State Champs: Varsity and Middle School Wrestling Take State 

The Middle School team competed in individual weight class brackets and won four weight classes, and had a second-place and third-place finish for a total of 160 points. Cornerstone Christian finished second with 150.5 points. There were 19 teams in the event.

The Varsity competed in five dual matches. While the final Varsity result was predictable, nothing was certain. The Mavericks found some luck and a gritty performance by Cooper Polyansky ’28 to get things started in the final dual versus St. Thomas, ranked second in the state.

In dual competitions, the starting weight class for the opening dual is randomly selected. The following duals go in sequential order. For the 2026 State Duals, the first dual starting weight was 106. The Mavericks won convincingly in the first four rounds and faced a very competitive St. Thomas team in the finals. The opening weight class for the finals was 138, held by Polyansky for the Mavericks.

“Cooper surprised us,” said Head Coach Alan Paul. “We were hoping for a win, but Cooper pinned his guy. We got six points instead of 3, or -3.  To win in that fashion got everyone going.” 

The final team score was more than enough for a seventh State Duals title for St. John’s. The Mavericks got off to a great start and finished strong. Next up are the Prep State Championships at St. John’s on February 7, followed by the SPC Championships at FWCD on February 14.