Park wrestling: Linssen pulls off first-round upset, advances to quarterfinals

Park sophomore Cody Linssen pulled off an upset in the opening round of the Class AAA state wrestling tournament.

Linssen, ranked 10th in the 195-pound weight class, beat Sartell-Saint Stephen junior Brady Goebel, who is ranked eighth, with a 14-9 decision in the first round on Friday, Feb. 2, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

In his first state tournament appearance, Linssen (33-3) was taken down four times in the first period and was behind 8-3, after period No. 1. However, Linssen owned the second period, scoring a takedown and two nearfalls to take an 11-8 lead into the third period. With Goebel (33-5) noticeably more worn out than Linssen, the Wolfpack wrestler scored another nearfall in the third period for a 14-8 advantage and held on for the win.

Linssen now faces Shakopee senior Scott Bode (34-5) in the quarterfinals tonight, Friday, March 2. Quarterfinals begin at 5 p.m. A win over Bode, who is ranked sixth in Class AAA, would move Linssen into the semifinals on Saturday, March 3, at 11:15 a.m. A loss to Mass would put Linssen in the consolation bracket and force him to wrestle again tonight, Friday, March 2, in the “wrestlebacks” beginning at 8 p.m. Bode won his first-round match 12-4 over seventh-ranked Caleb Butler of Blaine.

Tags: sports, wrestling, park, wolfpack, prep, updates