Tigers wrestlers set a school record, earn four state championships in Madison

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

MADISON — The Stratford wrestling team had an historic night at the 2015 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament.

Stratford won a school-record four Division 3 state championships as each of its wrestlers in the championship round won at the Kohl Center in Madison on Saturday.

Two freshmen got things started for the Tigers as A.J. Schoenfuss and Jeremy Schoenherr won at 106 and 113 pounds, respectively.

Schoenfuss (46-2) dominated Austin Wolfe (40-4) of Boyceville 7-2 before Schoenherr (42-2) pinned Weston Wichman (44-5) of Johnson Creek 34 seconds into the second period.

Sophomore Mason Kauffman capped an undefeated season with a 9-5 victory over two-time state champ Kal Gerber (44-1) of Cameron at 126 pounds. Kauffman, who missed all of his freshman season with an injury, finishes the year with a perfect 49-0 record.

Stratford sophomore Mason Kauffman takes down two-time state champ Kal Gerber en route to a title of his own. (Kelly O’Day photo)

“Mason capitalized his own strengths by outscoring Gerber on his feet,” Stratford coach Joe Schwabe said. “This strategy didn’t allow Gerber to score anything but one point escapes from the bottom as Kauffman showed a command performance.”

Sophomore Kamren Bornbach (41-3) finished off the quadruple with a 5-0 whipping of Henry Fielding (44-2) of Shiocton in the 182-pound final. Bornbach took fifth at state last year.

“Kamren didn’t want to go out without matching his teammates, and he had Fielding on his back in the second period with a cradle and never looked back,” Schwabe said.

“It is great that it worked out so well that all four finalists were able to win. Seldom does it end the way we’d like, and the nice part is two are freshman and two are sophomores.”

Auburndale’s Wyatt Weiler lost his bid for a Division 3 state title, losing 7-5 to Jared Roen (42-3) of Riverdale 7-5. Weiler finishes his senior season with a 44-8 record and a state silver medal.

Weiler’s teammate, senior Paul Willfahrt, ended up taking fifth place at 145 pounds. Willfahrt (44-7) lost his consolation semifinal match to Trenton Pasch (42-8) of Royall 3-2 but turned around and beat Marc Lansin (36-7) of Coleman 5-3 in the fifth-place match.

Stratford’s Hunter Kauffman and Spencer’s Bryce Shaw ended up taking sixth place.

Hunter Kauffman, who was forced to forfeit his semifinal match on Friday night due to an injury, was unable to wrestle Saturday in the consolation round and had to forfeit his final two matches, ending the season with a 40-4 record.

Shaw, a freshman, lost both of his consolation matches Saturday to finish sixth at 113 pounds. Shaw (28-21) was pinned by Fennimore’s Riley Lull in 2:26 and lost 7-4 to Kewaunee’s Jesse Steinhorst in the fifth-place match.

Both of Marshfield’s state qualifiers earned medals in Division 1.

Senior Mitch Hertel won both of his consolation matches Saturday to take third at 160 pounds. Hertel (30-2) beat Jared Krattiger (42-2) of Waterford 7-3 and beat Austin Powell (46-3) of Sauk Prairie 5-2 in the third-place match. Hertel defeated Powell 2-1 in a preliminary-round match on Thursday.

Hertel was making his third state meet appearance and grabbed his second medal after placing fourth in 2012.

Junior Josh Lang took fourth for the Tigers. Lang (31-6) won his first consolation match by injury default over Christian Dischler of Pewaukee but lost a third-place match to Ross Agg (38-7) of Oak Creek 7-5.

Spencer’s Tim Bauer and Hunter Luepke and Stratford’s Anthony Gliniecki also competed at state and were eliminated on the first day of the tournament. Stratford’s Sam Wenzel and Tyson Kauffman won their first matches but lost in the quarterfinals and were eliminated from the tournament in the consolation bracket.

Paul Lecker is publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com, a contributor to Hub City Times Sports. You can reach him by email at [email protected]