Chasing records and recordings

When Triton eighth grader Adriana Kunz won her second consecutive state championship last weekend in St. Paul, an arena full of fans and spectators applauded her as the referee raised her hand in victory.
While almost every set of hands in attendance was either clapping, whistling or high fiving, her father’s remained steady, trying to his best to record the moment his daughter became a two-time champion.
The ritual is nothing new to the Kunz family. David Kunz has been filming every match Adriana has wrestled since she first put on a singlet.
“It’s something we’ve always done. We’ve had people ask like, ‘Hey, I’ll hold [the camera] for you.’ But it’s always been my superstition like, ‘No, I’ll do it.’ It has faltered and made for some not-so-great video quality when nervous matches happen sometimes, but we take what we can get,” said David Kunz with a laugh.
Over the years, the superstition has also paid dividends during his daughter’s rapidly ascending career.
“He’s been coaching me every single match since kindergarten and he has every one of those matches saved in some way just in case I need to wrestle an opponent more than once. I can look back on those matches, and say, ‘OK, I need to practice this snap down again or be more aggressive in this position.’ I think that’s why he does it, so we can look back and always improve my technique,” said Adriana Kunz.
The duo’s impressive preparation played perfectly into Kunz’s 112-pound state title match against Monticello’s Roselane Verrett.
The two have competed against one another in the past, meaning David and Adriana had plenty of film to study in order to come up with a winning strategy.
“We sat down and watched the freestyle and folkstyle matches between them. We focused on those two, looked at what worked and built a game plan based on that. We knew she was going to be hard to turn so we had a couple different options we were going to try,” said David Kunz.
However, the film sessions provide more than just strategic advantage; they inspire confidence.
“I went out super confident because I’ve wrestled her in every single style of wrestling now. I knew I had it deep down, and I knew the Lord had my back… My go-to is a single leg, so I knew that if I controlled the wrist, had good head position, was aggressive in more spots, then I could get a single leg or a high crotch,” said Adriana Kunz.
The single leg was in fact there and Kunz never looked back once she found her opening.
The eighth-grade phenom used her signature move to get Verrett to the mat and instantly began attacking for back points, ultimately winning the match by a 14-1 major decision.
As the final seconds ticked off of the clock, Kunz cracked a smile while holding Verrett motionless with her back to the mat, taking in the moment and living her championship dream once again.
For a brief second, that smile was directed toward her father, as if to communicate that win was in the bag and it was time to celebrate.
“It’s very fun when I get to run into my dad’s arms and I just know that he’s got me. It’s when it sinks in like, ‘I just got another state title.’ It feels amazing to celebrate with him,” said Adriana Kunz.
With two state titles to her name before even beginning high school, Kunz has not only shattered Triton High School wrestling records, but positioned herself to potentially become one of the best wrestlers the state of Minnesota has ever produced.
According to the Minnesota State High School League record books, there has only ever been one six-time state champion: Apple Valley’s Mark Hall (2011-2016).
Still only an eighth grader, Kunz’s cumulative record currently stands at 102-19 overall with 80 pins, 11 tech falls and 5 major decisions — a track record of dominance that could foreshadow her career matching Hall’s in the record books one day.
However, the hunt for accolades and records is not the focus at the moment.
Instead, the grind continues as usual.
“We’re going to enjoy the weekend and then we’ll jump back into the work next week. She’ll jump into track [this spring] and then we’ll cross-train track, freestyle and Greco at the same time,” said David Kunz.

Triton’s Adriana Kunz leaps into her father David’s arms after winning the 112-pound state title. David has played a key role in his daughter’s success, recording every match of hers since kindergarten and helping with film review for matches.

Triton’s Adriana Kunz holds down Monticello’s Roselane Verrett. Kunz dominated Verrett with quick shots and strong top position to earn the 14-1 major decision and her second state title.

David Kunz films Adriana Kunz’s state championship match from the Cobras’ corner. According to Kunz, filming his daughter’s matches himself has become a superstition over the years and one that he will keep up throughout her career.