Two Rockets open competition Thursday night

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

SPENCER — Two Spencer/Columbus wrestlers will be participating in first-round matches at the 2016 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament in Madison on Thursday.

Senior Austin Post takes a 29-8 record into his Division 2 132-pound preliminary match against Jacob Busser (34-14) of Lodi, and sophomore Hunter Luepke (39-5) will wrestle Rylan Burrows (38-5) of Adams-Friendship in a 182-pound match Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

Post, who finished second at last week’s Osceola sectional, is making his first and only trip to state.

“Austin Post really had to work to get to where he is today,” Spencer/Columbus coach Jake Zschernitz said. “He is a good athlete, but he’s only been wrestling since his freshman year. In a sport where the top guys in the state have been wrestling since they were young, Austin has really worked hard to get caught up and put himself on that level.”

Luepke was third at the sectional and is going to the state tournament for the second-straight season. Luepke suffered a first-round loss a year ago.

“Hunter is one of those kids with the natural athletic ability that allows him to be great at whatever sport he plays,” Zschernitz said. “Along with that ability, he’s been wrestling since he was young and has been really dominating in this sport.”

Zschernitz said however things go in Madison, both will come away winners.

“Austin and Hunter both are great kids and students,” Zschernitz said. “Regardless of what happens in Madison this weekend, they’re winners — winners in the toughest and most demanding sport there is.”

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

2016 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Championships

Feb. 25-27, Kohl Center, Madison

Thursday, Feb. 25

3 p.m. – Division 1 preliminaries
5:15 p.m. – Division 1 quarterfinals
7:15 p.m. – Division 2 & 3 preliminaries

Friday, Feb. 26

10 a.m. – Division 1 consolation matches
11:15 a.m. – Division 2 & 3 quarterfinals
1:45 p.m. – Division 1 consolation semifinals
2:45 p.m. – Division 2 & 3 consolation semifinals
7 p.m. – Semifinals, all divisions

Saturday, Feb. 27

11 a.m. – Consolation wrestlebacks, all divisions; followed by fifth-place and third-place matches in all divisions
6 p.m. – Championship matches, all divisions

Spencer/Columbus matches

Division 2 preliminaries (Thursday evening)

132 pounds: Austin Post (29-8) Spencer/Columbus versus Jacob Busser (34-14) Lodi.
182 pounds: Hunter Luepke (39-5) Spencer/Columbus versus Rylan Burrows (38-5) Adams-Friendship.