Preview of The Clash Girls Tournament

The Clash One of the best girls wrestling dual tournaments in the country is January 3rd and 4th in La Crosse!

Here are the returning teams from last season, including four of the top five:

• Champion: Raccoon River, IA 
• 2nd place: Apple Valley, MN
• 4th place: Holmen, WI
• 5th place: St. Michael – Albertville, MN
• 10th place: Batavia, IL

Hastings, MN, Badger, WI, Andrew, IL, Central Cass, ND, and Milaca, MN are new to this year’s tournament. 

All teams and their rankings:

• Apple Valley, MN #1 (13th Nationally)
• Badger, WI #1 Wisconsin
• Batavia, IL
• Central Cass, ND #5
• Hastings, MN #6 
• Holmen, WI #5
• Milaca, MN
• Raccoon River-Northwest, IA #2 2A (37th nationally)
• St. Michael-Albertville, MN #3

The teams are separated by pools on day one. They wrestle every team in their pool. Based on their standings in the pools, they are re-bracketed on day two into more pools to determine the final placing. The top pool will place 1-3 and the next pool is 4-6, etc. 

Predictions

Apple Valley, St. Michael-Albertville, and Raccoon River-Northwest win their pools. Apple Valley is loaded with nationally ranked wrestlers and doesn’t have a weak weight. They avenge their loss to Raccoon River-Northwest from last year’s Clash and win the event. Championship pool final standings:

1. Apple Valley
2. St. Michael-Albertville
3. Raccoon River-Northwest

Badger, Hastings, and Holmen are second in their pools. Badger is loaded with some top end talent. Holmen and Hastings don’t have the same amount of hammers, but also have less weaker weights. Holmen wins a close one in a ranked WI match up over Badger. Holmen flips an earlier-season loss to Hastings. Badger narrowly defeats Hastings. Division two pool finals standings:

1. Holmen
2. Badger
3. Hastings

Final stop six prediction:

1. Apple Valley
2. St. Michael-Albertville
3. Raccoon River-Northwest
4. Holmen
5. Badger
6. Hastings

Other Girls Wrestling Events this week:

1/3/25 Golden Eagle Invite in Mauston

• 21 teams entered. St. Croix Falls and Kickapoo are the top teams

1/3/25 Girls Lancer Invitational at Brookfield Central

• 30 teams entered Fort Atkinson,  New Berlin West/Eisen are top teams. 

1/4/25 Shiocton Girls Wrestling Tournament

• 11 teams entered. Pulaski and Shawano the top teams.