Seniors Slade Barnett and Matthew Veroeven will proudly represent the Waseca Bluejays at the MSHSL State Class AA Individual Wrestling Tournament from Wednesday, February 25 through Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Barnett, who competes in the 172-pound weight class, enters the state tournament ranked #5 in Class AA with an outstanding 40–3 record this season. He advanced to state after navigating one of the toughest brackets at the Section 1AA Tournament held last weekend at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.
Slade placed second overall in his section following a hard-fought 1–0 loss to state-ranked #2 Amilio Salas of Simley. He then rebounded in the true second-place match with a dominant 16–3 major decision over Zachary Schaefer of Pine Island.
This season marks Barnett’s second appearance at the state tournament. As a junior, he earned a fifth-place finish in his weight class, and he now looks to build on that success in his final season.
Veroeven advanced to the state tournament for the third time in his career and enters this year’s competition with a remarkable 35–1 senior-season record. Currently ranked #2 in the state at heavyweight, Matthew secured his spot at state by winning the Section 1AA Heavyweight Championship with two pins and a 5–1 decision victory over Mason Edwards of Byron.
Although he has yet to place at the state tournament in his previous appearances, Veroeven arrives as one of the top contenders in his weight class and is poised to make a strong run this week.
The Waseca community is encouraged to support Slade and Matthew as they compete against the best wrestlers in Minnesota and represent Bluejay wrestling on the state’s biggest stage.
Additional Information:
Tournament details: https://www.mshsl.org/sports-and-activities/wrestling
Tickets: https://www.mshsl.org/tickets
Livestream: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL
Live brackets and mat assignments: https://www.usabracketing.com/events/d41bc427-680c-431d-a270-1da31ef7db7d
Best of luck to Slade Barnett and Matthew Veroeven at the 2026 State Wrestling Tournament—Go Bluejays!