A-C takes 11th in Wauasau tourney

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Abbotsford-Colby wrestling team took 11th place at Wausau East’s Lumberjack Invitational this past Saturday. They also fell in a pair of conference dual matchups last Thursday, losing 54-30 to Regis/Altoona (RAW) and 51-27 to Neillsville/Greenwood/ Loyal (NGL).

Wausau East Invitational

The co-op was once again in the middle of the pack at their weekend tournament as injuries continue to make the task of filling out weight classes difficult. The Abby-Colby team finished with 194.0 team points, placing them behind Menasha with 211.0 points and ahead of Appleton East with 184.0 points. West Salem took first at the tournament with 430.0 points.

Tanner Halopka and Tristen Smazal continued their strong 2023-24 campaigns by notching a pair of second place finishes for the co-op.

Halopka earned 44.0 points for his performance in the 157-pound bracket on Saturday. After a first round bye, the senior quickly defeated Calvin Arentz (La Crosse Logan/Central) and Lucas Fry (West Salem) to earn a place in the final. Halopka took an early lead over Winneconne’s Brody Hart after earning two takedowns in the first round, but a big second period earned Hart six points and an even third round led to an 11-9 decision in favor of Hart.

Smazal had similar success in the 120-pound weight class. He won by fall over Justus Mueller (La Crosse Logan/Central) and then took a 5-3 decision over Cale Quaintance of Marathon in his first two matches. He then ran into Mason Dewing of Crandon in the final, who was able to take the 14-4 major decision over Smazal. The second place finish earned the co-op 42.0 team points.

Matt Jakel took fourth place in the 126-pound bracket, winning his first two matches before falling to eventual champion, Easton Cooper (D.C. Everest) in the semifinals.

Jacob Hoppe took fifth place, going 3-1 on the day. After a first round win, a loss to Zak Wrobel (Sturgeon Bay) in the quarterfinals relegated the junior to the consolation bracket. Hoppe bounced back with two victories by fall to take the top spot still available to him.

Alix Colby and Alex Sundermeyer both went 3-1 but first round losses pushed them into their respective consolation brackets. They both earned ninth place finishes. Aiden Burt and Christian Satay took 11th and 12th place respectively.

RAW/NGL Triangular

The co-op hosted both the Regis/Altoona and Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal wrestling teams last Thursday.

Hoppe, Smazal and Colby all picked up victories in their matches against RAW by pinning their opponents in the first period of their matches and Jakel and Halopka found victories via forfeit in their weight classes.

See A-C WRESTLING/ Page 16

NOT GETTING AWAY - Tanner Halopka attempts to flip Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal’s Gavyn McFarlane onto his back during their match at Abbotsford. Halopka would go on to win the match, but the Abby-Colby co-op would fall to NGL 51-27.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD A-C wrestling

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However, four forfeits for Abby-Colby increased the distance between the otherwise closely matched teams.

The home team then went 4-4 in their wrestled matches against NGL, but once again forfeits came to bite them. They started with Hoppe picking up a 4-3 decision in the first match, but three straight forfeits for Abby-Colby put them behind early. Smazal took a forfeit and Jakel won by fall in the first round to regain some ground, but NGL would take five of the final seven bouts, two by forfeit. Sundermeyer added a win by fall in the second round and Halopka defeated his opponent by pinning him in the first period of their match.

COMMANDING HOLD - Tristen Smazal pins his opponent’s arm behind his back in Abby-Colby’s match with Regis/Altoona last Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD