WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament set for Feb. 23-25 at Madison

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

SHAWANO — The dominance of the Stratford wrestling team continued Saturday with another impressive performance at the WIAA Division 3 individual sectional at Shawano High School.

The Tigers, who secured a spot in the WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament with a sectional victory on Tuesday, will have 11 at the individual state meet for the second year in a row as eight athletes won sectional titles and three others placed third.

The top three finishers in each of the 14 weight classes qualify for the 2017 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 23-25.

Senior Kamren Bornbach will be back at state as he shoots for his third-straight Division 3 title. He won the 182-pound title the past two seasons and will take a 36-1 record into the 220-pound division after beating Max Villnow of Amherst 13-7 to capture the sectional crown.

Juniors A.J. Schoenfuss and Jeremy Schoenherr also will be back to shoot for their third-straight state titles.

Schoenfuss (32-5) pinned Matthew Grossman of Pittsville in 1:46 to win the 120-pound sectional title. He won state at 120 last year and 103 as a freshman in 2015.

Schoenherr, who was limited due to injuries throughout the season, improves to 14-0 after whipping Sammy VanStraten of Shiocton 7-2 to take the 138-pound sectional title. He will be looking to win a state title at his third different weight, taking the D-3 crown at 113 as a freshman and 126 last year.

Tyson Kauffman, a state champion as well last year for Stratford, also returns to Madison. Battling injuries himself throughout the season, Kauffman (12-5) finished third at 285-pounds. He lost in the championship match to Donovan Salewski of Coleman at the first-period buzzer and then forfeited a second-place wrestleback.

Senior Mason Kauffman, who won a 126-pound title two years ago and was forced to settle for a runner-up finish at 152 last year after suffering a heart ailment that sidelined him for the championship match at state, will take his 128-0 career record into this year’s state meet at 152. Kauffman won a major decision over Stetson Potrykus of Wittenberg-Birnamwood 10-1 to win the sectional title.

Also winning sectional titles to qualify for state for the Tigers were sophomore Manny Drexler at 106 pounds, sophomore Derek Marten at 126, junior Jake Drexler at 132, and senior David Marquardt at 160. Marten, Marquardt, and Jake Drexler also reached the state tournament last year.

Manny Drexler (39-3) edged Cian Fischer of Weyauwega-Fremont 4-3, Marten (36-4) topped Aiden Wusterbarth of Oconto 8-5, Jake Drexler (40-2) got by Sawyer Theobald of Shiocton 8-2, and Marquardt (35-4) blanked Nathaniel Morse of Athens 5-0 in their respective weight class championship matches.

Kade Ehrike (170) and Aiden Hoffman (195) both finished third to also qualify for state.

Auburndale had four sectional qualifiers, but none advanced to the state meet.

Dylan Baird (113), Dylan Altmann (152), and Keller Wolfe (170) all finished fourth for the Apaches.

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

2017 WIAA Division 3 Individual Wrestling Sectional

Feb. 18, at Shawano High School

Team scores: 1. Stratford 219; 2. Coleman 122; 3. Athens 96; 3. Shiocton 65; 5. Weyauwega-Fremont 55; 6. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 49; 7. Amherst 41; 8. Edgar 39; 9. Oconto 27; 10. Bonduel 24.5; 11. Pittsville 24; 12. Menominee Indian 23; 13. Auburndale 22; 14. Florence/Niagara 20.5; 15. Rosholt 14; 16. Tri-County 10; 17. Wabeno/Laona 9; 18. Crandon 4; 19. Manawa 3; 20. Crivitz, Elcho, Gillett/Suring, Marathon and Three Lakes 0.

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

106 pounds

Championship: Manny Drexler (ST) def. Cian Fischer (WF) 4-3.
Third place: Koltin Grzybowski (COL) pinned Chad Moegenburg (WB) in 2:31.

113 pounds

Championship: Caleb Gross (COL) pinned Carter Brunke (ATH) in 1:24.
Third place: Easton Groskreutz (WF) def. Dylan Baird (AUB) 12-11.

120 pounds

Championship: A.J. Schoenfuss (ST) pinned Matthew Grossman (PIT) in 1:46.
Third place: Justin Kempf (WF) def. Jordan Boldt (BON) 3-0.
Second-place wrestleback: Kempf (WF) def. Grossman (PIT) 5-0.

126 pounds

Championship: Derek Marten (ST) def. Aiden Wusterbarth (OC) 8-5.
Third place: Billy Ganter (COL) def. Hampton Kedrowicz (ROH) 6-4, SV-1.
Second-place wrestleback: Wusterbarth (OC) def. Ganter (COL) by medical forfeit.

132 pounds

Championship: Jake Drexler (ST) def. Sawyer Theobald (SHI) 8-2.
Third place: Jake Baldwin (COL) won by major dec. over Brenden Dorner (WL) 9-1.
Second-place wrestleback: Baldwin (COL) def. Theoblad (SHI) 6-2.

138 pounds

Championship: Jeremy Schoenherr (ST) def. Sammy VanStraten (SHI) 7-2.
Third place: Tyler Dammann (PIT) def. Tyler Wusterbarth (OC) 8-6, SV-1.

145 pounds

Championship: Austin Engel (ATH) pinned Levi Snortum (SHI) in 1:30.
Third place: Shamus McLain (FN) pinned Jordan Becker in 1:39.
Second-place wrestleback: McLain (FN) def. Snortum (SHI) by medical forfeit.

152 pounds

Championship: Mason Kauffman (ST) won by major dec. over Stetson Potrykus (WB) 10-1.
Third place: Brandon Peckham (TC) def. Dylan Altmann (AUB) 12-5.
Second-place wrestleback: Potrykus (WB) def. Peckham (TC) 5-0.

160 pounds

Championship: David Marquardt (ST) def. Nathaniel Morse (ATH) 5-0.
Third place: Antonio Mahkimetas (MI) def. Billy Reif (SHI) 9-5.

170 pounds

Championship: Jordan Blanchard (COL) def. Jacob Banker (BON) 3-1, SV-1.
Third place: Kade Ehrike (ST) won by major dec. over Kellar Wolfe (AUB) 8-0.

182 pounds

Championship: Alex Peplinski (WB) won by major dec. over Will Raatz (ED) 13-0.
Third place: Marshall Westfall (ATH) pinned Blake Johnson (SHI) in 1:07.
Second-place wrestleback: Raatz (ED) def. Westfall (ATH) by medical forfeit.

195 pounds

Championship: Bryce Holderman (AM) pinned Aiden Hoffman (ST) in 1:06.
Third place: Alex Lemanski (ED) pinned Jacob Zeitler (COL) in 3:26.
Second-place wrestleback: Lemanski (ED) def. Hoffman (ST) 6-2.

220 pounds

Championship: Kamren Bornbach (ST) def. Max Villnow (AM) 13-7.
Third place: Dylen Kircherer (WF) def. Dakota Venzke (ATH) 1-0.
Second-place wrestleback: Villnow (AM) won major dec. over Kicherer (WR) 9-1.

285 pounds

Championship: Donovan Salewski (COL) pinned Tyson Kauffman (ST) in 2:00.
Third place: Tyson Sommer (ATH) pinned Alenex Warrington (MI) in 3:26.
Second-place wrestleback: Sommer (ATH) def. Kauffman (ST) by medical forfeit.