Tough loss at team state

Tigers fall to defending state champ

By Casey Krautkramer

During a practice at the start of this season, Stratford senior wrestler Ryan Becker pointed to a Tigers state championship team photo that includes his older brother, Jordan Becker, in it on the northwest wall in the Fanetti Wrestling Center.

He recalled watching Jordan compete as a member of Stratford’s wrestling squad at the team state tournament in 2016, 2017 and 2018 before Jordan graduated high school. Ryan vowed that this season’s Tigers wrestling team would strive to qualify for the state team tournament too, just like his brother’s teams did.

Ryan and fellow seniors Jackson Ormond and Sawyer Grabow were the only members of this season’s Tigers wrestling squad who were on Stratford’s team that last qualified for team state in 2020. Stratford lost to Fennimore in the WIAA Division 3 state semifinal match that season and Tigers head coach Joe Schwabe retired after the season in which his son, Max Schwabe, was a graduating senior wrestler.

You can imagine how excited Ryan and the other seniors were to help lead Stratford’s wrestling squad to team state again this season. This is the first time current Tigers head coach Adam Davison got to experience it. After taking a year off, Schwabe returned to be Davison’s assistant varsity wrestling coach along with longtime assistant varsity coach Kane Krummel.

There was no doubt that Stratford’s wrestling squad faced a tall task of attempting to knock off undefeated and number one ranked Fennimore in Saturday’s state team tournament semifinal. The Golden Eagles also were the defending state team champions from last season.

Three Fennimore wrestlers this season won individual state championships in their weight classes the previous weekend at the Kohl Center in Madison. One Fennimore wrestler was an individual state runner-up and another took third place at individual state this season. Contrast this to Stratford, which didn’t have any individual state champions this season. Stratford senior Jackson Ormond took third place while Ryan Becker and sophomore Carter Lueck placed fourth in their weight classes.

Several of Fennimore’s wrestlers also had experience competing in the team’s state team tournament championship season last year. Nonetheless, Stratford’s wrestlers competed the best they could against Fennimore. The Tigers still lost, 55-13, in the state team semifinal match to the Golden Eagles.

After the match, a teary eyed Ryan Becker reflected on his experience wrestling at team state and his high school wrestling career that came to a close.

“The experience was great; I’m glad to make it down here with these guys,” he said while standing on the state team tournament mat. “I loved to watch my older brother wrestle and we last made it down to team state my freshman year, so it was great to finally make it back here with this good group of guys. I loved wrestling with these guys and I’m really going to miss it.”

It was a daunting task for Stratford to beat Fennimore on Friday. It can also be a bit intimidating competing in front of the large contingent of maroon and yellow clad Golden Eagles loudly cheering inside the UW Fieldhouse. The Golden Eagles mascot would streak in front of the fans with an American flag around its shoulders every time a Fennimore wrestler would gain a win against Stratford.

Coach Davison is proud of the effort his wrestlers put worth against Fennimore, despite having to deal with the “hostile” opposing crowd of fans.

“We have a lot of freshman in our starting lineup, whereas Fennimore has a lot of sophomores, juniors and seniors,” he said. “We came in and we fought hard. I don’t feel like we ever gave up. We were one of the last four teams still fighting in Division 3. We are proud of that because this team has grown so much since the first week of the season.”

State team action

Assistant coach Krummel helped Stratford sophomore wrestler Mason Oertel, with only a 11-13 match record this season, get stretched out in preparation for his opening match against Fennimore senior Cameron Wolf who had an impressive 35-10 match record. The drew weight was 195 pounds so Oertel was up first for the Tigers against the Golden Eagles. Wolf pinned Oertel in one minute, 29 seconds to give Fennimore a 6-0 team lead against Stratford.

Next up was Stratford senior Alex Mueller, 14-12, against Fennimore junior Wyatt Miles, 21-8, at 220 pounds. It only took Miles 51 seconds to pin Mueller and give the Golden Eagles a 12-0 team advantage.

Stratford sophomore Matt Kolb, 1421, had an imposing task of wrestling against Fennimore junior Evan Gratz, 37-4, who’d just won the 285-pound individual state championship the previous weekend. Kolb battled the best he could before Gratz pinned him in 1:30 to give Fennimore an 18-0 team lead.

The Tigers finally received a favorable matchup when freshman state qualifier Colin Cournoyer, 34-9, wrestled against Golden Eagles Cade Birchman, 27-8, at 106 pounds. Colin Cournoyer won a 9-1 major decision against Cade Birchman to give Stratford four team points on the scoreboard.

Fennimore then strung together a long winning streak in matches against Stratford. Tigers freshman Lucas Forrest, 12-13, wrestled his best to avoid getting pinned by Fennimore senior Brett Birchman, 20-5, who won the individual 113-pound state championship the previous weekend. Forrest lost a 21-7 major decision which gave Fennimore four team points for a 22-4 advantage.

Next up was Stratford freshman Matthias Kaiser, 20-21, against Fennimore sophomore Amryn Nutter, 38-1, who took third place at 120 pounds in this year’s individual state tournament. Kaiser also held his ground for a while before Nutter pinned him in 2:27, giving the Golden Eagles six team points for a 28-4 advantage against the Tigers.

It was time for Colin Cournoyer’s older brother, sophomore Trenton Cournoyer, to take the mat. Trenton Cournoyer, 37-6, a state individual qualifier in his first two high school seasons, wrestled against Fennimore senior Brecken Muench, 17-8, who took third place at individual state last season. Trenton Cournoyer lost a 6-3 decision to Muench which gave Fennimore three team points and a 31-4 lead against Stratford.

Stratford sophomore Cayden Leonhardt, 24-18, was faced with the tall task of attempting to defeat Fennimore junior Ian Crapp, 46-10, who finished as state runner-up in this year’s individual state tournament. Crapp pinned Leonhardt in 1:25 to give the Golden Eagle six team points for a 37-4 advantage against the Tigers.

Sawyer Grabow returned to wrestling this season for Stratford after taking two years off. Grabow, 22-12, wrestled against Fennimore senior Jayden Glasbrenner, 27-7, who was a state individual qualifier last season. Glasbrenner eventually pinned Grabow in 3:22 at 138 pounds to give Fennimore six more team points for a 43-4 lead.

Ryan Becker, 36-11, who placed fourth at 145 pounds in this year’s individual state tournament, competed against Fennimore sophomore Syler Zdanczewicz, 31-18, who placed third at individual state this year. Becker lost a 3-0 decision to Zdanczewicz to give Fennimore three team points for a 46-4 advantage.

Tigers junior Kaleb Krummel, 29-10, who was a state individual tournament qualifier this year, was matched up against Golden Eagles senior Max Miles, 22-8, at 152 pounds. Krummel lost a 6-2 decision to Miles, which gave Fennimore three more team points for a 49-4 lead.

Stratford sophomore Jack Tubbs, 12-8, also was faced with the tall task of attempting to defeat Fennimore sophomore Tristan Steldt, 40-4, who won the 160-pound individual state championship this season. Tubbs gave Steldt a battle before getting pinned in 1:13, which gave Fennimore six team points for a 55-4 advantage.

The Tigers were able to gain two straight wins to finish the state semifinal match against the Golden Eagles. Stratford sophomore Carter Lueck, 386, who took fourth place at 170 pounds at the individual state tournament this season, competed against Fennimore senior Konner Swatek, 9-7. Lueck pinned Swatek in 1:11 to give the Tigers six team points.

Stratford senior Jackson Ormond, 40-1, who took third place at 182 pounds at the individual state tournament this season, was matched up against Fennimore junior Wyatt Ahnen, 23-4. Ormond won a 3-1 decision against Ahnen to conclude the state team tournament semifinal match which ended up with Fennimore beating Stratford, 55-13.

Fennimore also defeated Shiocton by a similar score, 43-18, in the WIAA Division 3 state championship on Saturday afternoon. Number two seed Shiocton advanced into the state finals after beating number three seed Cedar Grove-Belgium, 42-25, in the other Division 3 state semifinal on Saturday morning.

Coach Davison thanks his senior wrestlers for providing strong leadership to the younger student athletes on the team this season. He believes Stratford’s state team tournament appearance this year will help its wrestling program continue to be successful in the future.

“Many of the eighth graders got to watch us wrestle at team state,” Davison said. “Our youth wrestling kids and the community coming back down here to state will do nothing but help. People want to be a part of great programs and Stratford has a history of being a great program and that hasn’t changed and it won’t change, so we are going to keep fighting. We are great because we work hard at it. Nothing is ever given in this world and this team is an example of that. They’ve worked their tails off to be at team state and they deserve every minute of it.”

Ryan Becker plans to study at UWEau Claire in the fall after he graduates from Stratford High School this spring. Becker wants to earn his teaching degree from UW-Eau Claire. He explained what the sport of wrestling has meant to him during his Stratford High School career.

“Wrestling has meant a lot to me,” he said. “Even though sometimes I hated cutting weight to make my weight class, I loved doing it for the team. I would do it for the rest of my life if I could. Wrestling has been so important to me and my family, so I am really sad for it to be over.”

AN OFFICIAL DISPLAY OF WRESTLING- Stratford freshman Colin Cournoyer competes in the background against Fennimore freshman Cade Birchman in the 106-pound bout during Saturday morning’s WIAA Division 3 state team tournament semifinals match. Cournoyer won a 9-1 major decision against Birchman to put Stratford on the scoreboard. STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

ANOTHER TIGERS WIN- Stratford sophomore Carter Lueck wrestles against Fennimore senior Konnor Swatek in the 170-pound bout during Saturday morning’s state team tournament semifinal. Lueck capped off his strong wrestling season by pinning Swatek.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

ORMOND’S FINAL MATCH OF HIS CAREER- Stratford senior Jackson Ormond raises his arm to signify his 3-1 decision win against Fennimore junior Wyatt Ahnen in Saturday morning’s 182-pound bout to end the WIAA Division 3 state team tournament semifinal match. Fennimore beat Stratford, 55-13, in Madison.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER