Derrick Cardinal was a four-time Minnesota state champion for Forest Lake High School in Forest Lake, Minnesota.

He had a career record of 240-30, including 109 falls, and won his state titles in four different weight classes: 113 (freshman), 120 (sophomore), 126 (junior) and 132 (senior).

Cardinal qualified for the state high school tournament as an eighth grader and placed fourth at 106 pounds.

He was named Minnesota's Mr. Wrestling as a senior and was the Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Athlete of the Year in 2020 after he went undefeated with a 50-0 record.

Cardinal was a Fargo All-American in 2020 and a two-time academic all-state honoree and a member of the A Honor Roll.