Fighting Saints Roll to Dominant Triangular Title at Mahtomedi
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg left little doubt in Mahtomedi on Jan. 10, cruising to the team title at the Mahtomedi–St. Paul Highland Park–KMS triangular with a combined 122 points. The Fighting Saints piled up a 59-15 victory over Mahtomedi in Round 1, then followed it up with a 63-9 rout of St. Paul Highland Park in Round 2 to secure first place. Mahtomedi finished second with 71 points, while Highland Park took third with 27.
From the opening weights, KMS set a tone that it never lost. At 107 pounds, freshman Brayden Nielsen got the Fighting Saints rolling against Highland Park with a forfeit win, then later capped a strong day on the Mahtomedi side of the triangular by pinning previously unbeaten freshman Elizabeth Carlson in 1:39. With that result, Nielsen moved to 12-5 on the season and delivered one of the signature individual wins of the event.
The upper weights were just as important to the Saints’ dominance. At 285, junior Jay Harkema recorded a fall over Mahtomedi’s Knox Dunbar in 3:34, then came back against Highland Park to pick up another victory by forfeit. In between, junior Wyatt Rudningen controlled the 215-pound class all afternoon, earning a 20-4 technical fall over Mahtomedi’s Andrew Moran in just 3:18, and later needing only 22 seconds to pin Highland Park’s Joseph Fragnito. Rudningen’s pair of bonus-point wins pushed his record to 13-11 and gave KMS big momentum in both duals.
The middle weights turned into a highlight reel for the Fighting Saints. At 160 pounds, junior Taytan Nielsen improved to 16-4 with two dominant wins, pinning Mahtomedi’s Owen Eigen in 1:54 and then securing a 19-3 technical fall over Highland Park’s Owen Hardy in 3:22. Right behind him, senior Cole Froehlich had a big afternoon at 152, flattening Mahtomedi’s Henry Johnson in just 1:43 before adding another win by forfeit against Highland Park to move his season mark to 21-5.
KMS kept the pressure on at 145 and 139, where seniors Trey Gunderson and Colton Noble continued to look like dependable point scorers. Gunderson stayed perfect at 11-0 with a 1:10 fall over Mahtomedi’s Lucas Iverson and a forfeit win in the Highland Park dual. Noble nearly matched that pace at 139, pinning Mahtomedi’s Mac Schulz in 1:02 and then collecting another forfeit victory against Highland Park as he moved to 9-3. Those back-to-back hammers in the lineup gave the Saints a built-in surge every time the duals passed through the middle weights.
Down low, KMS continued to stack bonus points. Junior Oswaldo Moreno dominated at 121 pounds, pinning Mahtomedi’s Coleton Zins in 1:28 and then overpowering Highland Park’s Jin Johnson with an 18-3 technical fall in just 1:24. Freshman Brody Nielsen also came up big at 114, taking a forfeit from Mahtomedi and then pinning Highland Park’s River Anderson in 3:42 to improve to 15-6. In the 133–127 range, eighth-grader Johnny Molenaar and freshman Tucker Wilts stepped into key roles. Molenaar claimed a forfeit against Mahtomedi and later delivered a 19-4 technical fall over Aren Matascastillo of Highland Park, while Wilts battled through tough matches at 127 and 133.
Even in the bouts that went the other way, the Fighting Saints gained useful experience against quality opponents. Mahtomedi picked up wins at 189 and 172 in the first dual, and Highland Park earned decisions at 189 and 133 in Round 2, but the overall picture belonged firmly to KMS. With pins, technical falls, and timely forfeits scattered throughout the lineup, the Saints walked out of Mahtomedi with two lopsided dual wins and a clear statement that the roster is rounding into strong midseason form. As the schedule turns toward the heart of the winter, this kind of balanced performance from top to bottom is exactly what the Fighting Saints will look to build on.
