Category: Match Previews

Husky Invite Preview

We are going full boar into the second weekend of the wrestling season and that means that I get the privilege of making my annual trip up on Highway 93 (which always ends up being snow covered at this time) to Eau Claire for the Husky Invite. The Husky has a new venue this year, taking place at the Sonnentag Center and while it’s hard to replicate the ECN High School Doghouse I am very much looking forward to checking out the new facility! 

There will be 68 ranked wrestlers this year with a slew of state accolades to their name, and while this serves as a preliminary look for some of the top-ranked D1 teams in Wisconsin, we also get treated to a visit across the river from Minnesota wrestling powerhouse, the Simley Spartans. Below, I will have a list of the ranked wrestlers coming into the tournament and although nothing is guaranteed in terms of who will wrestle where, or if everyone wrestles, there is sure to be some huge matchups from the early rounds all the way to the finals! And how can we forget the guys not listed below that will look to get themselves on the radar in a big way this weekend. 

We will be streaming Mats 1-6 so check out the livestream page on our site and share it with the folks who won’t be able to attend. Wrestling starts at 9:15. Here’s to another great weekend at the Husky!

Ranked Teams

Ranked Wrestlers

106

113

120

126

132

138

144

150

157

165

175

190

215

285

Bonduel Quad Boys Preview

When the Bonduel event jumped on my radar I got a huge feeling of excitement as to the implications of it. Now don’t get me wrong, team state tickets are not punched in early December, but this one does have huge implications for seeding and who is the front-runner in D3 Sectional B. Come mid-February, three of the teams (Shiocton, Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood) will be duking it out for a trip to team state held for the first time at the LaCrosse Center. As a huge fan of D3 wrestling I wish they would have invited Crandon and Lena along and we would have ourselves a huge team sectional preview party!!

Schedule Starting at 5PM

  • Round 1 – Shiocton vs Almond Bancroft, Bonduel vs Laona Wabeno, Witt Birn – Bye
  • Round 2 – Laona Wabeno vs Almond Bancroft, Bonduel vs Witt Birn, Shiocton – Bye
  • Round 3 – Laona Wabeno vs Shiocton, Almond Bancroft vs Witt Birn, Bonduel – Bye
  • Round 4 – Laona Wabeno vs Witt Birn, Bonduel vs Shiocton, Almond Bancroft – Bye
  • Round 5 – Witt Birn vs Shiocton, Bonduel vs Almond Bancroft, Laona Wabeno – Bye

Projected Lineups

Wittenberg-Birnamwood #4
  • 106 
  • 113 Landon Meronk – 10 #7
  • 120
  • 126 Koleton Beran – 9
  • 132 Dalton Fletcher – 11 #9
  • 138
  • 144 Devin Wudtke – 12 #8
  • 150 Bo Davis – 11
  • 157 Ben Miller – 12 #3
  • 165 Frank Wierzba – 10
  • 175 Grayson Niswander – 12
  • 190 Colby Wincensten
  • 215 George Seegmiller – 12 #11
  • 285 Eli Komanekin – 10
Bonduel 
  • 106
  • 113 
  • 120 John Parsons – 10
  • 126 
  • 132 Beau Diemel – 9
  • 138 Christopher Hammen-Jung – 11
  • 144 Garrett Hofman – 9
  • 150 Aiden Robarge – 10
  • 157 Thomas Vanderzanden – 11
  • 165 Carson Kolaske – 11
  • 175 Ryler Kurtz – 10, #14
  • 190 Jayden Popp – 11
  • 215 William Baciak – 10, Tucker Hischke – 12
  • 285 Jackson Krause – 10, Brody Vosters
Shiocton
  • 106 Tucker Keberlein – 10, #6
  • 113 Mason Affeldt – 10, #11, Devin Biese – 11
  • 120 Lincoln Volkman – 9, #14
  • 126 Collin Guyette – 9
  • 132 Holdyn Volkman – 11, #7
  • 138 Mason Demerath – 12, #9
  • 144 Izaiah Sanchez – 12, #4
  • 150 Jackson Young – 12, #13
  • 157 Brody Slaets – 11, Royne Vasquez – 10
  • 165 Scott Daniels – 12, Antonio Rangel – 10
  • 175 Alejandro Garcia – 10
  • 190 Luis Vasquez – 11
  • 215 Sawyer Richl – 9, Karson Lutzewitz – 9
  • 285 Brent Collar – 10
Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes
  • 106
  • 113 Maximus Clark – 12, #11
  • 120 Ryan DeMars – 9
  • 126 Reegan Roy – 11, #4
  • 132 Jayse Demerath – 11, #11, 
  • 138 Ryker Schingeck – 10
  • 144 Michael Yager – 10
  • 150 Cameron Tilton – 10
  • 157 Sawyer Jameson – 12
  • 165 Yukon Volk – 12
  • 175
  • 190 Brody Hoffman – 11, #10
  • 215 Worawat Thawonwan – 11
  • 285 Sawyer Christianson – 10

Almond-Bancroft

  • 132 Kaden Marinez
  • 138 Jeysson Perez-Herrera
  • 190 David Castellanos
  • 190 Jared Pena
  • 215 Malachi Ramirez

The Match-Ups

Note – With all due respect to Almond-Bacraft as they are here with some tough teams and trying to grow their program, we will not do an analysis of the dual they are wrestling in as sheer numbers will prevent them from being competitive as a dual team. We know their five competitors will come to compete and we are excited to see that aspect of their program.

Round 1:

Bonduel vs Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes (WLTL) – We can only hope that the host school doesn’t take offense to us overlooking them and their competitiveness in their home gym. They are 1-2 on the year with a 33-24 win over Oconto and did not compete in a tournament this past weekend. Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes (WLT) is 4-1 in dual competition with a tight loss to Oconto Falls and took 7th at the John Roberts Invite, just a half point behind Antigo. 

In any dual the “swing matches” are what make it make or break for either team and the three “big boy” weight classes are going to be just that up top. At 190 we have two returning sectional qualifiers in Jayden Popp for Bonduel and Brody Hoffman for WLTL. The 215 weight class is the battle of the unknowns as Bonduel has William Baciak new to the varsity level going against Worawat Thawonwan who was 8-19 on varsity last year, but is coming off a good showing at the John Roberts Invite. The heavyweight class is similar to 215 in that you have new-to-varsity Jackson Krause, a sophomore for Bonduel against sophomore Sawyer Christianson who is looking to improve on last year’s varsity record.

Ultimately, WLT with their 12 returning starters and 5 ranked wrestlers will prove to be too much for the Bears.

Predictions:

  • Steve: 49 – 21 WLTL
  • Teague: 56-18 WLTL

Round 2

Bonduel Vs. Wittenberg-Birnamwood –  Wittenberg-Birnhamwood is ranked for a reason. They have spent the last several years being battle tested in the juggernaut that used to be D2 Sectional B, with the powers of L-C, Freedom, Denmark, Wrightstown, just to name a few. They have 5 ranked wrestlers and are coming off a 2nd place finish at the Schoenherr Duals with their only blemish being a 1pt loss to a much improved DePere. Wittenberg-Birnamwood is hoping that tough competition has prepared them for their first trip to team state since 2014.

Two  key weight classes are once again the battle of the unknowns. At 150 we have Aiden Robarge – 10 vs Bo Davis – 11, and 165 Carson Kolaske – 11 vs Frank Wierzba – 10. For these weight classes both schools will be putting out wrestlers with not a lot of varsity accolades yet. 

Prediction:

  • Steve: 46 – 18 Wittenberg-Birnamwood
  • Teague: 50-24 Wittenberg-Birnamwood

Round 3:

Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes (WLTL) vs Shiocton – Fresh off their 2nd place finish at the 42 team Papermaker Invite, Shiocton has moved into the state rankings for the first time this season. You can’t blame the committee for taking them out, they did lose their starters from 157 on up. But as you will see, Shiocton reloads rather than rebuilds. 

There are way too many good matches in this one to break it down so let me just list all the solid head-to-head bouts:

  • 113 – Shiocton Tucker Keberlein-10, 6th ranked vs WLTL Maximus Clark – 12, ranked #11.  *Note – Tucker wrestled at 106 this weekend, but Shiocton’s depth may allow this to happen!!!
  • 132 – Shiocton Holdyn Volkman – 11, 7th ranked vs WLTL Jayse Demerath – 11th ranked
  • 150 – Shiocton Jackson Young – 12 ranked #13 vs WLTL Cameron Tilton – 10 20-9 last year

The line-ups leave a lot of room for each coach to play a chess match to get some match-ups in their favor. Especially with WLTL who has returning state champ Reegan Roy at 126 going against a freshman. The question is, if the coaches want to show too much of their hand this early in the season? Tune in Thursday night to find out folks!

Prediction:

  • Steve: 42 – 30 Shiocton
  • Teague: 39-36 WLTL

Round 4:  

WLTL vs W-B – Expect this one to have multiple lead changes as one of the better match-ups of the night. Both teams give up 3 forfeits, but luckily for the fans, 2 of them are at the same weight classes. Do coaches work to get the free points or wrestle it straight up and let the chips fall where they may?

Key match-ups:

  • 113 W-B Landon Meronk – 10, 7th ranked vs WLTL Maximus Clark – 12, 11th ranked
  • 132 W-B Dalton Fletcher – 11, 9th ranked vs WLTL Jayse Demerath – 11, 11th ranked
  • 285 W-B Eli Komanekin vs WLTL Sawyer Christianson – battle of newcomer sophomores
  • Note – I have the team score 32-28 going into 285 (assuming we start at 106) with WLTL winning at that point. My nod at Hwt goes to Eli from W-B with more varsity experience last year and heavyweights usually end in a pin, so…see prediction below!

Prediction:

  • Steve: 34-28 W-B!
  • Teague: 32-31 WLTL

Shiocton vs Bonduel – With a full line-up and 7 state ranked wrestlers this one is going to be all Shiocton. A Key match-up is at 120 with #14 ranked freshman Lincoln Volkman for Shiocton vs Bonduel’s sophomore sectional qualifier John Parsons. I also have 157 and 215 as swing matches. 

Prediction: 

  • Steve: 56 – 19 Shiocton
  • Teague: 60-12 Shiocton

Round 5: 

Wittenberg-Birnamwood #4 vs Shiocton #9 – The spotlight is set for the match of the night featuring two state ranked teams! W-B has 5 state ranked wrestlers in the line-up, Shiocton 7 and both squads are coming off a 2nd place finish in their respective tournaments. Once again, the winner gets handed nothing when it comes to the post season but it will definitely give the winner the early upper hand when it comes to seeding. 

Shiocton has the advantage when it comes to free points with 12 and more state ranked wrestlers. If the Chargers are going to win this one they are going to have to weather the storm and not give up too many bonus points in the lower weights. Once they hit the mid weights Wittenberg-Birnamwood is going to have to make hay as Shiocton  had to replace all of their starters from 157 on up from last year.

Ranked match-ups:

  • 113 WB Landon Meronk – 10, #7 vs Shiocton Mason Affeldt – 10, #11
  • 132 WB Dalton Fletcher – 11, #9 vs Shiocton Holdyn Volkman – 11, #7
  • 144 WB Devin Wudtke – 12, #8 vs Shiocton Izaiah Sanchez – 12, #4

Predictions:

  • Steve: 38 – 33 Shiocton
  • Teague: 42-28 Shiocton

Bonduel Quad Girls Preview

The rising tide of women’s wrestling in the state of Wisconsin has laid the foundation for more teams to participate in the dual meet format. Starting next season the state champion on the girls side will be determined in a state dual competition just like the guys. On Thursday night, a trio of teams, Bonduel, Shiocton, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood, who are proving with their numbers and wrestling success that they want to be in that future team state discussion, are going to take to the mat in Bonduel. Zach and I will be calling the action for the dual competition between the 3 teams as well as for Almond-Bancraft and Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes who will pair up for some individual matches.

Schedule

5:00PM- Round 1

  • Round 1 – Shiocton vs Wittenberg-Birnamwood
  • Round 2 – Bonduel vs Wittenberg-Birnamwood
  • Round 3 – Bonduel vs Shioction
Catch the Live Stream here: Bonduel Quad – Wisconsin Grappler

Projected Team Rosters

Bonduel Girls

  • 100: Kaitlyn Kroening-10, 2-0 #7
  • 107: Payton Bierhals-9  1-1
  • 114:  Amelia Wilcox-10   3-2
  • 120:
  • 126:
  • 132: Kiara Johnson-11  3-1
  • 138:  Lexi Rank-9  2-2
  • 145:  Lizzy Delzer-11  3-2
  • 152: Maddie Hert-10  5-0
  • 165: Alisha Berg-11  5-0  #3
  • 185:  Brianna Berg-12  1-2
  • 235: Miley Zeeman-9  2-3

Shiocton Girls

  • 100: Brynn Johnson-9 4-0; Ari Wilke-9 1-3
  • 107: Chloe Nelson-11 1-2
  • 114: Inai Sanchez-10 3-1
  • 120: Cally Presteen-10 3-1
  • 126: Lilli Griesbach-11 2-3
  • 132:
  • 138: Charlotte Leeman-9 3-2
  • 145: Kali Ebben-11; Leigha Rupar-9  2-3
  • 152: Ella Griesbach-11 4-1
  • 165:
  • 185: Shealyn Anday-9 3-1
  • 235: Lily Helser – 12 #8

Wittenberg-Birnamwood Girls

  • 100:
  • 107:
  • 114: MyKenna Jansen-11  2-3; Izabel Schulist-9  4-1
  • 120: Addison Schmid-10  2-3;  Jersey Bradham-11  2-3;  Malayna Starr-9  3-2
  • 126: Brenna Marsh-12  2-2;  Taylor Marien-11 1-4
  • 132: Olivia Storkson-9  3-2
  • 138: 
  • 145: 
  • 152: Christina Mattesen-11
  • 165:
  • 185: Brooke Huffman-11 5-0 #1
  • 235:

Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes Girls

  • 145  Kyra Beaber – 11
  • 165 Somerr Ridgeway -11, Idalynn Vladik – 9
  • 185 Allison Hanson – 9

Almond-Bancroft Girls

  • 152 – Audrey Wiza
  • 235 – Azumi Yang

Matchups

Shiocton vs. Wittenberg-Birnamwood

Shiocton is 3-0 in duals this year and coming off a 4th place finish at the 25-team Papermaker Invitational. What makes them a solid dual team is they have that potential to fill all 12 weight classes. Wittenberg-Birnamwood is coming off a 5th place finish at the 30 team Red Robin Girl’s Invite. 

At 114 two underclassmen with similar results on the weekend will go head-to-head. Shiocton Sophomore Inai Sanchez (2-2) took 4th at the Papermaker and will take on 4-1 freshmen Izabel Schulist who took 5th in Antigo. 

What is making girls wrestling even more interesting is that we will start to see the gamesmanship to get better team match-ups for the team win that we see on the guys’ side. I predict W-B will bump up and move freshmen Olivia Storkson up to 138 to take on fellow freshman Charlotte Leeman. Both wrestlers are 3-2 and had solid performances at their first HS tournament. 

As long as we are talking about bumping up, don’t expect nationally ranked Brooke Huffman to stay at 185 for this one when there is a state ranked wrestler one weight class up. The #8 ranked Lily Heiser is at 235 and the fans will most likely get to watch this one go down. 

  • Steve’s Prediction: Shiocton – 42,  WB – 24
  • Teague’s Prediction: Shiocton 48, W-B 24

Bonduel vs Wittenberg-Birnamwood

Bonduel is 1-2 on the year, but their losses are to the #2 and #4 ranked teams in the state in Neenah and Bay Port. They looked very strong this past weekend winning the  championship at the Southern Door Tournament. Bonduel’s numbers will overwhelm W-B in this dual, but that doesn’t mean we still won’t be treated to some good match-ups. 

The 114 battle has a nice story line as 4-1 freshman Izabel Schulist of W-B and 3-2 sophomore Amelia Wilcox both finished 5th at separate strong tournaments. At 132 for the Bears, 3-1 Junior Kiarra Johnson made the finals at Southern Door and she will be taking on Olivia Storkson who is 3-2 as a freshman.

On a final note, unless that match-ups change, the only thing we will get to see of 2X state medalist Alisha Berg is for her to collect her forfeits. Does she move up to take on “All-World” Brooke Huffman at 185 to get some time on the mat in a home dual? I personally would not!!!! Then again, I am not near as tough or talented as Ms. Berg.

  • Steve’s Prediction:  48 – 24 The Bears!
  • Teagues’ Prediction: 48-24 Bonduel

Shiocton Vs Bonduel

This one has the build up to be a classic “barn-burner” to use a Teague Fenwick euphemism. Both teams are handing each other the same amount of points in forfeits and of the 8 matches that will determine it I see 4 matches that would be considered “swing matches”.

At 100lbs Bonduel has #7 ranked senior Kaitlyn Kroenig coming off her championship at the Papermaker tournament going against freshman Brynn Johnson. Johnson is not ranked early in her high school career, but that may change quickly as she is 4-0 and coming off her championship at Kimberly. 

At 114 both Inai Sanchez of Shiocton and Amelia Wilcox of Bonduel are coming off solid with weekends taking 4th and 5th respectively at their tournaments. With similar records the two sophomores are sure to be a classic swing match. 

The freshmen take the stage at 138 in a key tilt between 3-2 Charlotte Leeman and Lexi Rank. Charlotte finished 7th for Shiocton at the 25 team Kimberly Tournament and Lexi took 3rd at Southern Door for the Bears.

My final swing match of the night is between two of the team leaders at 152. Sophomore Maddie Hert is 5-0 on the year, fresh off her tournament championship and Ella Griesbach is 4-1 early in her junior campaign for Shiocton. 

I have this as a tight one that will come down to the 235 weight class and I predict Lilly Heiser of Shiocton is going to get the walk-off pin!! (Assuming they start at 100)

  • Steve’s Prediction: Shiocton 38 – Bonduel 36
  • Teague’s Prediction: Bonduel 36, Shiocton 34

Beef River Brawl Preview

As I make the transition from football commentator to wrestling aficionado, what better way to help me ease into the winter season than by going to a competition on a Friday night? I will be making my way to Mondovi, the home of the buffalo on top of the school, for the Girls’ Beef River Brawl! It will be my first time visiting Mondovi High School and I always enjoy the experience of being in a new venue for wrestling. The Beef River Brawl will certainly provide a great night of competition as there are fifteen teams attending this year, with over 50 girls projected to wrestle, and that number is expected to grow as more teams input their rosters!

The tournament will be a scramble style format so there will be no shortage of entertaining matches to watch for the folks attending or watching from home. I will have a list of the ranked wrestlers competing below, and while these are preseason rankings that aren’t guaranteed to be 100% correct nor does it mean every ranked wrestler is competing, it should provide a good picture of which girls to watch on the mat and even provide a preview of some star-studded matchups.

Schedule

Wrestling starts at 5.
Catch the Live Stream here: Beef River Brawl – Wisconsin Grappler

Ranked Wrestlers

Mineral Point Quad Preview

Happy wrestling season everybody! Time sure flies when you’re having fun and we are already in our first week of competition. With some dual results in the books from yesterday, Steve and I have already been conversing over results and now I naturally have the itch to be back in a gym with some high quality mat action. Thankfully, I get to scratch that itch starting tomorrow at what is arguably the capital of Wisconsin wrestling, Mineral Point!

The Pointers will be hosting Middleton, Belleville/Monticello/New Glarus (aka Sugar River), and Lodi in a two round quad with the action starting at 5. With four duals taking place and the uncertainty of early season lineups combined with the occasional coaching chess move, I won’t break down every dual in great detail but with sixteen ranked wrestlers and not many forfeits to be found amongst the four teams, don’t be surprised to see some high-level matches taking place tomorrow!

Schedule

5:00PM- Round 1

  • Mat 1: Mineral Point vs. Sugar River
  • Mat 2: Lodi vs. Middleton
  • 15-20 minute break at the conclusion of Round 1

~6:30 PM-Round 2

  • Mat 1: Mineral Point vs. Lodi
  • Mat 2: Middleton vs. Sugar River
  • We will have one camera on both mats with Steve and highlighting the action on both mats
Catch the Live Stream here: Mineral Point Quad – Wisconsin Grappler

Projected Team Rosters

Sugar River

Sugar River graduated a senior class loaded with accolades, including State Champ Blake Endres, so this quad will be an excellent first test for this extremely young group headlined by #1 ranked freshman Madox Mau. A team that has been known to field a handful of hammers every year, it will be a fun journey for me as a fan to see if this young group can turn into a force to be reckoned with in the postseason down the road.

  • 106: 
  • 113: #1 Madox Mau, Freshman
  • 120: Kyan Lentz, Freshman
  • 126: Brooks Kraus, Freshman
  • 132: Sawyer Oberle, Sophomore
  • 138: Konek Swenson, Freshman
  • 144: Zech Bair, Senior
  • 150: Ashlin Mihlbauer, Senior
  • 157: Bronko Baer, Freshman
  • 165: 
  • 175: #13 Cayson Helwig, Senior
  • 190: Brady Baer, Sophomore
  • 215:
  • 285: Corey Keyes, Sophomore

Mineral Point (D3 #2)

The Pointers come fresh off of their 13th Team State title poised to at least defend their reign at Team State this year. With six ranked wrestlers and some new, yet familiar names coming into the lineup (note another Riley in the fold), the Pointers were our consensus Team Sectional champ picks for D3 Sectional F. I’m looking forward to seeing the growth of Clayton Yanna and his freshman running mates as the big fellas will be the X-Factor in this talented lineup primed to make another deep postseason run. In the short-term, I’m looking forward to seeing some more Mineral Point wrestling in their home gym in front of one of the best fanbases in the state!

Lodi

I will once again emphasize that these are projected lineups as it is not often we see potential forfeits in a Lodi lineup. The Blue Devils are a model of consistency and this year should prove to be no different. Expect some of the guys in this lineup and prove to be a solid crew around a strong core from 120-138. Steve and I both have Lodi as a top-5 team in their sectional and it will be fun to see this group in action in week one!

  • 106: Isaac Ziegler
  • 113: Jack Wiseman
  • 120: #8 Owen Dorshorst, Sophomore  (6th @ 106)
  • 126: #10 Everett Dorshorst, Freshman
  • 132: #7 Bryer Caves, Junior (SQ @ 120)
  • 138: #13 Zander Kellogg, Senior
  • 144: Liam Johnson, Junior
  • 150: Hayden Struse-Clark, Senior
  • 157: Alex Breunig, Senior
  • 165: Jackson Ladwig, Sophomore
  • 175: Devyn Brown
  • 190:
  • 215:
  • 285: Austin Browne, Junior

Middleton

Middleton has 12 returning starters from last year’s roster, and while we this projected lineup shows a noticeable logjam in the upper weights, the final product of this roster would serve as one of the best Murderer’s Rows on the state and are the exact reason Steve and I have both predicted the Cardinals to be in the thick of the Team Sectional race come postseason time! This will be a great early dual test for this team.

  • 106:
  • 113: Matthew Francois, Freshman
  • 120:
  • 126: Lucian Borseth, Sophomore
  • 132: Adler Plamann, Junior
  • 138: Grady Hargrove, Junior
  • 144: Tavish Frank, Senior
  • 150: Aiden Bell, Junior
  • 157:#2 Sam Zanton, Senior (4th @ 157)
  • 165: #5 Finn Grauwels, Senior (SQ @ 165)
  • 175: Pavil Jones, Senior or #8 Alborz Dehnavi, Senior 
  • 190: #1 Reed Falk, Junior  (5th @ 190)
  • 215: Mason Martin, Junior
  • 285: Bruce Ortiz

Predictions

Mineral Point vs. Sugar River

  • Steve: MP 42, Sugar River 13
  • Teague: MP 54, Sugar River 18

Lodi vs. Middleton

  • Steve: Lodi 33, Middleton 32
  • Teague: Lodi 39, Middleton 38

Mineral Point vs. Lodi

  • Steve: Mineral Point 36, Lodi 23
  • Teague: Mineral Point 45, Lodi 21

Middleton vs. Sugar River

  • Steve: Middleton 33, Sugar River 21
  • Teague: Middleton 42, Sugar River 27