The Prior Lake wrestling team's historic season ended a win shy of the ultimate prize.

The Class 3A state title.

That went to top-seeded Apple Valley again with a 56-9 victory over the third-seeded Lakers in the championship at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Feb. 27.

Prior Lake's runner-up finish is the program's best ever and it comes on the heels of three straight third-place finishes. All season, the Lakers' goal was to get to the final and try to give the perennial-power Eagles a battle, winners now of nine straight state crowns and 16 of the last 17.

Third place was no longer acceptable.

"This was the goal for the kids all season - to get to this match, the championship," said Lakers coach Joe Block. "This is another big step for our program."

The Lakers earned their way to the final with a 57-13 win over Tartan in the quarterfinals and by taking down second-seeded St. Michael-Albertville 37-21 in the semifinals.

Prior Lake (26-9 overall) split with St. Michael-Albertville in the regular season, winning 36-30 Dec. 14 and losing 36-22 Jan. 4.

"We have a great match against St. Michael," said Block. "The kids really wrestled hard. It was exciting for us to beat them and (get to the final)."

Meanwhile, Apple Valley has defeated the Lakers at state the last four years, the previous three in the semifinals. The Eagles also earned two wins over Prior Lake in the regular season - 57-9 in South Suburban Conference action and 67-6 in the finals of the Anoka Duals.

Apple Valley (33-0) has won nine straight duals over the Lakers.

Both teams have a combined 20 ranked wrestlers. Apple Valley has 12 (six are No. 1). The Lakers' eight are: eighth-grader Zach Smith (No. 9, 106), junior Dylan Sogge (No. 7, 120), senior Blake Carlisle (No. 7, 145), senior Sean O'Neil (No. 3, 160), senior Robby Schultz (No. 4, 170), junior Rylee Streifel (No. 2, 195), junior Alex Hart (No. 2, 220) and senior Luis Pinto (No. 3, heavyweight).

In the finals, Apple Valley and Prior Lake split the first two matches. Ninth-grader Gunner Charbonneau earned a hard-fought, 3-2 decision in four overtimes at 113 pounds to even the score at 3-3.

The next three matches were closely fought, but all went to Apple Valley. Sogge lost 3-2 at 120. Kenny O'Neil fell 1-0 at 126 and junior Tyler Hanson lost 4-1 at 132.

Up 12-3, Apple Valley took over from there, earning three straight falls and a technical fall to lead 35-3.

Carlisle, Sean O'Neil, Streifel and Hart didn't wrestle. Block said if those early close matches went the Lakers' way, he would have sent out his top guys.

But they didn't so Block sat them since Striefel and Hart have potential match-ups with Apple Valley wrestlers in the individual state tourney, while Sean O'Neil faces the Eagles' Jackson Graham in the first round at 160.

The individual tourney begins Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. and ends March 1 at the Xcel Energy Center with the championship round starting at 7 p.m. Ten Lakers are competing.

Pinto earned the Lakers' other win versus Apple Valley, getting a pin at heavyweight.

Against St. Michael-Albertville, the Lakers trailed 18-15 going into 160 pounds. But Prior Lake's strength is the upper weights and it showed, winning five of the last six matches, including two by fall.

Hart's pin at 220 clinched the dual. Schultz had a fall at 170. Streifel and Pinto had 3-0 and 9-3 decisions at 195 and 220 pounds, respectively. Sean O'Neil got the rally started with a major decision (14-4) at 160.

Smith got the Lakers off to a good start at 106 with a fall, followed by a 4-1 decision by Charbonneau at 113. The Knights won the next two matches to trail 9-8, before Hanson earned a fall at 132 for a 15-8 lead.

Winning by fall for the Lakers against Tartan: Smith (106), Charbonneau (113), Sogge (120), Kenny O'Neil (126), Streifel (195), Hart (220) and Pinto (heavyweight).

Other wins: Hanson at 132 (technical fall), sophomore Wyatt Benson at 138 (3-2), Carlisle at 145 (3-0) and Sean O'Neil at 160 (12-0).

To see more photos of the Lakers in the title match, go to Scoreboard's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.754542801237739.1073742071.197190936972931&type=3.