The Prior Lake wrestling team is expecting to be a factor come playoff time.

And the Lakers saw one of the top contenders in Section 2AAA in the Kodak Classic in Farmington Jan. 8. The host Tigers earned a 40-24 victory over Prior Lake, which was also a South Suburban Conference dual.

The Lakers also faced Westfield in the classic, earning a 47-15 victory.

Prior Lake (4-1 overall, 3-1 in the SSC) earned a pair of conference dual wins Jan. 6, beating Burnsville 59-10 and Lakeville South 62-6. Both of those squads are also Section 2AAA foes.

The section team tournament is not far off. The Lakers will be the host of it Feb. 18. The individual section tourney is Feb. 25-26 at Eastview.

Ninth-ranked Apple Valley is the only Section 2AAA team ranked in the Class 3A poll. The Lakers will get the Eagles on the SSC mat at home Feb. 3.

Farmington was in Section 1AAA last year, but when the Minnesota State High School League reclassified sections last spring it moved the Tigers to Section 2AAA, while moving third-ranked Shakopee out and into Section 6AAA.

Shakopee has won the last three Class 3A state titles and the last four Section 2AAA crowns.

In the loss to Farmington, the dual was tied 24-24 after 170 pounds. But the Tigers took control from there winning the last four matches including one by fall.

Picking up pins for Prior Lake were junior Alan Koehler at 126 pounds and senior Ryan Horejsi at 170. Junior Aidan McGowan won by forfeit at 160 pounds for the Lakers, while junior Ben Brennan earned a 5-0 decision at 120 and senior Carter Breggren won 8-5 at 145.

In beating Westfield, Prior Lake had three wins by pin. They came from Koehler at 126, ninth-grader Brock Zurn at 220 and junior Martin Owusu at heavyweight.

Other wins included sophomore Finn Bloomquist at 113 (13-5), sophomore Jaxon Mikolyzk at 132 (2-0), senior Anthony Bechik at 152 (15-0), McGowan at 160 (6-2), Edwards at 170 (8-2), Horejsi at 182 (12-4) and senior Owen Dotseth at 195 (4-2).

Prior Lake had five wins by fall in beating Burnsville. Bloomquist got the first one at 113, followed by Mikolyzk (132), Breggren (145), McGowan and (160), Dotseth (195).

Other wins came from Brennan at 120 (16-0), Koehler at 126 (forfeit), Bechik at 152 (forfeit), Edwards at 170 (forfeit) and Owusu at heavyweight (forfeit).

Wins against Lakeville South came from eighth-grader Owen Throdson at 106 (fall), Bloomquist at 113 (3-0), Koehler at 120 (fall), Brennan at 126 (forfeit), Mikolyzk at 138 (fall), Breggren at 145 (fall), Bechik at 152 (9-1), McGowan at 160 (fall), Edwards at 182 (20-7), Dotseth at 195 (fall), senior Colton Wagner at 220 (5-2) and Owusu at heavyweight (forfeit).

Prior Lake has two ranked wrestlers in Class 3A. Koehler is No. 1 at 120, while Edwards is No. 2 at 170.

Koehler won the state title at 106 pounds last year.

This year’s Class 3A state tournament is scheduled for March 3-5 at its annual site, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The team tourney is the first day, followed by the individual competition the next two days.