By Chad Koenen

Publisher

It may have been difficult to tell who was more excited on the mats at Shakopee High School just over two weeks ago—Henning High School freshman Ava Rousu or head girls wrestling coach Brendan Hart after her section championship wrestling match.  ¶  After Rousu was able to defeat Sophia Lindgren of Princeton by a 7-4 decision, Hart couldn’t hold back from showing his excitement as the clock struck zero.  ¶  “Oh man I was jumping up and down before the match was even over,” said Hart. “The last three seconds I was shaking Randy Witt’s hand and said we did it.”  ¶  With a laugh, Rousu said “inside I think I was more excited, but I think (Hart) was pretty excited.”  ¶  In fact, Rousu said she didn’t even know the section championship match had come to an end as she thought it was only the second period when the clock struck zero.  ¶  “I didn’t know it was over. I thought it was the second period and I looked over and everyone was cheering,” she said.

A state wrestling entrant by his own accounts during his time at Henning High School and Otter Tail Central, Hart is in his second season as the girls wrestling coach for OTC. This is the first time a female member has made it to state, an especially impressive accomplishment since there is still just one class for all female wrestlers in Minnesota. 

Rousu entered the section tournament as the top seed and was almost upset in her first match of the day, before earning a reversal as time expired to tie the match at 5-5. She was able to take down her opponent, Chloe Philippy of Wadena-Deer Creek, just 48 seconds into overtime to secure the win. She would go on to win by a 7-4 decision in the finals to punch her ticket to state and improve to 21-11 on the season.

Now in her fourth year of wrestling, Rousu said she enjoys the team atmosphere of wrestling where her teammates are just as much like a family as they are friends.

As she gears up for her first-ever state tournament berth, Rousu said it is something off the mat she is looking to just as much as competing in St. Paul this week. A bet Hart made with the girls wrestlers prior to the section meet will need to be paid in full, before heading to Grand Casino Arena.

“We are dying Brendan’s hair like the American flag,” said Rousu with a laugh.

The individual state wrestling tournament will begin on Thursday morning and continue all day on Friday and Saturday in St. Paul.

Hart said having a female wrestler in the state wrestling tournament for the first time, let alone a section champion, will help the entire wrestling program moving forward.

“I think it is going to help both the boys and girls. Changes like this in the program happen and help the entire sport all the way around,” he said.