MADISON — A number of the area’s high school wrestlers made the trip to Madison’s Kohl Center to compete in the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships over the weekend, but none outshined Lena’s Taylor Whiting, who claimed the school’s first State Championship in girls Wrestling.
It is an honor and an impressive accomplishment simply to qualify for the State meet, but Whiting, who competed in the 107 lb. division, took full advantage of the opportunity.
She opened with a lightning-quick 48-second pin of Oshkosh West’s Sarah Mrazek.
In the quarterfinals she defeated Plymouth’s Megan Schenemann 12-7, and a 10-0 major decision over Cailyn Whittier (Mukwonago) put the Lena sophomore into the championship match, where she met Pulaski’s Ava Peters.
Whiting and Peters were scoreless through two rounds, but Whiting opened the third round with a takedown for two points.
After Whiting surrendered a point for stalling midway through the round, Peters did the same with 13 seconds remaining for what proved to be the decisive point in a 3-2 victory for Whiting.
The Wildcat’s Sam Peterson joined Whiting at the event competing in the Division 3 113 lb. division where he was defeated by Colin Cournoyer (Stratford) with a pin midway through the third round.
Coleman had the largest contingent of area athletes with seven competing in the Division 3 championships.
Three Cougars reached the podium with a fifth-place finish from Parker Owens (106), a fourth-place finish from Kain Otto (285) and a runner-up performance from Micah Kuchta (157).
Kuchta opened with a 16-0 technical fall that took 3:21 against Oostburg’s Connor Mentink, and then pinned Jaxon Busse (Iowa-Grant/Highland) in 5:23 in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Fennimore’s Tristan Steldt got the better of Kuchta with a 16-4 major decision.
Otto scored an opening round 12-6 win over Jovan Lopez (Ozaukee) before dropping the semifinal bout with a second-round pin against Vanden Hoffman of Wayauwega-Fremont.
In the consolation bracket, Otto defeated Cumberland’s Jack Chafer with a 4:31 pin to reach the third-place match where he was defeated by Riverdale’s Grant Mathews with a second-round pin.
Owens came back from an opening-round loss to Reegan Royn (Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes) to defeat Cashton’s Parker Misna 5-2. Owens fell with a 2:08 pin against Braden Johnson (Cumberland) in the consolation semifinals but defeated Holdyn Volkman (Shiocton) 10-5 in the fifth-place match.
Isaiah Nowak (175) scored an opening-round win for the Cougars, topping Brock Naessen (Shell Lake) 3-2, but dropped back-to-back matches to Carter Lueck (Stratford) and Rylee Wanek (Riverdale).
Brady Gross went 0-2 in the 144 lb. division while Peason Owens (113) and Devin Otto (215) were both 0-1.
Marinette was represented by Jazleen Fong-Baake who competed in the girls 120 lb. division.
Fong-Baake was pinned in the first round by Hayli Fletcher (Fort Atkinson). In the consolation bracket, she pushed La Crosse’s Amelia Adams into the second round before falling for a second time.
Peshtigo sent three athletes to the competition and came away with a pair of fourth-place performances.
Addisen Olson competed in the girls 126 lb. division and opened with an 8-0 major decision over Campbellsport’s Emma Bratzler.
In the quarterfinals, Medford’s Avery Losiewicz pinned Olson in 2:27, but Olson fought her way through the consolation bracket to earn a rematch with Losiewicz in a third-place match.
Olson scored an 11-2 major decision against Brianna Buechner (Wautoma/Wild Rose), a 3:58 pin against Rosemary Triggs (Whitefish Bay), and a 5-4 victory against Franky Groom (North Crawford/Seneca) on her way to the podium.
In the rematch with Losiewicz, Olson managed to escape another pin, but dropped a 6-0 decision.
Meanwhile Connor Thomas opened with a 3:44 pin of Nate Grooms (Lake Country Lutheran) in the Division 2 120 lb. bracket.
Thoms dropped a 5-2 decision to Two Rivers’ Chase Matthias in the semifinals but pinned Richland Center’s Teige Perkin in 4:26 in the consolation bracket semifinal to reach the third-place contest.
In that match, Thomas suffered a narrow 3-0 loss to Prairie du Chein’s Blake Thiry.
Peshtigo’s Ethan Brissette also represented the Bulldogs, going 0-1 in the 157 lb. bracket.
Up nextThe WIAA Team State Championships will be held this weekend at the UW Field House in Madison. Coleman will make its 17th appearance at the event and will vie for the program’s 12th State championship.
Most Popular
Comments / 0