Success on the gridiron and the mat

The focus of northstarfootballnews.com is always going to be high school football in Minnesota. Occasionally, we venter outside of the gridiron to focus on athletes who not only excel on the football field but also in other sports. With more and more sports specialization, focusing on multi-sport athletes is something I like to put in the spotlight. The first sport to get a look is possibly the sport that compliments football the best – wrestling. Here are ten Class of 2020 athletes who stand out in both sports. Rankings used in this story were taken from The Guillotine. <strong>Craig Orlando DL Verndale</strong> [caption id="attachment_6900" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo from Inforum.com[/caption] The 9-man All-State defensive lineman was even more dominant on the wrestling mat. Wrestling for Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie, Orlando was the 2018 285-pound Class A champion. A great upper body wrestler, who is also tough on top, Orlando rolled through the state tournament field. He pinned all four of his opponents, and none of his opponents could take him into the third period. <strong>Isaiah Thompson RB Detroit Lakes</strong> With over 1600 rushing yards on the football field, Thompson won the state wrestling championship in the 170-pound weight class in Class AA. He won over forty matches before the state tournament. Thompson is extremely tough to score on, and when he sees something he likes in his opponent his explosive leg attacks and throws led to big points for the junior. <strong>Danny Striggow LB Orono</strong> Ranked 4th at 220 pounds in Class AA, Striggow – who tallied nearly 70 tackles and 11 quarterback sacks - rolled to a state championship at the Xcel Energy Center. Like his strength on the football field, he has an excellent double leg takedown – basically a tackle like from his linebacker position for the Spartans. Once on top, he looks for points and pins with a good half nelson. <strong>Tim Stapleton DB Waconia</strong> [caption id="attachment_6901" align="alignleft" width="300"] Stapleton photo from hometownsource.com[/caption] After four interceptions and nearly fifty tackles in football, Stapleton won the state title in the 152-pound AA weight class. He also won two of his three matches in the team tournament for the Wildcats. Stapleton likes to use his upper body strength to set up his takedowns. Once he gets his opponent down, he is tough to get away from and will look for multiple ways to get his opponent on his back. <strong>Bennet Weber OL Waconia</strong> Stapleton's teammate on the mat and the field, Weber ended the season ranked 5th in Class AA in the 285-pound weight class. He was a state entrant who went 1-2 in the individual state tournament. The junior finished with two one-point losses and a pin. He also helped his team make the trip to State, and in the team competition he put up a 2-1 record, helping the team to a fourth-place finish. <strong>Jack Casey RB Shakopee</strong> Before the state wrestling tournament Casey was ranked 8th in Class AAA in the 182-pound weight class. Casey was a state entrant, and although he didn't place, he finished with two wins in the individual tournament. With a good single leg takedown and multiple leg attacks, he was a key contributor in the Sabers' team championship, going 3-0 during the team tournament. <strong>Connor Raines DB Shakopee</strong> Ranked 7th at 160 in Class AAA at the end of the regular season, Raines placed 5th at the state tournament. He has good leg attacks but can also hit a throw to an opponent's back. When he gets on top, he has a good double arm bar to turn opponents to their back. He finished with over 50 wins and went 2-1 during the team's run to the team title. On the football field, he had over 80 tackles and two interceptions. <strong>Brock Rinehart RB Woodbury</strong> Rinehart went into the state tournament ranked 4th in Class AAA at 160 pounds. He wrestled above his seed and finished second at the state tournament. The junior has a powerful double leg takedown. With nearly 50 wins before State, he racked up two pins on his way to the finals. On the football field, he rushed for almost 800 yards as a junior. <strong>Will Davis DE Edina</strong> Wrestling for a school known more for hockey, Davis was all-conference not only as a defensive end on the football field – where he was just short of 50 tackles and added five sacks - but also as a wrestler. On the mat, Davis was a section champion and a state entrant. Although he didn't win a match at State, he ended his junior season with a 38-8 record. His teammates voted him a team captain as a junior. <strong>Cade Barrett TE Pillager/Brainerd/Pillager</strong> Although Barrett didn't advance to the state tournament – falling one win short during the section tournament, he did pile up 30 wins and took 3rd in the section tournament at 195. Barrett's go-to move appears to be his strong single leg takedown. A two-way player on the football field, the junior had twelve catches and three sacks.