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Wrestling: 5 champs, 40 medalists from Northland

KAXE | By Megan Buffington
Published March 3, 2026 at 12:16 PM CST
Grand Rapids senior Christian Jelle won his third wrestling state championship Feb. 28, 2026, in St. Paul.
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Grand Rapids Area Wrestling
Grand Rapids senior Christian Jelle won his third wrestling state championship Feb. 28, 2026, in St. Paul.

Wrestlers from Grand Rapids, Staples-Motley and Badger-Greenbush/Middle River topped the podium at state Feb. 28, 2026, with another 35 Northlanders from 12 teams winning medals.

Forty student-athletes from rural Northern Minnesota made the podium at the state individual wrestling tournament Saturday, Feb. 28, in St. Paul.

Among them were five state champions. Badger-Greenbush/Middle River junior Sarah Pulk captured her fourth consecutive wrestling title. Grand Rapids senior Christian Jelle repeated as the 139-pound champion in 2A, his third straight title.

Staples-Motley claimed three more titles after winning the Class A team tourney on Thursday: Senior Colbe Tappe is again the 160-pound champion, and the Bjerga brothers came out on top after both finishing second last year, sophomore Gage in 139-pound and freshman Garrett in 107-pound.

Another eight Cardinals medaled individually (senior Elijah Greenwaldt, second; junior Caden Kramer, third; freshman Cayden Neisen, fourth; senior Riley Reese, fourth; junior Zach Tabatt, fourth; senior Adrian Gomez, fourth; sophomore Leah Greenwaldt, sixth; and senior Luke Bjerga, sixth), as did another Thunderhawk (sophomore Destan Skelly, fifth).

Pulk wasn’t the only Badger-Greenbush/Middle River wrestler to medal, nor was she the only Pulk: Her sisters, seventh grader Emily and freshman Madilyn, won fourth and sixth place medals, respectively.

Bemidji also had a successful meet, with senior Nick Strand and junior Nehemiah Schwinghammer each finishing third and sophomore Oscar Hanks and senior Gabriel Morin finishing fourth.

Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale-Parkers Prairie, Brainerd, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, Crookston, Detroit Lakes, Fosston-Bagley, Frazee, Mahnomen-Waubun, Pequot Lakes-Pine River-Backus, Thief River Falls, United North Central and Wadena-Deer Creek also had at least one wrestler make the podium.

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Local News High School Sports and ActivitiesBadgerGreenbush-Middle River School DistrictBemidji Area SchoolsBrainerd School DistrictCloquetEsko School DistrictCarltonCrookstonDetroit LakesFosstonBagleyGrand Rapids School DistrictMahnomenPequot Lakes School DistrictStaplesThief River Falls MNSebeka MNMenahga MNWadena-Deer Creek School DistrictNorthwest MinnesotaArrowheadNorth Central MinnesotaKAXE
Megan Buffington
Megan Buffington joined the KAXE newsroom in 2024 after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Originally from Pequot Lakes, she is passionate about educating and empowering communities through local reporting.
See stories by Megan Buffington
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