February 23, 2018 at 12:24 p.m.
Guzik, DeMeyer on to state wrestling semis
All five Hodags advance to Day 2 of tournament
Guzik, DeMeyer on to state wrestling semis
Reuben Guzik and Jacob DeMeyer won both of their matches Thursday at the Kohl Center to advance to the semifinal round, which took place last night. Tyler Olson, Alec Kurtz and Colton Krueger were still alive following Day 1 and were set to try to work their way back through the wrestleback Friday morning where they could still place as high as third in their brackets.
"You can't really complain about that, having everyone make it to the second day, winning some close matches. A lot of excitement and I'm proud of the guys," Hodag coach Paul Ellenbecker said.
Guzik (37-10) got off to a strong start in the 113-pound bracket, pinning Badger's Jake Stritesky (42-6) 16 seconds into the second period. He then fought off Slinger's Michael Parker (37-13) in a tense match, 10-9 to reach the semifinals.
"He ends up getting a crossface cradle in and getting quick 16-second pin in the second period," Ellenbecker said, referring to Guzik's win over Stritesky, who entered the tournament ranked fourth in the bracket, according to Wisconsin Wrestling Online. "Pretty impressive move and it goes to show you, you get one good move in and you can win a match. He did just that."
DeMeyer (45-1) controlled both of his preliminary matches on Thursday, beating Holmen's Zach Gordon (35-11), 8-1 followed by a 12-1 major in a Great Northern Conference rematch against Antigo's Brandon Lucht.
"Jacob wrestled him really well, really smart. Lucht's been on quite a roll, beating a lot of good kids," Ellenbecker said.
Both Guzik and DeMeyer faced tough draws in Friday night's semifinal. Guzik was set to face top-ranked Eric Barnett of Hortonville while DeMeyer was set to clash with Sun Prairie's Drew Scharenbrock in a battle of the first and second-ranked wrestlers at 145.
"One's going to North Carolina. One's going to the Badgers. They're obviously talented kids, but you've got to go wrestle them," Ellenbecker said of the Hodags' semifinal opponents.
Alec Kurtz (44-2) was on his way to joining Guzik and DeMeyer in the semifinals until a stunning turn of events in his quarterfinal match at 195. Leading Kimberly's Alex Mischka 5-2 and riding in the third, Kurtz gave up a reversal and back points and ended up losing, 7-5.
"It was kind of roll through and he got caught on his back," Ellenbecker said, noting the Kurtz's lack of six-minute matches this season may have hurt him late in the Mischka match. "I don't know exactly how it happened, all I know he was rolling through and got caught on his back. It's a five-point swing and that was the difference."
Tyler Olson (41-7) opened with a 6-4 decision over Waterford's Sam Winski in the 120-pound bracket but ran into a buzzsaw in the quarterfinals, losing to second-ranked Dominic Dentino in a major decision, 11-2.
Colton Krueger was the only Hodag who didn't win at least one match on Thursday. He lost to Appleton North's Brock Danielski 12-4 in the first round at 220, but got a spot in the wrestleback when Danielski got a late third-period takedown to defeat Oak Creek's John Wright 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
"Danielski forced the pace a little bit and got some leg attacks on him. It was tough on Colton, his first trip to state and getting in the groove of things," Ellenbecker said. "It's a nice opportunity for Colton. He's living another day. He had to rely on someone else but it worked out for him."
The three-day meet concludes today with the placement rounds at 10 a.m. and the state finals at 5 p.m.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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