‘It was brutal’ on Owatonna

OWATONNA — It may seem like death, taxes and the Owatonna wrestling team in the section final are three certainties in life, but it wasn’t always like that. For a long time, the path to the state tournament was blocked by more than just the Albert Lea Tigers.

When high school wrestling started having the state champion decided by duals in 1976, Owatonna had to get by wrestling powers Apple Valley (28 trips to state), Simley (15), Faribault (6) and Albert Lea (10) at one time or another to reach the state tournament. The Indians wrestled in Region 1AA with the other wrestling powers.

“Back then just to get to the semifinals was saying something,” said Owatonna coach Scot Davis. “In our region that was a big deal.

“We didn’t have the weak teams we do now. Every match meant something.”

To put into perspective how tough the region was when Simley left in 1985, the Spartans had never reached the state tournament while in Region 1AA. After leaving, Simley went every year from 1986-1995. Owatonna, Faribault and Albert Lea weren’t as lucky — they had to wait for Apple Valley to leave in 1993. Since the Eagles left the section, the three Big Nine schools have qualified for a combined 18 state tournaments, nine by Owatonna.

For years, the Indians struggled just to get out of the section semifinals. In 1986-87, the year before Davis arrived, Owatonna finished all the way down in ninth place in the section tournament.

Since Davis came to Owatonna High School in April 1987, the Indians — and then the Huskies — reached the section semifinals every year and the state tournament nine times. None of those nine teams had to deal with the depth of the old Region 1AA. When the Huskies finally broke through in 1996 and reached the state tournament for the first time in a dual-meet format, Owatonna not only didn’t have to deal with Apple Valley, but the Huskies didn’t have to get past Faribault — which might have been one of the top three wrestling programs in Minnesota during the 1990s. In 1996, Apple Valley, Owatonna and Faribault all made it to state. Just four years earlier, only one of those three stood a chance when they all beat each other up in the region tournament.

“It was brutal, just brutal” said Davis. “Back then, you have to be a state title contender to even think about getting out of the section.

“Apple Valley was good, but they didn’t dominate like they do now. They were so happy to leave this region. It was the best thing to happen to their program.”

Since leaving Region 1AA, the Eagles have won 13 state titles.

In 1992, the last year that Apple Valley was in Region 1AA, Owatonna thought it had a team to finally beat the Eagles, who won the previous nine region titles. The Indians lineup was filled with seniors including state champion Greg Karsten, Brian Beyer (3rd at state), Mark Motl, Tony Kath, Jeff Sikel, Casey Conlin and Troy Ihrke. They entered the region tournament ranked second in the state with a 23-2 record, with both losses to Apple Valley. In the region final, Apple Valley’s Karl Jones (ranked No. 1) defeated Owatonna’s No. 5-ranked Gabe Vieths 11-7 and the Eagles won 27-23. For a while, it looked like Vieths was going to pull off the upset. In the first period, he threw Jones to his back for a takedown and three near fall points.

“The place just erupted when I threw him,” Vieths said. “The place [Apple Valley High School ] went nuts. Unfortunately, I needed to beat him. We had a few guys that couldn’t get wins that night and they beat us.”

In 1992, Apple Valley lost to Worthington in the first round. Simley, whom Owatonna defeated with ease during the season, won the Class AA title.

With such a difficult path to state, fans have to wonder why Davis would have taken the Owatonna job in the first place. Davis, coaching at Hutchinson at the time, first applied to OHS’s coaching post when Dick Black retired in 1985. Davis said he was one of three finalists, but lost out to Mike Cookas who lasted only one year at Owatonna High School. After Cookas left, OHS went back to Davis and he took the job.

“People said, ‘You must be crazy to go to Owatonna with them being in Region 1,’” Davis said. “But I knew, if I could get a team out of Region 1, I would have a team that could win a state title.”

It looked like Davis wouldn’t have to wait very long. In 1987-88, he won his second straight Big Nine title, and Owatonna was seeded No. 1 in the region tournament. Unfortunately, the Indians lost some wrestlers to injury and illness and were upset by Rosemount in the region semifinals.

Gregg Nelson, who now coaches Adrian High School, was on the 1988 team. In 1989, he finished second at the state individual tournament. While he’s proud of his medal, he still painfully remembers losing in the region semifinals as a junior and senior.

“It was always team first,” Nelson said. “Losing in 1988 was one of the most disappointing things that has happened to me in my life. It still hurts not going. I got to go as an individual, but it would have been nice to go as a team.”

In 2001, Nelson was finally able to participate in the team tournament. As Adrian’s head wrestling coach he was able to take the Dragons to the Class AA tournament.

“To finally make it as a team was a feeling I’ll never forget,” Nelson said. “To make it that first time is the highlight of my career.”

Owatonna finally made it as a team in 1996. That year, Albert Lea and Northfield were the main competition. Two years later, The Huskies defeated Hastings for 1998 state title. Even though Owatonna won a state title in 1998, Veiths still thinks the senior-laden 1992 team was the best of the decade.

“In 1992, we ran practice like we were a college team. Practices were extremely intense,” Vieths said. “We outworked everyone we wrestled.

“I helped coach the 1998 team and I used to always tell the guys that the ‘92 team would have killed you guys.”

In 1998, Owatonna did not have to face Apple Valley, which was upset by Hastings in the semifinals. Longtime OHS writer and statistician Keith Stark saw so many Eagles victories over Owatonna in the 1980s and 1990s, that he no longer watches Owatonna wrestle Apple Valley.

In 2005, Stark, who wrote dozens of stories for the People’s Press in 1980s and 90s, stood out in the hall when the Eagles and Huskies battled in the 2005 Class AAA semifinals.

“I can say that I have never seen Owatonna beat Apple Valley,” Stark said. “I purposely waited outside. Fathers would come over and give me results.”

The Huskies defeated Apple Valley that day and Simley (another former Region 1AA opponent) in the title match.

The region also made it difficult for individuals to qualify for state. From 1982 to 1995, the first year when Faribault and Apple Valley were both out of the region, twenty different Owatonna wrestlers reached the state tournament as individuals. Karsten (1992) and Jeremy Schubert (1994) won state titles. In comparison since just 2004, 22 different wrestlers have made it. Owatonna sent eight in 2005 and 2006, and seven in 2007 and 2009. When Davis started in 1986, he had one simple goal when it came to the individual tournament.

“We just wanted to get someone to state,” he said.

In 1987, Owatonna sent two. In 1988, the Indians only sent Chad Krippner. In 1992, the Indians sent Beyer, Karsten, Morl and Nick Tancheff. The four qualifiers were the most Owatonna had sent since 1964.

“It was just as tough for individuals,” Davis said. “The true-second matches really meant something because if you got out of Region 1, you have a realistic chance to be a state champion.”

Stark believes the low numbers had a lot to do with the crushing team losses year after year in the team tournament.

“Everyone wanted to go as a team. That was the goal,” Stark said. “As they prepared for the individual tournament, you could see it in the guys’ eyes that their hearts weren’t into it.”

Karsten said that while it was hard to go on after the tough loss in 1992, he and his teammates had to look ahead to the next goal.

“We had to have the attitude that if we couldn’t go as a team, we would try to send as many individuals as possible,” Karsten said. “That being said I would trade my (individual) title for a team title.”

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Member Opinions: By: silencingolaf on 2/4/10 Ah, the "Golden Age" of the Davis Regime. I remember every big home meet, every section team dual, and nearly all the line ups from those early 90s squads. I was part of the '98-'00 years, and we walked through Conference meets to the point that the gym was never "standing-room-only" like the early 90s or an Albert Lea matches today. I envy those guys for having those epic battles to a packed OHS gym. That being said, Vieths, our '98 team was absolutely stacked as well. That debate will always be there, not to mention the insane, but ultimately underachieving 2000 team. Go weight-by-weight, and the 2000 roster might match those 1992,1998, and 2005 teams. By: MarkM on 2/5/10 A minor point, Simley didn't leave the region until 1987. I wrestled for the Apple Valley team that beat Simley in the 1986 Region 1AA final. I remember Chris Short wrestling up from 185 lbs. and beating our Heavyweight Kelly Day during the Team finals... Coach Davis has done a wonderful job at Owatonna as has Coach Jackson at Apple Valley...it has been fun following everyting Minnesota Wrestling stands for on the internet from Washington State!
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