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CLEAR LAKE – The Stratford wrestling team is heading back to state after posting a pair of dual wins at a WIAA Division 3 team sectional at Clear Lake High School on Tuesday.
The Tigers dominated Turtle Lake/Clayton 64-15 in the semifinals and pulled out a 41-29 win over Glenwood City in the championship match to advance to the 2025 WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison on March 8. The Tigers last made the team state tournament in 2023, losing in the semifinals.
Mineral Point, Oostburg and Weyauwega-Fremont will also compete in the Division 3 bracket, with semifinals at 10 a.m. and the championship match at 3 p.m. Matchups will be announced at a later date.
Stratford won five matches by forfeit and another five by pin in the semifinal match against Turtle Lake/Clayton. Drew Gage (285), Colin Cournoyer (126), Aaron Knetter (132), Brandon Knetter (157) and Jack Tubbs (175) all won by pin for the Tigers.
The championship match went back-and-forth. Pins by Trenton Cournoyer (120), Colin Cournoyer (126) and Mathais Kaiser (150) helped Stratford build a lead before Glenwood City won two matches by major decision and a technical fall to tie the match at 26-26.
Tubbs earned his second pin of the day, which was followed by a 17-5 major decision by Walker Weis at 190 and a pin by Carter Lueck at 215 to seal the win for Stratford.
Ten Stratford wrestlers will compete at a Division 3 individual sectional at Ladysmith on Saturday. The top three finishers in each weight class qualify for the 2025 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 27-March 1.
WIAA Division 3 Team Wrestling Sectional
Feb. 18, at Clear Lake High School
Semifinals
Stratford 64, Turtle Lake/Clayton 15
285: Drew Gage (ST) pinned Cain Casarez, 0:26.
106: Luke Moen (TLC) pinned Joey Cable, 1:17.
113: Jayden DeFoe (ST) won by forfeit.
120: Trenton Cournoyer (ST) won by forfeit.
126: Colin Cournoyer (ST) pinned Luke Popenhagen, 1:14.
132: Aaron Knetter (ST) pinned Lincoln Grosskreutz, 1:55.
138: Lucas Forrest (ST) won by forfeit.
144: Owen Anderson (TLC) def. Cayden Leonhardt, 4-1.
150: Mathias Kaiser (ST) won by forfeit.
157: Brandon Knetter (ST) pinned Carter Daugherty, 1:01.
165: Brandon Wright (TLC) pinned John Mews, 3:49.
175: Jack Tubbs (ST) pinned Wyatt Nelson, 1:20.
190: Carter Lueck (ST) won by forfeit.
215: Matt Kolb (ST) won by major dec. over Ryan Shortess, 17-4.
Championship
Stratford 41, Glenwood City 29
106: Will Obermueller (GC) pinned Kolton Haupt, 4:15.
113: Preston Arvey (GC) won by technical fall over Jayden DeFoe, 19-4.
120: Trenton Cournoyer (ST) pinned Landon Standaert, 1:21.
126: Colin Cournoyer (ST) pinned Logan McVeigh, 1:37.
132: Aaron Knetter (ST) won by major dec. over Landon Obermueller, 11-1.
138: Wyatt Unser (GC) won by forfeit.
144: Lucas Forrest (ST) def. Andrew Blaser, 4-1.
150: Mathias Kasier (ST) pinned Zeb Holden, 3:12.
157: Brock Wood (GC) won by major dec. over Brandon Knetter, 13-1.
165: Mitchell McGee (GC) won by technical fall over Jaeger Ormond, 16-1.
175: Jack Tubbs (ST) pinned Javier Vilar-Alvarez, 0:33.
190: Walker Weis (ST) won by major dec. over Dylan Laberee, 17-5.
215: Carter Lueck (ST) pinned Jackson Logghe, 1:50.
285: Blake Fayerweather (GC) def. Owen Lueck, 6-2.