ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota State wrestling tournament begins Thursday in St. Paul.
The tournament features the very best wrestlers in the state, even in the country.
What you see at the Xcel Energy Center is the “finished product” of years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. What you don’t see is where it all began for these athletes.
I did a story about young wrestlers in 2005. The story showcased a Saturday morning event at Bloomington Kennedy high school. This is where the journey begins.
In the story, you’ll be introduced to Dave Brancale and his young sons Sam and Ben.
Sam is the older, more experienced wrestler. Ben just wanted to be like his brother.
They are the young boys warming up to compete. We put a wireless mic on Dave and the interaction between all three is priceless.
Sam is the young wrestler with the final sound bite of the story, talking about the dream of wrestling at state. True to his word, Sam ended up winning two state wrestling individual championships for Eden Prairie! Younger brother Ben also won a state title and holds the career win record at Eden Prairie.
They both wrestled for the Gophers, like their dad, Dave.
So now you know the rest of the story. Brad Hadsall was the photographer & editor of this story which won a National Edward R. Murrow award for sports reporting in 2006.
Let the State Wrestling begin and remember, dreams do come true.