MEDFORD WINS TEAM TITLE, NUMEROUS LOCAL WRESTLERS MOVE ON TO SECTIONALS AT WIAA DIVISION 2 REGIONAL
Zaleski Sports
EAU CLAIRE – Two Spencer/Columbus Catholic wrestlers will move on to the sectionals after earning top-two finishes at the WIAA Division 2 wrestling regional on Saturday at Regis High School.
Senior Ashton Ackman (35-3) won the 113-pound championship with a 15-0 technical fall of Alexander Nitz of Stanely-Boyd/Owen-Withee, and sophomore Treyton Ackman (37-4) finished second at 120 pounds for the Rockets after losing in the finals to Blain Brenner of Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee, 7-0.
The Ackmans will compete at the Division 2 individual sectional at Osceola High School next Saturday, Feb. 22. The top three in each weight class qualify for the 2020 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 27-29. Both reached the state tournament a year ago, losing in the opening round.
Medford, on the strength of four individual champions and five runner-up finishes, won the team title with 246 points. Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee was second with 181.5, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal third with 181, Abbotsford/Colby and Regis/Altoona tied for fourth with 131, and Spencer/Columbus was sixth with 106.5.
Medford will compete at the Division 2 team sectional at Baldwin-Woodville on Tuesday. Baldwin-Woodville, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro and Northwestern also qualified. The winner of the dual-meet tournament on Tuesday qualifies for the 2020 WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison on March 7.
Carson Church (21-3 at 132 pounds), Dane Higgins (32-6 at 138), Zeke Sigmund (35-4 at 145) and Clay Bowe (34-6 at 182) won regional titles for Medford. Ty Sova (106), Eric Rehbein (126), Emett Grunwald (152), Dalton Krug (195) and Jake Rau (220) were all runner-ups for the Raiders.
Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal had three regional champs and two runner-ups as it will send five to the sectional in Osceola.
Freshman Gunner Hoffmann beat Rau (30-2), a Division 2 state champion last year, in the 220-pound final, 3-2, to improve to 34-1 this season. Also winning regional titles for NGL were Luke Dux (31-4) at 106 and Nathan Buchanan at 170. Buchanan (30-6) pinned Caden Weber of Eau Claire Regis/Altoona in 1:29.
Tommy Friemoth (160) and Keeghan Anding (132) both finished second for NGL.
River Halopka (28-5) won the 126-pound title for Abbotsford/Colby, stopping Medford’s Rehbein 10-2 in the finals. Carter Grewe (22-4) also won a regional championship for AC, pinning Medford’s Krug in 3:01. Andrew Jeske (18-11) took second at 182 to move on to sectionals as well.
2020 WIAA Division 2 Wrestling Regional
Feb. 15, at Eau Claire Regis High School
Team scores: 1. Medford 246; 2. Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee 181.5; 3. Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal 181; 4. Abbotsford/Colby and Eau Claire Regis/Altoona 131; 6. Spencer/Columbus Catholic 106.5.
Top two qualify for individual sectional on Feb. 22 at Osceola
106 pounds
Championship: Luke Dux (NGL) def. Ty Woodkey (SC) by injury default.
Third place: Ty Sova (MED) pinned Justin McManus (SBOW), 1:42.
Second-place wrestleback: Sova def. Woodkey, 6-4.
113 pounds
Championship: Ashton Ackman (SC) won by technical fall over Alexander Nitz (SBOW), 15-0.
Third place: Jarick Young (NGL) pinned Connor Mattison (ECRA), 3:08.
120 pounds
Championship: Blaine Brenner (SBOW) def. Treyton Ackman (SC), 7-0.
Third place: Black Schilling (MED).
126 pounds
Championship: River Halopka (AC) won major dec. over Eric Rehbein (MED), 10-2.
Third place: Gage Ludovic (NGL) pinned Trystan Christoph (SBOW), 1:37.
132 pounds
Championship: Carson Church (MED) def. Keeghan Anding (NGL), 8-1.
Third place: Dustin Bergman (SBOW) pinned Jose Rodriguez (AC), 3:23.
138 pounds
Championship: Dane Higgins (MED) def. Russel Dorn (SBOW) by injury default.
Third place: Hunter Mess (AC) def. Garrett Learman (NGL), 8-4.
145 pounds
Championship: Zeke Sigmund (MED) won major dec. over Joseph McDermond (SBOW), 8-0.
Third place: Talon Severson (AC) def. Tucker Bethea (NGL), 10-7.
152 pounds
Championship: Payton Kostka (ECRA) def. Emett Grunwald (MED), 8-4.
Third place: Carter Schoengarth (NGL) pinned David Vicente (AC), 1:57.
160 pounds
Championship: Preston Potaczek (SBOW) pinned Tommy Friemoth (NGL), 5:04.
Third place: Jake Brunner (MED) pinned Matt Mauer (ECRA), 2:55.
170 pounds
Championship: Nathan Buchanan (NGL) pinned Caden Weber (ECRA), 1:29.
Third place: Hayden Johnson (MED) won by major dec. over Brandon Vicente (AC), 13-5>
Second-place wrestleback: Weber def. Johnson, 10-8.
182 pounds
Championship: Clay Bowe (MED) pinned Andrew Jeske (AC), 1:25.
Third place: Dan Polzin (NGL) pinned Caden Koepl (SBOW), 1:16.
195 pounds
Championship: Carter Grewe (AC) pinned Dalton Krug (MED), 3:01.
Third place: Connor Luedtke (SC) def. Evan Meeker (SBOW), 10-8.
Second-place wrestleback: Krug pinned Luedtke, 1:49.
220 pounds
Championship: Gunner Hoffmann (NGL) def. Jake Rau (MED), 3-2.
Third place: Henry Theisen (ECRA) def. Sawyer Kilty (SC), 10-4.
Second-place wrestleback: Rau pinned Theisen, 1:44.
285 pounds
Championship: Tyler Krizan (SBOW) pinned Riley Bauer (ECRA), 2:40.
Third place: Austin Grubofski (SC).