Kaukauna, Amery and Mineral Point were crowned of the 2021 State Team Wrestling Tournaments held at three different locations Saturday.
The top-seeded Galloping Ghosts (13-0) defeated former three-time defending champion Stoughton (6-2) 38-26 in the championship match in Division 1 held at Kaukauna High School.
Kaukauna won seven bouts, including five pins in the match. Lucas Peter recorded a fall at 4:28 at 106; Greyson Clark posted a fall 25 seconds into the match at 126; Logan Stumpf notched a pin at 2:46 at the 138-pound weight class; Titus Hammen had a fall in 25 seconds at 152; and Drew Wendzecki recorded a fall in 47 seconds at 170. Griffin Bekish added a technical fall at 182.
Brooks Empey won by disqualification at 285, and Luke Mechler added a technical fall at 160 to lead the Vikings.
Kaukauna advanced to the championship match following a 59-16 win over Brookfield East in the quarterfinals and a 60-18 win over Waunakee in the semifinals. Stoughton advanced to the title bout with wins over Waterford, 51-30, in the quarterfinals and Slinger, 39-34, in the semifinals.
The Galloping Ghosts add their fifth gold trophy in their 19th State appearance. The Vikings finish runner-up in their 15th experience in the State Team Wrestling Tournament.
Amery (14-0) is the champion in Division 2 with a 40-31 win over Prairie du Chien (10-4) title match held at Adams-Friendship High School.
The top-seeded Warriors were ignited by pins from Wyatt Ingham at 126 in 3:24, Jordan Penard at 138 in 1:54, and Koy Hopke at 220 in 21 seconds. Walker Ingram won by disqualification at 160, and Kale Hopke won by forfeit at 195. Brendan Burke won his match by major decision at 106 to contribute to Amery’s eight bouts won in the match.
The Blackhawks were led by falls from Drake Ingham in 1:37 at 113, Rhett Koenig in 1:23 at 120, Matt Rogge in 1:07 at 152 and Bradyn Saint in 3:18 at 182.
The Warriors advanced to the championship match with a 40-31 win over Kiel in the semifinals, and the Blackhawks downed Winneconne 45-27 to earn their berth in the final.
Amery captures the gold trophy in its first-ever appearance in the State team tourney, and Prairie du Chien is runner-up in its second appearance.
Second-seeded Mineral Point (8-0) won the Division 3 championship by edging top-seeded Coleman (9-2) 33-32 in the championship match held at Wausau West High School.
Each team won seven bouts, including three falls and two decisions. The difference came with a major decision and a technical fall by the Pointers compared to two major decisions for the Cougars.
The three pins for the Pointers were by Tarrin Riley in 44 seconds at 126, Nolan Springer in 1:16 at 170 and Mason Hughes in 1:52 at 182. Reid Spurley was the difference in the match with a technical fall at 120. Lucas Sullivan added a major decision at 113.
The Cougars’ falls came from Will Bieber in 4:09 at 138, Karson Casper in 5:25 at 145 and Peter Kuchta in 2:43 at 160. Cameron Kimmell and Spencer Karban each posted major decisions in their matches at 285 and 106, respectively.
The Pointers defeated Random Lake 36-17 in their semifinal matchup, and Coleman beat Cadott 46-18 to earn its berth in the championship match.
Mineral Point wins its 11th State team championship in its 11th team tourney appearance. Six of the Pointers titles came prior to the advent of the team tournament format. The Cougars finish runner-up in their 15th State experience.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
