The Lakers (24-10 overall) earned a 36-25 win over fourth-seeded Farmington in the quarterfinals, before falling 40-19 to top-seeded and eventual champion Apple Valley in the semifinals.

The Eagles beat second-seeded St. Michael-Albertville 36-30 in the finals for their 10th straight crown.

Last year, Prior Lake was a program-best second to Apple Valley at state. The three years before that, the Lakers were third each year.

Prior Lake may have surprised some teams with its third-place finish in 2011, beating Hastings. The next two years, the Lakers were seeded third and finished third.

It's no wonder Joe Block has been named Class 3A Coach of Year three of the last four years. His Laker teams always seem to be at their best come sections and state and this year was no different.

The Lakers upset top-seeded Shakopee in the Section 2AAA title match Feb. 14, winning 34-22. It was the fifth straight year, Prior Lake beat the Sabers for the crown.

"We really started to wrestle well and hit our peak the last few weeks," said Block. "These kids just kept working and doing everything we asked of them."

Prior Lake split two duals with Farmington in the regular season, losing the second one 39-27 back on Jan. 24. The Lakers also lost 38-23 to Willmar Jan. 31.

The Lakers finished the season winning 20 of their last 23 duals after starting the year losing four of their first seven.

"I knew we had a good team, but back in December to say we would have placed in the top four at state I wouldn't have guessed that," said Block. "This group has really come together and starting wrestling as a team at the right time."

Against Willmar, the Lakers started strong, winning the first seven matches to lead 28-0. It was pretty much over from there, especially with seniors Rylee Streifel and Alex Hart at the end of the lineup at 220 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

They are ranked No. 2 and 1 in the state, respectively, at those two weights with a combined 73-2 record in the regular season.

Ninth-grader Curtis LeMair earned a 2-1 overtime win at 106 to get the Lakers started. Ninth-grader Zach Smith followed with a 4-2 overtime win at 113 with ninth-grader Theo Smith getting a 10-2 major decision at 120.

Sophomore Gunner Charbonneau earned a fall at 126, followed by a 5-3 decision at 132 from senior Dylan Sogge, a fall at 138 from junior Wyatt Benson and a 4-3 decision from ninth-grader Kenny O'Neil at 145.

Down 28-0, Willmar won the next three matches, before junior Sam Brunkow earned a fall for the Lakers at 170 to put Prior Lake up 34-11. Streifel and Hart earned falls to close out the match.

The Lakers had a 15-8 edge over Willmar in bonus points. In beating Farmington, Prior Lake earned a 15-4 advantage.

"Bonus points are something we have preached all year - working for that extra point and not giving up bonus points," said Block. "They make a difference."

Against Farmington, the Lakers led 21-7 after 138 pounds, getting falls from Zach Smith at 113, Charbonneau at 126 and Sogge at 132.

After O'Neil earned a 5-1 decision at 138, the Tigers won the next four matches to tie the score at 21-21.

Sophomore Lucas Pumper earned a 7-1 decision at 182 to put the Lakers up 24-21. Farmington earned a major decision at 195 to lead 25-24, before Streifel and Hart finished the Tigers off with back-to-back falls at 220 and heavyweight, respectively.

Streifel's pin came in 39 seconds. Hart needed just 16 ticks.

In the loss to Apple Valley, the Lakers' wins came from: Zach Smith at 113 (5-4), O'Neil at 138 (8-1), senior Tyler Hanson at 152 (fall), Pumper at 182 (11-7) and Hart at heavyweight (15-4).

Prior Lake lost three of the first four matches by two points or less. LeMair lost 1-0 at 106, while Theo Smith fell 3-1 at 120 and Charbonneau lost 3-2 at 126. So the dual was a little closer than the final score suggests.

Strefiel also didn't wrestle at 220 against top-ranked Gable Stevenson since the dual was already decided and the two are likely to meet in the semifinals at that weight in the individual tourney Feb. 28.

The Eagles have beaten the Lakers in the semifinals four of the last five years.

Hart and Zach Smith were named to the all-tournament team.

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