February 21, 2018 at 1:05 p.m.
Far from finished
Five Hodag seniors look to make noise at WIAA state wrestling tournament
Far from finished
All five will take to the mats at the Kohl Center in Madison this afternoon, hoping that by Saturday night they'll be standing on the podium.
"It's a great accomplishment to make it down there and I feel great about it, but I know we can all do so much more," Krueger said after finishing second at sectionals in the 220-pound weight class last Saturday in Wausau. "This is our senior year and every single one of us is capable of placing."
That's the mindset for the five, though only one of them has actually made the state podium. Jacob DeMeyer placed fourth a year ago at 145 pounds.
DeMeyer reached the semifinals last year before falling to eventual state champ Jaden Van Maanen of La Crosse Central. This year, DeMeyer said he wants to be wrestling in the finals on Saturday night as well.
"I want to be on the top of the podium. That's my ultimate goal, obviously, but if not I'll be happy either way," he said.
Many of the seniors are drawing upon Guzik's mindset as they prepare for today's competition. A year ago, Guzik admitted to being satisfied with merely making the state field as a qualifier at 113. He proceeded to lose in the first round to Pulaski's Cole Gille, 7-4, and though he made the wrestleback, he was knocked off in the first round of the consolation bracket by Sauk Prairie's Dylan Herbrand.
"This year, I have more hefty goals and having the support of my teammates is going to be a big help down there," Guzik said.
Olson said he took the words of Guzik, his sparring partner at practice, to heart. Both managed their weight all season to be eligible to drop to lighter weight classes for the tournament and now both want to make the most of their opportunity.
"Yeah, the cutting weight part of it sucks, but it's going to be worth it when we get down there and we won't be content with where we are already at and always push for something better," Olson said. "That's where my mentality is going to be going down there this week."
It's been a breakthrough season for Olson, who is 40-6 on the year. He's been a solid wrestler the past three seasons but could never quite put it together come February. Coach Paul Ellenbecker said that's changed this year, thanks to some senior urgency and a renewed mindset.
"He's always had the ability but, this year, he's right in the head. He goes out there, competes and believes he can beat anybody. When he believes in himself, he can do a lot of things," he said.
Ellenbecker said practice this week has been light and fun as his seniors prepare to embark on one final ride.
"We're going to stay healthy. We're going to enjoy it and we're going to love every second of it," he said. "We're going to be ready to go for Madison and make some noise down there."
Breaking down the matchups
Of the five Hodag qualifiers, DeMeyer and Kurtz have the most state matches under their belts. Kurtz finished one win shy of the placement rounds last year.
Both have similar setups in their draws, with potential semifinal matches against the top ranked wrestlers in their bracket should they make it that far.
DeMeyer (43-1) opens with Holmen senior Zach Gordon (35-10), who received honorable mention in the Feb. 15 survey by Wisconsin Wrestling Online in the 145-pound bracket. Should DeMeyer win that match, there exists the possibility of a GNC rematch with Antigo's Brandon Lucht, who faces Cedarburg's Max Grudzinski in the first round.
DeMeyer beat Lucht by 6-2 decision during a GNC dual in Rhinelander Jan. 18.
Should DeMeyer get to the semifinals, it would potentially set up a matchup between the Nos. 1 and 2 wrestlers in the bracket, should Sun Prairie's Drew Scharenbrock make it through. Scharenbrock, the 2017 champ at 138 pounds, is currently 47-0 on the season.
It's a similar story for the third-ranked Kurtz (43-1) at 195. He opens against Kenosha Bradford's Kyle Bowens (35-7) in the first round. Should he make it to the semifinals, he could face undefeated and top-ranked Beau Yineman (41-0) of Neenah.
Kurtz, who finished one match short of the placement rounds last year, said he's eager to finish higher this year.
"I'm setting the bar high this year," he said. "There's no absolute standouts that are overly elite. I'm shooting for as high as I can go, hopefully making it to the finals."
The wrestler who denied Kurtz a spot on the podium last year, Appleton North's Brock Danielski, will be Krueger's first round opponent at 220 pounds.
Danielski, who's ranked 11th at 220, didn't face Krueger when the teams met in December at the Battle on the Bay in Suamico.
Danielski lost to Kurtz, 19-10, in what Ellenbecker referred to at the time as a "dirty match". He claimed Danielski elbowed Kurtz in an effort to avoid being pinned.
Krueger (37-7) ended up third in the Battle on the Bay. His only loss came to top-ranked Aric Bohn of Mukwonago, who Krueger could face again in the semifinals, should both advance that far. But Krueger has a tough half of the bracket. His side of the draw features three of the top four wrestlers in the state, and six of the top 11.
"This time of year, anything can happen," Krueger said. "You'll see a lot of upsets and it's really just survival at this point."
Like DeMeyer, Kurtz and Krueger, Guzik (35-10) could met the state No. 1 in the semifinals at 113, Hortonville's Eric Barnett, but both have a tough road to get there. Guzik starts against sixth-ranked Jake Stritesky (42-5) of Badger while Barnett could have a potential second-round match against second-ranked Zeke Smith of Sauk Prairie.
Olson didn't get cut many breaks as a sectional champ at 120. He opens against eighth-ranked Sam Winski of Waterford (36-15) out of the gates and, should he win that match, would get a quarterfinal bout against either second-ranked Dominic Dentino of Arrowhead (38-3) or fifth-ranked Edward Wilkowski of Watertown (37-4).
First-round matches start at 3 p.m., with quarterfinal matches later this evening. Wrestlers who win their first match automatically qualify for Friday's competition while first-round losers advance only if the wrestler who defeats them wins the quarterfinal.
Consolations rounds take place Friday morning with the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Friday. Placement rounds for third-sixth place take place Saturday morning with the state championship matches Saturday evening.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.