The 2018-19 high school sports season is all wrapped up, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the memorable teams and performances that made this year so much fun to watch, and we’d like you to be a part of it! We’ve created a bracket and we’re asking you to vote each night as to who you think should be the “Lakeland Team of the Year”. Our team of experts compiled our top 16 teams and placed them in a bracket, grouped by location.

In our first matchup, Bemidji Boys Soccer defeated Bemidji Football with over 65% of the vote. They will take on the winner of today’s matchup – two teams who ended section title droughts to advance to the state tournament – Bemidji Wrestling and Bemidji Boys Basketball.

The Bemidji wrestling team came into the season looking to avenge their loss to Willmar in the section championship, and they did just that. They defeated Willmar to win the section title and advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2011. At the state tournament, they defeated Forest Lake in the first round. They ran into the top-seed in the semis, and eventually finished the state tournament in 4th place, tied for the best finish in program history.

The Bemidji boys basketball started the season 9-0 and never looked back. They finished the regular season 20-4. They then rolled through the section playoffs, defeating Sartell-St. Stephen in the section championship game 67-58. The team advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 1985. The Lumberjacks lost to eventual champions DeLaSalle in the first round. The Lumberjacks’ 23 wins is the most in program history.

Click here to vote for today’s matchup – Bemidji Wrestling vs. Bemidji Boys Basketball

By — AJ Feldman