This story is sponsored by Total Electric
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MADISON – Action at the 2020 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament began Thursday as preliminary matches in Divisions 1, 2 and 3, and Division 1 quarterfinals were contested at the Kohl Center.
Of the 18 area Division 1 wrestlers, three advanced to the semifinals, which will be held Friday night.
Wisconsin Rapids’ Preston Spray (44-3) won two 106-pound matches, including a 4-2 win over Riley Nilo of Milton in the quarterfinals. He will take on
Stevens Point’s Justin Groshek assured himself of a medal in his fourth-straight state tournament by qualifying for the semifinals at 113 pounds. Groshek (44-0) pinned Brent Miller of Germantown in 3:39 in their quarterfinal match.
Marshfield sophomore Keagan Cliver reached the semifinals at 120 pounds. Cloiver (30-7) def. Brett Skaug of Brookfield East, 14-11, in the quarterfinals.
Eleven other area wrestlers in Division 1 reached the consolation bracket, while four were eliminated with first-round losses.
Staying alive in the consolation bracket are: Kale Roth (37-10 of Stevens Point at 120 pounds; Hoyt Blaskowski (44-5) of Marshfield and Blake Heal (24-13) of D.C. Everest at 126; Brett Franklin (26-6) of Marshfield at 132; Demetrio Covarrubias (34-11) of D.C. Everest at 138; Wyler Lubeck (44-7) of Wisconsin Rapids and Freddy Lehrke (22-7) of D.C. Everest at 152; Gabe Carter (40-2) of D.C. Everest at 170; Andrew Schutz (34-11) of Wisconsin Rapids at 195; Orion Boe (43-2) of D.C. Everest at 220; and Zach Irbarren (45-3) of Merrill at 285.
Gabriel Ramos (32-11) of Wausau West at 132, Gabe Pugh (40-4) of Marshfield at 138, Ryan Dolezal (41-5) of Marshfield at 145, and Brett Johnston (30-16) of Stevens Point at 182 were all eliminated with losses in the Division 1 preliminaries on Thursday.
Pugh suffered a hard-fought 9-7 loss in sudden victory overtime to Andrew Lopez of De Pere, and Dolezal was pinned by Berhett Statz of Waunakee in 1:51.
Division 2 and 3 preliminaries were held Thursday night and a number of area wrestlers moved on to quarterfinals, which will be held Friday morning.
Spencer/Columbus Catholic’s two state qualifiers split in their matches. Senior Ashton Ackman (38-5) saw his stellar career that included three state appearances come to an end with a 3-1 loss in sudden victory overtime to Brendan Konitzer of Oconto Falls in the Division 2 113-pound prelims.
Sophomore Treyton Ackman (41-5) will move on to the quarterfinals at 120 pounds after beating Devon Harbison of Beloit Turner, 12-6. Ackman will take on Kaleb Mannel (36-11) of Waupaca in the quarterfinals Friday.
Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal’s Gunner Hoffmann (38-2) also moves on to the Division 2 quarterfinals after he won his 220-pound prelim over Jason Klauck of Kiel with a pin in 1:38.
Both of Stratford’s wrestlers in the Division 3 preliminaries will move on to the quarterfinals. Karter Stuttgen (24-5) beat Chance Gruber of Coleman, 3-0, at 113 pounds, and Jacob Heiden (40-8) edged Grant Englebert (37-8) of Southern Door, 8-7, at 152 pounds.
Auburndale’s Dylan Baird also won his Division 3 prelim, beating Kade Pinter of Kenosha Christian Life (50-3), 7-1, at 138 pounds. Baird (32-11) will take on Stratford’s Elijah Lucio (16-1) in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Athens’ Connor Westfall (31-7) won his Division 3 prelim at 195 pounds by pinning Noah Degroot of La Crosse Aquinas in 3:45, and Pittsville’s Peter Esser (26-13) earned a 13-11 win at 106 pounds to move on to Friday’s D-3 quarterfinals.
Zeke Sigmund (40-7 at 145) of Medford and Carter Grewe (25-7 at 195) of Abbotsford/Colby in Division 2, and Camron Dammann (27-8 at 132) in Division 3 were eliminated with first-round losses.
2020 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament
Feb. 27-29, at Kohl Center, Madison
Friday, Feb. 28
10 a.m. – Division 1 consolation matches
11:15 a.m. – Division 2 and 3 quarterfinals
1:45 p.m. – Division 1 consolation quarterfinals
2:45 p.m. – Division 2 and 3 consolation quarterfinals
7 p.m. – Division 1, 2 and 3 semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 29
10 a.m. – Consolation semifinals, fifth-place and third-place matches in Divisions 1, 2 and 3
5:30 p.m. – Championship matches in Divisions 1, 2 and 3
—
Matches involving area athletes
Thursday, Feb. 27
Division 1 Preliminaries
106: Preston Spray, Wisconsin Rapids (43-3) won major dec. over Noah Tonsor, Slinger (37-10), 9-1.
113: Justin Groshek, Stevens Point (43-0) pinned Josh Stritesky, Lake Geneva Badger (35-6), 2:44.
120: Keagan Cliver, Marshfield (29-7) def. Gavin Cagle, Whitnall/Greendale (34-11), 3-2; Kale Roth, Stevens Point (37-9) pinned Jacob Bruner, Pewaukee (37-12), 3:05.
126: Hoyt Blaskowski, Marshfield (44-4) pinned Liam Hughes, Milwaukee Marquette (36-4), 5:02; Ethan Pogorzelski, Menomonee Falls (41-7), def. Blake Heal, D.C. Everest (24-13) 3-0.
132: Tyler Goebel, Mukwonago (41-11), won major dec. over Brett Franklin (26-6), Marshfield, 12-2; Joshua Cherba, Waterford (38-10), def. Gabriel Ramos, Wausau West (32-11), 10-4 (Ramos eliminated).
138: Andrew Lopez, De Pere (41-4), def. Gabe Pugh, Marshfield (40-4), 9-7 (SV-1) (Pugh eliminated); Jacob Ward, Bay Port (35-4) def. Demetrio Covarrubias, D.C. Everest (34-11), 6-2.
145: Berhett Statz, Waunakee (40-8), pinned Ryan Dolezal, Marshfield (41-5), 1:51 (Dolezal eliminated).
152: Wyler Lubeck, Wisconsin Rapids (44-6), pinned Kolten Blome, Watertown (22-14), 5:50; Freddy Lehrke, D.C. Everest (22-6) won major dec. over Damian Zapata, West Bend East (32-15), 12-3.
170: Gabe Carter, D.C. Everest (40-1) def. Adam Polczynski, Hartland Arrowhead (35-11), 5-4.
182: Tommy Maurice, Brookfield Central (32-10), pinned Brett Johnston, Stevens Point (30-16), 3:28 (Johnston eliminated).
195: Zach Wallace, Burlington (37-6), def. Andrew Schutz, Wisconsin Rapids (34-11), 12-6.
220: Nathan Moynihan, Ashwaubenon (39-3), def. Orion Boe, D.C. Everest (43-2), 3-1.
285: Zach Irbarren, Merrill (45-2) pinned Jay Hanson, Verona (40-8), 1:20.
Division 2 Preliminaries
113: Brendan Konitzer, Oconto Falls (33-12), def. Ashton Ackman, Spencer/Columbus (38-5), 3-1 (SV-1) (Ackman eliminated).
120: Treyton Ackman, Spencer/Columbus (41-5) def. Devon Harbison, Beloit Turner (42-6), 12-6.
145: Braeden Scoles, Kewaskum (38-3) won by technical fall over Zeke Sigmund, Medford (40-7), 16-1 (Sigmund eliminated).
195: Drew Ries, Beloit Turner (32-1), def. Carter Grewe, Abbotsford/Colby (25-7), 7-5.
220: Gunner Hoffmann, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal (38-2) pinned Jason Klauck, Kiel (22-8), 1:38.
Division 3 Preliminaries
106: Peter Esser, Pittsville (26-13) def. Mason Welsh, Iowa-Grant/Highland (19-6), 13-11 (SV-1).
113: Karter Stuttgen, Stratford (24-5) def. Chance Gruber, Coleman (29-18), 3-0.
132: Matt Anderson, Clear Lake (35-9) won major dec. over Camron Dammann, Pittsville (27-8), 9-0 (Dammann eliminated).
138: Dylan Baird, Auburndale (32-11) def. Kade Pinter, Kenosha Christian Life (50-3), 7-1.
152: Jacob Heiden, Stratford (40-8) def. Grant Englebert, Southern Door (37-8), 8-7.
195: Connor Westfall, Athens (31-7) pinned Noah Degroot, La Crosse Aquinas (16-9), 3:45.
Division 1 Quarterfinals
106: Preston Spray (44-3), Wisconsin Rapids, def. Riley Nilo (42-5), Milton, 4-2.
113: Justin Groshek (44-0), Stevens Point, pinned Brent Miller (43-6), Germantown, 3:39.
120: Keagan Cliver (30-7), Marshfield, def. Brett Skaug (26-15), Brookfield East, 14-11; Nicolar Rivera (46-0), Stoughton, pinned Kale Roth (37-10), Stevens Point, 1:35.
126: Hayden Halter (45-2), Watertown, won major dec. over Hoyt Blaskowski (44-5), Marshfield, 10-0.
152: Luke Mechler (51-1), Stoughton, def. Wyler Lubeck (44-7), Wisconsin Rapids, 5-3; Kaden Reetz (41-0), Madison Memorial, pinned Freddy Lehrke (22-7), D.C. Everest, 2:50.
170: Da’jun Johnson (35-0), Whitefish Bay/Dominican/University School of Milwaukee, def. Gabe Carter (40-2), D.C. Everest, 8-3.
285: Max Meeuwsen (44-1), Bay Port, def. Zach Irbarren (45-3), Merrill, 3-2.
Friday, Feb. 28
Division 2 Quarterfinals
106: Luke Dux, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal (34-4) vs. Parker Heintz, Lodi (35-12)
120: Treyton Ackman, Spencer/Columbus (41-5) vs. Kaleb Mannel, Waupaca (36-11)
220: Jake Rau, Medford (35-2) vs. Mac Strand, Appleton Xavier (28-3); Gunner Hoffmann, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal, (38-2) vs. Nick Roller, Antigo (43-5)
Division 3 Quarterfinals
106: Peter Esser, Pittsville (26-13) vs. Mark Szombathelyi, Random Lake (34-8).
113: Karter Stuttgen, Stratford (24-5) vs. Troy Dolpin, Kenosha Christian Life (49-1).
126: Gavin Drexler, Stratford (47-0) vs. Julian Spriggle, Cochrane-Fountain City (32-12)
132: Max Schwabe, Stratford (45-2) vs. Joseph Penchi, La Crosse Aquinas (37-4)
138: Elijah Lucio, Stratford (16-1) vs. Dylan Baird, Auburndale (32-11)
152: Jacob Heiden, Stratford (40-8) vs. Logan Schneider, Lancaster (34-10)
160: Devin Dennee, Stratford (46-2) vs. Sawyer De rutyer, Cedar Grove-Belgium (37-12)
195: Trevor Dennee, Stratford (46-1) vs. Sam Galoff, Brillion (44-5); Connor Westfall, Athens (31-7) vs. Jake Pronschinske, Palmyra-Eagle (34-9)
220: Ethan Heil, Edgar (28-0) vs. Dylan Nottestad, Westby (40-11)
Division 1 Consolation First Round
120: Kale Roth (37-10), Stevens Point, vs. Aaron Johnson (28-16), Greendale Nicolet.
126: Hoyt Blaskowski (44-5), Marshfield, vs. Jonah Luther (33-9), Hartland Arrowhead; Blake Heal (24-13), D.C. Everest, vs. Joseph Mendoza (36-4), Racine Park.
132: Brett Franklin (26-6), Marshfield, vs. Logan Stumpf (41-8), Kaukauna.
138: Demetrio Covarrubias (34-11), D.C. Everest, vs. Cole Nelson (30-4), Kenosha Indian Trail.
152: Wyler Lubeck (44-7), Wisconsin Rapids, vs. Carter Vetsch (46-7), Holmen; Freddy Lehrke (22-7), D.C. Everest, vs. Zachary Gunderson (39-8), Monona Grove/McFarland.
170: Gabe Carter (40-2), D.C. Everest, vs. Aaron Taylor (35-14), Elkhorn/Faith Christian.
195: Andrew Schutz (34-11), Wisconsin Rapids, vs. Amir Blevins (35-2), West Allis Central.
220: Orion Boe (43-2), D.C. Everest, vs. Simon Patterson (33-8), Sun Prairie.
285: Zach Irbarren (45-3), Merrill, vs. Cassius Rohadfox (30-6), Sheboygan North.
Division 1 Semifinals
106: Preston Spray (44-3), Wisconsin Rapids, vs. Greyson Clark (43-6), Kaukauna.
113: Justin Groshek (44-0), Stevens Point, vs. Michael Smith (34-9), Appleton North.
120: Keagan Cliver (30-7), Marshfield, vs. Mason Campshure (36-7), Kaukauna.