February 19, 2018 at 12:45 p.m.
Five for fighting
vHodag wrestlers claim three sectional titles, send five seniors to state
Five for fighting
That dream became a reality Saturday as Tyler Olson, Jacob DeMeyer and Alec Kurtz won WIAA Division 1 sectional wrestling titles at Wausau West. They will be joined at the Kohl Center in Madison for this week's state tournament by Reuben Guzik and Colton Krueger, who finished second in their weight classes.
The five have been on the road to Madison all year. All five have been ranked in the state most of the season. All five won Great Northern Conference titles and backed it up with regional championships. Saturday's accomplishment was the icing on the cake.
"This was what we work hard for all year, to put ourselves in position and we've got five guys going down to the state tournament," said RHS wrestling coach Paul Ellenbecker who noted it was the team's best performance at a sectional tournament since 1971. "Not a lot of schools can say that," he said.
"This year's probably the best, going out with these seniors, all five of us going down there, it's pretty exciting," added DeMeyer, who qualified for his fourth WIAA state tournament.
Though the final destination was the same, the paths the five took to qualify for state were different. DeMeyer, Olson and Kurtz controlled all three of their matches en route to the title. Guzik had to make his way though the wrestleback after losing in the semifinals while Krueger dodged a bullet and avoided a wrestleback after a loss in the championship match.
It was business as usual for DeMeyer, ranked second in Division 1 at 145 pounds. He beat Eau Claire Memorial's Brady Guibord by technical fall in the quarters, blanked River Falls' Garrett Borth 13-0 in the semis and controlled sixth-ranked Nolan Hertel of Marshfield 7-1 in the championship match.
"I felt like I had good control today. I had my strength, quickness. Everything was working for me today," DeMeyer said.
Kurtz, who now holds Rhinelander's all-time pins record, mowed down his first two opponents - Hudson's Alanzo Madsen and Wisconsin Rapids' Layne Kalata with first-period pins - before going the distance with eighth-ranked Chance Kamrowski of River Falls. Despite allowing a takedown and a reversal in the third period, the third-ranked 195-pounder, cruised to a 12-4 major decision.
"I can't even remember the last time I had to wrestle six minutes," Kurtz joked.
He has a short memory. The last Kurtz match that went the distance was a win over Medford's Jake Rau in a GNC dual back on Jan. 25.
"I got a little tired," he added. "He was a very strong guy and I could never let my guard down. It kind of wore on me, but I just kept moving. I respected him but I never let off."
For Olson, Saturday's sectional was the culmination for four long years trying to reach the state tournament.
Olson pinned River Falls' Cayden Henning in the first match and defeated D.C. Everest's Freddy Lehrke 12-4 in the semifinals before knocking off Wausau West's Cameron Schmeiser in the finals at 120. Olson got a two-point near fall at the end of the second period to go up 4-0 in the match and hung on in a scoreless third period.
"It was absolutely huge," Ellenbecker said of the two extra points Olson picked up late in the second period. "It created the separation. I think that kid realized that when Tyler got that four-point lead (it was over)."
Ellenbecker credited Olson's improved mindset this year as the key factor that helped push him over the top and into the WIAA state tournament. Olson concurred.
"I came out with the attitude that it's my last chance to get to state," he said. "I knew it wasn't going to be as easy as last week. So I had to have a better mentality and I think that's what pushed me to go do what I did.
"Thirteen years of busting my butt (paid off). These years of wrestling Reuben, I couldn't have asked for a better partner, it's just great to see all that hard work pay off in the end."
But Olson almost did not have Guzik to celebrate the occasion with down in Madison after the 11th-ranked 113-pounder lost to Marshfield's Gabe Pugh 6-3 in a rematch of last week's regional final won by Guzik.
To get a shot at state, Guzik needed to win the third-place match - which he did easily pinning Chippewa Falls' Jakob Anderson in 57 seconds - and needed Pugh to beat Wisconsin Rapids' Cale Benitz in the finals. Pugh obliged with a 6-3 decision and Guzik went on to control the second-place wrestleback, defeating Benitz 8-2.
"Reuben in his semi, he couldn't get any offense going. He's got to work on some different ties and, if they wrestle again, he's got to attack a different way. They were obviously ready for him," Ellenbecker said. "He got going right away on Benitz with his takedowns. Reuben's a tough kid and he's a special kid that's been working. I'm just happy for him. Two-time state qualifier, that's a big deal for him considering he only started as an eighth grader."
Guzik said he drew upon his experience of previously qualifying for state in the wrestleback.
"I just stayed relaxed and I wanted (to get back to) state," he said. "I guess being in this environment (before) it helps give you the fortitude to keep going."
In a span of a few short seconds, Krueger went from tied in his 220-pound sectional championship match against Superior's Oscar Flaherty, to trailing and preparing for a wrestleback, to getting to state automatically as the second-place finisher.
After earning an escape to tie Flaherty 5-5 early in the third period, Krueger gave up a takedown with 22 seconds remaining and ended up losing 7-5. On the adjacent mat, just as Krueger fell behind, Wausau West's Timothy Mineau - trailing Marshfield's Alex Brost 6-1 in the third period of the third-place match - hit a cradle and pinned Brost. Because Krueger beat Mineau in the semifinals, Krueger automatically earned the runner-up spot and his first state meet appearance.
"I was preparing myself to rise to the occasion and I was relieved that I didn't have to," Krueger said. "I thought for sure I was going to have a wrestleback and I'm very thankful that I didn't. After coming so close last year in my wrestleback and coming up a little bit short, I'm just happy to join my guys at state."
The Hodags had a sixth place-winner at sectionals at freshman Tim Fox finished fourth at 106 pounds. Fox earned a quick pin in his first match of the day before getting pinned by second-ranked Justin Groshek of Stevens Point in the semifinals.
Fox lost the third-place match to Wisconsin Rapids' Damien Bennet 5-2. Bennet recorded a takedown with two seconds remaining in the second period, which proved to be the turning point of the match.
"He's going to learn that stuff and he's going to get better," Ellenbecker said of Fox, who struggled conceding late-period points down the stretch of the season.
Rhinelander's two other sectional qualifiers, Walker Hartman and Eric Grulke, met quick ends to their seasons at the hands of eventual sectional champions. Hartman was pinned in 3:45 by Eau Claire North's Mason Phillips at 138 and Grulke was pinned in 1:56 by Hudson's Jacob Anderson at 160.
"Eric and Walker both wrestled some of the elite kids in the state and I'm proud of how they went out there and competed," Ellenbecker said. "They didn't lay down. They kept working."
For Rhinelander's five remaining wrestlers, the WIAA state tournament commences Thursday at the Kohl Center. Ellenbecker said the five grapplers are not merely satisfied making it to state.
"We're going to go down there and our goal's to place," he said. "We're not done yet and we want to come home with some hardware."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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