State meet set for Feb. 23-25 at Kohl Center in Madison

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

RIVER FALLS — Two Marshfield sophomores qualified for the next week’s WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament after earning second-place finishes at the WIAA Division 1 sectional on Saturday at River Falls High School.

The Tigers had 13 of their 14 individuals qualify for the sectional, but only two made it through the brackets to move on to the state meet, which will be Feb. 23-25 at the Kohl Center in Madison. The top two finishers at each weight class at the sectional move on to the state meet.

Nolan Hertel will be making heading back to state for the second year in a row after coming through a wrestleback scenario to earn second place at 145 pounds.

Hertel (32-9) beat Nathan Fuller of River Falls by major decision, 11-1, in the third-place match and then knocked off Wisconsin Rapids’ Bergh Diebel 7-5 in a second-place wrestleback to earn a spot in Madison. Hertel did not place at last season’s state meet at 138 pounds. Hertel had lost to Diebel three times this season.

“It felt good to beat a kid who I felt I was supposed to beat (referring to beating Diebel),” Hertel said. “Last year qualifying for state was a great learning experience, and this year I can focus on winning matches instead of just being there.”

Joining Hertel at the state meet will be Sam Mitchell (25-14), who won by technical fall and major decision before dropping the 170-pound championship match to Nathan White of D.C. Everest 14-3.

“It feels great to be peaking at the right time,” Mitchell said. “All of the offseason training that I have done is starting to pay off. I am looking forward to wrestling in the state tournament and winning some matches.”

Marshfield senior Anthony Kanable suffered a heart-breaking end to his Tigers career. He lost the 138-pound championship match to Bryce Younger of New Richmond 4-2 and dropped a second-place wrestleback to Sam Skillings of Menomonie 9-6 to finish his season with a 31-6 record.

Alex Brost (182) and Sam Bauman (220) each finished fourth for Marshfield.

Shane Westerhausen (106), Caden Dennee (113), Tanner Kanable (120), Caden Pearce (132), Payton Young (152), Conner Peterson (195), and A.J. Leonhardt (285) each lost their first match at the sectional.

“I am extremely proud of all of the Tiger wrestlers today,” Marshfield coach Jackson Hein said. “The sectional wrestling tournament is always a rollercoaster day. Although we only got two wrestlers to state, all of our guys battled, and that is all a coach can ask for. Nolan Hertel and Sam Mitchell are guys that put a ton of time in during the offseason, and it showed today.”

Hertel will face Joshua Otto (35-4) of Hartland Arrowhead, and Mitchell will take on Connor Williams (44-1) of La Crosse Central in Division 1 preliminary matches late Thursday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

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

2017 WIAA Division 1 Individual Wrestling Sectional

Feb. 18, at River Falls High School

Team scores: 1. Hudson 115; 2. Rhinelander 98.5; 3. D.C. Everest 81; 4. Stevens Point 78.5; 5. Eau Claire North 72; 6. Marshfield 59.5; 7. New Richmond 47; 8. Wausau West 46; 9. Wisconsin Rapids 45; 10. Merrill 37.5; 11. Eau Claire Memorial 33.5; 12. Menomonie 27; 13. River Falls 23; 14. Chippewa Falls 20; 15. Superior 8; 16. Wausau East 0.

*Top two in each weight class qualify for the WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament, Feb. 23-25, at Kohl Center in Madison.

106 pounds

Championship: Justin Groshek (SP) def. Cameron Schmeister (WW) 5-0.
Third place: Leo Draveling (HUD) pinned Cale Benitz (WR) in 1:32.

113 pounds

Championship: Brady Koontz (SP) pinned Reuben Guzik (RH) in 4:42.
Third place: Carter Duerkop (ECN) def. Brandon Dennis (NR) 8-1.

120 pounds

Championship: Dylan Koontz (SP) def. Mitchell Anderson (HUD) 10-3.
Third place: Michael Rebozo (RF) def. Tyler Olson (RH) 7-5.
Second-place wrestleback: Anderson (HUD) def. Rebozo (RF) 4-0.

126 pounds

Championship: Mason Phillips (ECN) def. Chance Bailey (SP) 5-0.
Third place: Thomas Severson (DC) pinned Dylan Schimmel (CF) in 2:32.
Second-place wrestleback: Severson (DC) def. Bailey (SP) 3-1.

132 pounds

Championship: Wyler Lueck (WR) def. Devon Schultz (MER) 3-1, SV-1.
Third place: Vincent Fanning (HUD) won by major dec. over Chase Bergeron (CF) 14-6.
Second-place wrestleback: Schultz (MER) pinned Fanning (HUD) in 3:00.

138 pounds

Championship: Bryce Younger (NR) def. Anthony Kanable (MAR) 4-2.
Third place: Sam Skillings (MEN) pinned Brandon McClure (SUP) in 1:59.
Second-place wrestleback: Skillings (MEN) def. Kanable (MAR) 9-6.

145 pounds

Championship: Jacob DeMeyer (RH) won by technical fall over Bergh Diebel (WR) 16-1.
Third place: Nolan Hertel (MAR) won by major dec. over Nathan Fuller (RF) 11-1.
Second-place wrestleback: Hertel (MAR) def. Diebel (WR) 7-5.

152 pounds

Championship: Jacob Anderson (HUD) won by technical fall over Dawson Eilts (ECN) 25-10.
Third place: Jake Boyette (MEN) def. Dylan Wachter (NR) 7-2.
Second-place wrestleback: Eilts (ECN) def. Boyette (MEN) 6-4.

160 pounds

Championship: Alec Bess (RH) pinned Nathan Fehlen (NR) in 0:29.
Third place: Levi Smith (ECM) pinned Riley Wyandt (CF) in 4:01.

170 pounds

Championship: Nathan White (DC) won by major dec. over Sam Mitchell (MAR) 14-3.
Third place: Calen Henkens (WW) pinned Max Benitz (WR) in 1:28.

182 pounds

Championship: Alec Kurtz (RH) def. Jordan LaRue (WW) 7-1.
Third place: Tyrel Busby (HUD) def. Alex Brost (MAR) 10-5.

195 pounds

Championship: Othayun Smith (ECM) def. Sam Stroik (DC) 10-5.
Third place: Colton Krueger (RH) def. Chance Kamrowski (RF) 9-2.
Second-place wrestleback: Stroik (DC) def. Colton Krueger (RH) 4-2.

220 pounds

Championship: Cole Godbout (HUD) def. Berkley Corvino (DC) 10-5.
Third place: Antonio Putnick (ECN) def. Sam Bauman (MAR) 5-1.

285 pounds

Championship: Isac Schindler (HUD) def. Noah Bolling (MER) 3-2, TB-1.
Third place: Jack Carruth (ECN) won by major dec. over Trenton Olson (DC) 14-3.