Coleman wrestlers finish runner-up at Division 3 State finals

MADISON, Wis. — For the third time in four years, the Coleman High School Wrestling team finished as the WIAA Division 3 runner-up.

The Cougars defeated Weyauwega-Fremont 36-30 to reach the State Championship mat where they were defeated by top-seeded Fennimore.

Coleman and Fennimore have tightened their hold as wrestling powerhouses in the State of Wisconsin.

The Cougars have three runner-up finishes and one State Championship (2020) in the trophy case in the last five years. Their runner-up finish this weekend was the 11th such finish in program history while they also boast 11 state team titles and 39 individual State Champions.

Fennimore is a relative newcomer to the scene, but the Golden Eagles have now won three consecutive State Championships and five in the last nine years.

The top four Division 3 teams in the State advanced to compete at the UW Field House over the weekend.

Coleman defeated Weyauwega-Fremont 36-30 while Fennimore topped Cumberland 50-21. In the championship bout, the Golden Eagles flexed their muscle and came away with an impressive 46-16 win.

The Cougars found themselves in a back-and-forth affair with the Warhawks in the semifinal.

Devin Otto kicked the match off with an 11-0 major decision over Wyatt Wetzel in a 215 lb. tilt.

After a pin from Park Owens at 106, a sudden-victory overtime win from Wyatt Van Haren (4-2) against Rylan Konen at 120 and a narrow 5-3 win from Conner Markieweicz over Jake Buss at 126, the Cougars held a 16-12 advantage.

The Warhawks pushed ahead by a score of 21-16 with an 11-6 decision at 132 and a pin at 138.

Brady Gross picked up four points to narrow the gap to 21-20 with a 16-5 major decision over Aiden Marquette at 144, but the Warhawks’ Connor Johnson nipped Cameron Kimmell 9-8 at 150 to bring the score to 24-20 with four matches to play.

Cole Berth (157) and Isaiah Nowak (165) came up huge for the Cougars with a pair of pins that gave Coleman a 32-24 edge.

That brought Micah Kuchta to the mat for a -175 lb. match with the Cougars needing a win to seal the team’s victory.

Kuchta proved to be a technician, recording three takedowns in the first period while opening an 8-2 lead on his way to a 14-2 major decision over Carter McDaniel.

The Warhawks’ Tellyer Alix closed the match with a pin at 190, but Kuchta’s win had put the matter out of reach.

In the championship match against Fennimore, Parker Owens (106) pinned Jerrin Glasbrenner and Pearson Owens (113) followed with a 6-4 decision over Owen Klass to give Coleman a 9-6 lead early on.

It was all downhill from there however. The Cougars managed just two more wins: a 7-2 decision from Chase Gruber (132) and a 13-5 major decision from Kuchta (175).

Meanwhile the Golden Eagles racked up three pins, two technical falls and three major decisions on their way to a 46-16 victory and the school’s third consecutive State Championship.

Kaukauna topped Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 36-27 for the Division 1 title while Luxemburg-Casco won the Division 2 championship 36-19 over Saint Croix Falls.

Coleman 36 — Weyauwega-Fremont 30215: Devin Otto C def. Wyatt Wetzel WF, MD 11-0; 285: Vanden Hoffman WF def. Kain Otto, pin 5:00; 106: Parker Owens C def. Jaydon LeNoble WF, pin 5:12; 113: Josue Azuara WF def. Pearson Owens C, pin 1:20; 120: Wyatt Van Haren C def. Rylan Konen WF, SV 4-2; 126: Conner Markiewicz C def. Jake Buss WF, 5-3; 132: Carter Birdyshaw WF def. Chase Gruber C, 11-6; 138: Ezra Balthazor WF def. Wyatt Bieber C, pin 0:24; 144: Brady Gross C def. Aiden Marquette WF, MD 16-5; 150: Connor Johnson WF def. Cameron Kimmell C, 9-8; 157: Cole Berth C def. Alex Loehrke WF, pin 3:31; 165: Isaiah Nowak C def. Caleb Abbey WF, pin 2:00; 175; Micah Kuchta C def. Carter McDaniel WF, MD 14-2; 190 Tellyer Alix WF def. Adam Fonder C, pin 1:09.

Fennimore 46 — Coleman 16285: Evan Gratz F def. Kain Otto C, pin 3:21; 106: Parker Owens C def. Jerrin Glasbrenner F, pin 3:19; 113: Pearson Owens C def. Owen Klaas F, 6-4; 120: Cade Birchman F def. Wyatt Van Haren C, MD 11-0; 126: Colton Tollefson F def. Conner Markiewicz C, pin 1:36; 132: Chase Gruber C def. Nolan Schoepp F, 7-2; 138: Malin Hahn F def. Wyatt Bieber C, 7-0; 144: Ian Crapp F def. Brady Gross C, TF 18-3; 150: Syler Zdanczewicz F def. Cameron Kimmell C, MD 10-2; 157: Ryder Zdanczewicz F def. Cole Berth C, MD 8-0; 165: Tristan Steldt F def. Isaiah Nowak C, TF 26-11; 175: Micah Kuchta C def. Nathan Blaschke F, MD 13-5; 190 Wyatt Ahnen F def. Wes Bieber C, pin 5:06; 215 Dalton Wolf F def. Devin Otto C, 10-8.