Tigers avenge loss to Fennimore in last year’s D-3 championship dual

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

MADISON — A year after suffering the most heartbreaking loss possible at the state team tournament, Stratford wrestling left little doubt that it was the best Division 3 team in Wisconsin this year.

Stratford cruised to a 52-13 win over Random Lake and a 49-13 rout of Fennimore to capture the Division 3 championship at the 2017 WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse.

The title is Stratford’s first state title in six appearances at the team state meet.

Stratford lost to Fennimore last season in the Division 3 state finals as the two teams tied, and Fennimore won via a tiebreaker by virtue of taking eight of the 14 individual matches.

Against Fennimore Saturday, Jeremy Schoenherr (145 pounds), David Marquardt (170), Kamren Bornbach (220), and Manny Drexler (106) won by pin for the Tigers; Mason Kauffman earned a technical fall win at 152; and A.J. Schoenfuss (120) and Dylan Schoenherr (182) grabbed major decisions in the win.

Also earning victories for Stratford in the championship dual were Jake Drexler in overtime at 132, Kade Ehrike at 160, Aiden Hoffman at 195, and Tyson Kauffman at 285.

“I can’t say enough of how proud I am of these kids and my staff,” Stratford coach Joe Schwabe said. “Together everyone seemed well-prepared and very focused and determined. Somehow this group has risen to the occasion all year battling (through) various injuries and filling in for one another. Today was no different.

“We knew we had some tougher matchups early with Fennimore, so if we could keep our composure and let everyone do their jobs, things would work out. After falling a little behind, Jeremy Schoenherr got us a pin to keep us on track. Also, I believe our seniors went undefeated on the day, which is the leadership we love to see.”

The Tigers had six pins in the semifinal win over Random Lake, four coming in the first period. Manny Drexler (106) started the match with a pin in just 48 seconds at 106 to set the tone.

After a Random Lake victory, Stratford ripped off four straight wins to take a commanding 24-3 lead. Jake Drexler (132), Mason Kauffman (152), Marquardt (170), Hoffman (195) and Ethan Fabry (285) also had pins for the Tigers.

“Our first meet with Random Lake was no pushover,” Schwabe said. “They had nine state qualifiers this year and several finalists. However, we seemed to match up well, and the kids wrestled hard. Early in the dual A.J. Schoenfuss beat a four-time medalist handily, which kind of set the tone for the rest of our guys.”

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

2017 WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament

March 4, at UW Fieldhouse, Madison

Divison 3 Semifinals

Stratford 52, Random Lake 13

106: Manny Drexler (Stratford) over Dylan Weiss (Random Lake) pin, 0:48.
113: Anthony Rautmann (Random Lake) over Mavrick Licciardi (Stratford) Dec., 10-3.
120: A. J. Schoenfuss (Stratford) over Josh Depies (Random Lake) Dec., 7-6.
126: Derek Marten (Stratford) over Tristan Hammen (Random Lake) technical fall, 15-0.
132: Jake Drexler (Stratford) over Stone Goral (Random Lake) pin, 0:58.
138: Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford) over Cesar Luis (Random Lake) major dec., 13-5.
145: Grayson Vandenbush (Random Lake) over Jordan Becker (Stratford) Dec., 5-3.
152: Mason Kauffman (Stratford) over Jake Sagal (Random Lake) pin, 1:19.
160: David Marquardt (Stratford) over Allan Arendt (Random Lake) pin, 1:29.
170: Levi Kohn (Random Lake) over Kade Ehrike (Stratford) Dec., 12-5.
182: Helton Vandenbush (Random Lake) over Dylan Schoenherr (Stratford) major dec., 17-6.
195: Aiden Hoffman (Stratford) over Deryk Labinski (Random Lake) pin, 2:48.
220: Kamren Bornbach (Stratford) over Hunter Huiras (Random Lake) major dec., 19-6.
285: Ethan Fabry (Stratford) over Ben Drenski (Random Lake) pin, 5:33.

Division 3 Championship

Stratford 49, Fennimore 13

113: Alex Birchman (Fennimore) over Mavrick Licciardi (Stratford) Maj., 11-2
120: A. J. Schoenfuss (Stratford) over Aidan Nutter (Fennimore) Maj., 13-0.
126: Trevor Wanek (Fennimore) over Derek Marten (Stratford) Dec., 5-1.
132: Jake Drexler (Stratford) over Maguire Fitzgerald (Fennimore) SV-1 10-8.
138: Justin Tollefson (Fennimore) over Dilan Dehlinger (Stratford) pin, 4:50.
145: Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford) over Hunter Wardell (Fennimore) pin, 4:58.
152: Mason Kauffman (Stratford) over Tyler Klaas (Fennimore) technical fall, 17-2.
160: Kade Ehrike (Stratford) over Will Ahnen (Fennimore) Dec., 6-5.
170: David Marquardt (Stratford) over Conner Blaschke (Fennimore) pin, 3:36.
182: Dylan Schoenherr (Stratford) over Tavian Kaschub (Fennimore) Maj., 10-1.
195: Aiden Hoffman (Stratford) over Cody McCollough (Fennimore) Dec., 7-4.
220: Kamren Bornbach (Stratford) over Dylan Kehoe (Fennimore) pin, 1:40.
285: Tyson Kauffman (Stratford) over Deven O`Brien (Fennimore) Dec., 3-0.
106: Manny Drexler (Stratford) over Mason Lull (Fennimore) pin, 2:40.