After two years of absence, Hayfield senior Mason Moreno will be back at the Class ‘A’ state wrestling tournament in Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Friday.

Moreno went to state as an eighth grader and a freshman, but he missed his sophomore season with an injury and he never fully healed enough to compete for a state berth his junior season.

“That year I was out was a pretty tough year and then I came back and I wasn’t mentally strong,” Moreno said. “It’s nice to finally be healthy.”

Moreno is ranked No. 9 in Class ‘A’ with a record of 30-1 overall. He has a tough match in the opening round against Tyler Berghuis of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, who is 34-8 overall and ranked No. 5 in Class ‘A.’

Moreno thinks his past state experience will help him and he’s ready to wrestle.

“I’m planning on placing and I don’t plan on having any nerves,” he said.

Hayfield head coach Brad Heydt said he thinks Moreno is in good shape heading into the state meet.

“He’s a really hard working kid and I hope he’s peaking right now,” Heydt said.

The consolation quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be held Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.