The 2023-24 high school wrestling season was filled with accolades for Trevor Firari. The Waterloo senior finished up his high school career with a bang, qualifying for the 2024 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state tournament after winning both a regional and sectional title.
Before he found all of this success in the postseason, Firari terrorized the Capitol Conference. He claimed the championship at 190 lbs. at the 2024 Capitol Conference tournament. His run, combined with his body of the work from the regular season, earned him Player of the Year honors for the South portion of the conference. Lodi senior Mason Lane was named Player of the Year in the North.
Firari was also named first team all-conference for his dominance at the conference tournament. His win came as an upset, though, as he entered the competition as the No. 2 seed behind Lodi sophomore Owen Burling. Firari handled his business early, pinning his quarterfinal opponent in 50 seconds and scoring a 13-3 major decision win in the semifinals to set a date with Burling in the championship. It was a tightly contested match, but Firari emerged victorious with a 3-2 decision win.
This is the second career first team all-conference nod for Firari. He also claimed a conference title in his sophomore season after winning the 170 lbs. bracket.
Outside of Firari, the postseason accolades continued to rain down on the Waterloo program. Five more Pirates earned all-conference nods for their performance at the conference tournament, one second team and four honorable mention.
The only other Pirate to make it to state this season, senior Ryan Sturgill, took home second team all-conference honors after finishing as runner-up in the 157 lbs. bracket. He entered the day as the top seed and backed up that billing with a 12-2 major decision win in the semifinals.
He faced off with Sugar River’s Cayson Helwig in the championship, another match that went the distance. Sturgill put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell in a 6-4 decision. This was his third consecutive second place finish at conference, accomplishing the feat at 138 lbs. as a sophomore and 145 lbs. as a junior.
Freshman Zack Aguero kicked off the long list of honorable mention recipients by finishing in third place in the 106 lbs. bracket. A bye earned him a spot in the semifinals, where he fell to eventual runner-up Curtis Peterson of Cambridge. Down in the consolation bracket, Aguero was up against a Lake Mills wrestler with third place on the line. Aguero scored four points in the second period alone and held off a late comeback to take home a 9-7 decision win.
Fellow freshman Gavin Schroud also handled himself well in his first conference meet appearance with a third place finish in the 144 lbs. bracket. He won his quarterfinal match against a Lakeside Lutheran wrestler with a pin at 1:38, but ran into the top seed from Lodi in the semifinals and was pinned in the first round. Schroud bounced back with a 16-1 tech fall win in the consolation bracket to face Kody Finke of Marshall in the third place match. Schroud put up six points in the second period to help take home a 10-3 decision win for third place.
A similar case transpired for sophomore Brady Ebert followed in the 126 lbs. bracket. He pinned his quarterfinal opponent in 1:29 and subsequently lost in a 7-4 decision in the semis. Undeterred, he dominated an 18-2 tech fall win over a Lakeside Lutheran wrestler to punch a ticket to the third place match. There, Ebert scored all of his points in the third period of a come-from-behind 5-3 decision win. His third place finish earned him honorable mention.
To wrap things up, senior Modou Demba wrapped up his high school career with a third place finish at the 285 lbs. bracket. He pinned his quarterfinal opponent from Lake Mills in 1:33, but fell to eventual runner up Isaac Erb of Sugar River in the semifinals. Demba bounced back by pinning a Marshall wrestler in 50 seconds in the consolation bracket to earn a spot in the third place match. There, he again won by pin in 2:41 against a Lakeside Lutheran wrestler.
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2023-24 Capitol Conference wrestling all-conference selections
FIRST TEAM
106: Bryer Caves, freshman, Lodi
113: Drew Lochner, senior, Lodi
120: Blake Endres, junior, Sugar River
126: Evan Clary, senior, Lodi
132: Caleb Lord, senior, Lodi
138: Mason Mau, senior, Sugar River
144: Braedon Dorshorst, junior, Lodi
150: Ashton Meister, junior, Poynette
157: Cayson Helwig, sophomore, Sugar River
165: Ryker Swenson, junior, Sugar River
175: Mason Lane, senior, Lodi
190: Trevor Firari, senior, Waterloo
215: Isaiah Groskopf, senior, Lodi
285: Henry Koeppen, senior, Lodi
SECOND TEAM
106: Curtis Peterson, freshman, Cambridge
113: Zech Bair, sophomore, Sugar River
120: Zander Kellogg, sophomore, Lodi
126: Mason Sonnenberg, sophomore, Cambridge
132: Ashlin Mihlbauer, sophomore, Sugar River
138: Tucker Cobb, senior, Marshall
144: Brennan Keyes, junior, Sugar River
150: Aiden Sperle, junior, Cambridge
157: Ryan Sturgill, senior, Waterloo
165: Sam Schmidt, senior, Lakeside Lutheran
175: Trei Udelhoven, junior, Sugar River
190: Owen Burling, sophomore, Lake Mills
215: Thomas Cassady, junior, Lake Mills
285: Isaac Erb, senior, Sugar River
HONORABLE MENTION
106: Zack Aguero, freshman, Waterloo
113: Miles Zimmerman, senior, Marshall
120: Ethan Evenson, senior, Lake Mills
126: Brady Ebert, sophomore, Waterloo
132: Maximos Kressner, junior, Lake Mills
138: Hayden Struse-Clark, sophomore, Lodi
144: Gavin Schroud, freshman, Waterloo
150: Kevin Georgiles-Juul, senior, Lake Mills
157: Owain Nelles, sophomore, Cambridge
165: Tyler Ripp, junior, Lodi
175: Colin Bolliger, freshman, Columbus
190: Carson Loshaw, senior, Sugar River
215: Jackson Geitner, senior, Poynette
285: Modou Demba, senior, Waterloo
North Wrestler of the Year: Mason Lane, Lodi
South Wrestler of the Year: Trevor Firari, Waterloo
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