The Maple River/United South Central Rebels had three individual wrestlers advance to the Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament from the Section 2AA Meet which was held at Mound-Westonka High School on Feb. 21-22.

Isaiah Gonzalez, Noah Gonzalez and Byron Getchell advanced to State by finishing in first or second place in their respective weight classes.

Isaiah Gonzalez placed first at 133 pounds, Noah Gonzalez, at 127 pounds and Byron Getchell, at 160 pounds, each placed second.

After a first-round bye, senior Isaiah Gonzalez defeated Nicolas Colletti of Orono in the quarterfinal round with a pin in 1:43.

Next, Gonzalez won by a 9-5 decision in his semifinal match against Sully Marx of Watertown Mayer-Mayer Lutheran to move into the finals.

Gonzalez faced Tucker Skluzacek of Tri-City United in the championship and came out on top by a 7-6 decision.

Fellow senior Getchell also had a first-round bye before facing Johnny Rogers of Delano in the 160-pound quarterfinals. Getchell only needed 1:14 to put Rogers’ shoulders to the mat and gain a spot in the semifinal match against Isaiah Mead of Watertown Mayer-Mayer Lutheran. Getchell prevailed over Mead by an 8-0 major decision.

The finals of the 160-pound weight category had Getchell wrestling Cooper Rowe of Mound-Westonka. Rowe, the No. 1-seeded wrestler at 160 pounds, came into the match with 30 victories and only one defeat.

Rowe continued his winning ways with a 19-4 technical fall over Getchell.

Getchell then had to wrestle a true-second match against Dylan Bargmann of Glencoe-Lester Prairie. Getchell earned his trip to State by pinning Bargmann in 3:09.

Wrestling at 127 pounds, Noah Gonzalez received a first-round bye to advance to the quarterfinals against Levi Hays of Mound-Westonka.

Gonzalez put Hays’ shoulders to the mat with five seconds remaining in the second period to advance to the semifinal round against Jackson Buboltz of Mankato East.

In a close match, Gonzalez won by a narrow 5-4 decision.

Undefeated Titan Friederichs of Watertown Mayer-Mayer Lutheran, with a record of 40 wins and zero losses, was Gonzalez’s opponent in the championship match.

Friederichs was able to pin Gonzalez in 3:24 but the Longhorns’ wrestler still advanced to State with his second-place finish.

Two MR/USC wrestlers, 107-pounder Alex Walser and 145-pounder Wyatt Walters, each placed fourth at the Section 2AA Meet. Finishing fifth was 215-pounder Dizel Butler while 114-pounder Austin Sanders placed sixth.

The opening round of the Minnesota State Individual Tournament is Feb. 28. Noah Gonzalez, with a record of 34-8, will face Nolan Fettig of Alexandria in the first round. Fettig, who missed part of the season with an injury, has a record of 24-2.

Isaiah Gonzalez will take his 32-11 record against Kadin Martin of Grand Rapids who had a record of 33 wins and 10 losses.

Getchell, making his third appearance at the State, heads into his opening round match with a record of 28 wins and three losses. He will face Slade Barnett of Waseca. Barnett’s record coming into the tournament is 42-4.