high, for sure over 90%,” said Anderson. “He has worlds of potential and beat a lot of ranked kids during the season.”

Josiah Solliday, a sophomore, faced eighth-ranked Tyler Laudenbach from Apple Valley in the first round. He lost by pin and did not advance. “Josiah is ahead of schedule of where we thought he would be,” said Anderson. “We thought he might be a state qualifier next year, but he really stepped into himself this year.” Solliday finished the season 21-22.

Jake Borman, a senior ranked #8 and returning state qualifier, faced #10 Owen Murphy from Northfield, in the first round. The hard-fought match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. In overtime, Borman scored a takedown to win 3-1. His next match was a fierce