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Perfect Ending On The Mat For Lakers' Senior

By Tom Schardin, 03/07/19, 10:30AM CST

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Perfection is attainable, at least it is for Calvin Sund.

The senior on the Prior Lake wrestling team capped off an unbeaten season March 2, winning the 195-pound state title at the Class 3A individual tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Sund pinned Lincoln Shinn of Willmar  in the second period in the title match to finish the season with a 39-0 record.

Sund has been ranked No. 1 in the state at 195 since Dec. 21. He was the state runner-up last year 182 pounds.

"Calvin was definitely dominant this season and had a great state tournament," Lakers coach Joe Block said. "We have been telling him all year that there isn’t anyone in the state at his weight that can wrestle with him. He just needed to go out and wrestle his match and no one was going to beat him.

"He did a great job [at state] of keeping his emotions in check and staying focused," Block added. "We are so proud of him."

The last Prior Lake wrestler to cap off a perfect season with a state title was Alex Hart in 2015 when he went 35-0 to win the heavyweight crown. Jake Kahnke went 46-0 in 2008 and 41-0 in 2007 to win the 215- and 189-pound titles, respectively for the Lakers.

Kahnke and Hart are also Prior Lake's only two-time state champions. Hart also won the 220-pound crown in 2014.

Sund, who wrestle at the Division I level next year at the Air Force Academy, became the Lakers' 13th individual to win a state title and the program's 15th champion overall.

Other Prior Lake state champions include: Brad Thompson in 1969 (98 pounds), Bill Sauter in 1974 (125), Bruce Johnson in 1975 (145), Bill Craven in 1975 (140), Chad LeMair in 1986 (112), Cory Forar in 1997 (189), Ryan LeBeau in 1999 (130), Calvin Wolff in 2007 (135), Luis Pinto in 2014 (heavyweight) and Kenny O'Neil in 2017 (160).

At state, Sund was seeded No. 1 at 195 pounds. He rolled in the first round, winning by technical fall (18-3) over Stillwater's Will Gleason. Sund earned a fall over Joey Johnson of Prior Lake in the quarterfinals and beat MacAron Kukowsk of Farmington 8-4 in the semifinals.

Sund also beat Shinn by fall at 195 pounds in the annual Christmas Tournament in Rochester back on Dec. 15. That's when Sund vaulted to No. 1 in the state rankings at that weight.

Sund finished with a 63-4 record over the last two seasons and is 100-12 over the last three winters, finishing fifth at 182 pounds as a sophomore.

Prior Lake had two individuals at state this year. Junior Chase Bloomquist was the team's other qualifier at 132 pounds.

Bloomquist, making his first-career state appearance, lost 5-4 to Michael Murphy in the opening round. Bloomquist did not get a second match because Murphy lost in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Trayton Anderson of Northfield, who went on to win the title.

Bloomquist finished the season with a 25-9 record.