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ABBOTSFORD – The Spencer/Columbus Catholic wrestling team will be sending to four to next week’s sectional after it had three champions and a runner-up at the 2017 WIAA Division 2 regional on Saturday at Abbotsford High School.
The Rockets finished fourth in team standings with 158 points. Melrose-Mindoro/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau won the team title with 260 pounds and will move on to the Division 2 team sectional Tuesday at St. Croix Falls.
The individual sectional is next Saturday, Feb. 18, at Amery High School. The top three finishers in each weight class qualify for the 2017 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 23-25.
Freshman Ashton Ackman (106 pounds), junior Hunter Luepke (195) and sophomore Logan Zschneritz (285) each won regional titles for Spencer/Columbus. Bryce Shaw, a junior, finished second at 138.
Ackman (31-6) beat Colton Sime of MMGET 2-0 to capture the 106-pound title and move on to sectionals in his first varsity season.
Shaw, Luepke and Zschernitz will be making return trips to the sectional.
Shaw (18-8) did not make sectionals last year, but was a state qualifier as a freshman in 2015. He will be back at sectionals after losing the championship match in sudden-victory (double overtime) to Dalton Smith of Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee 6-4.
Luepke (33-2) will be looking for his third-straight trip to the state tournament after rolling to the title at 195 pounds. Luepke pinned Jake Rau of Medford in 3:21 to win the championship match.
Zschernitz (34-3) will be back at sectionals for the second-straight season after edging Nick Rueth of Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal 4-2 in overtime of the 285-pound title match.
2017 WIAA Division 2 Wrestling Regional
Feb. 11, at Abbotsford High School
Team scores: *1. Melrose-Mindoro/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 260; 2. Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal 182.5; 3. Medford 182; 4. Spencer/Columbus Catholic 158; 5. Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee 128.5; 6. Black River Falls/Lincoln 66; 7. Abbotsford/Colby 48.
*Melrose-Mindoro/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau qualifies for WIAA Division 2 team sectional Feb. 14 at St. Croix Falls.
Top two wrestlers in each weight class qualify for WIAA Division 2 individual sectional Feb. 18 at Amery.
106 pounds
Championship: Ashton Ackman (SC) def. Colton Sime (MMGET) 2-0.
Third place: Dustin Bergman (SBOW).
113 pounds
Championship: Dane Higgins (MED) def. Skylar Barth (NGL) 8-3.
Third place: Jack Marley (MMGET) won major dec. over Chance Clement (AC) 11-0.
Second-place wrestleback: Marley (MMGET) def. Barth (NGL) 8-2.
120 pounds
Championship: Julian Purney (MMGET) won major dec. over Josh Brooks (MED) 15-2.
Third place: Dominick Wichlacz (SC) won major dec. over Logan Ruesch (AC) 13-1.
126 pounds
Championship: Les Lakey (MMGET) def. Zeke Sigmund (MED) 7-2.
Third place: Kyle Gurney (NGL) won major dec. over Jake Dick (SC) 15-6.
132 pounds
Championship: Jacob Summers (MMGET) def. Dylan Nielsen (NGL) 3-0.
Third place: Cody Church (MED) pinned Josh Goldsmith (BRFL) in 4:48.
Second-place wrestleback: Nielsen (NGL) def. Church (MED) 9-2.
138 pounds
Championship: Dalton Smith (SBOW) def. Bryce Shaw (SC) 6-4, SV.
Third place: Andy Poetzl (MED) pinned Benett Bucek (BRFL) in 1:06.
145 pounds
Championship: Preston Carlson (MED) def. Jaden Anderson (MMGET) 11-9, SV.
Third place: Zach Smith (NGL) won major dec. over Caden Schillinger (SC) 12-4.
152 pounds
Championship: Sam Burzynski (SBOW) def. Jeff Maynard (MMGET) 9-4.
Third place: Stetson Rueth (NGL) pinned Alex Davis (MED) in 3:35.
160 pounds
Championship: Kolten Hanson (MED) pinned Eric Hoffstatter (SBOW) in 0:52.
Third place: Carson Hildebrandt (SC) def. Jesse Buchanan (NGL) 4-2.
170 pounds
Championship: Stephen Buchanan (NGL) pinned Brock Halopka (AC) in 2:55.
Third place: Bryce Burns (MMGET) pinned Nathan Scheidler (SBOW) in 3:19.
182 pounds
Championship: Landon Lockington (MMGET) pinned Ben Turner (SBOW) in 3:53.
Third place: Tanner Zschernitz (NGL) pinned Tanner Peterson (MED) in 1:24.
Second-place wrestleback: Turner (SBOW) pinned Zschernitz (NGL) in 0:20.
195 pounds
Championship: Hunter Luepke (SC) pinned Jake Rau (MED) in 3:21.
Third place: Sam Jansen (MMGET) def. Lucas Ingold (NGL) 2-1.
Second-place wrestleback: Jansen (MMGET) def. Rau (MED) 10-4.
220 pounds
Championship: Dakotah Daffinson (MMGET) pinned Sam Baumgartner (NGL) in 0:33.
Third place: Robert Rave (BRFL) pinned Jake Merrill (MED) in 1:37.
Second-place wrestleback: Baumgartner (NGL) pinned Rave (BRFL) in 2:28.
285 pounds
Championship: Logan Zschernitz (SC) def. Nick Rueth (NGL) 4-2, OT.
Third place: Josh Marciulionis (MMGET) def. Eric Bentler (OW) medical forfeit.