One step closer to another title
By Casey Krautkramer
Stratford’s varsity wrestling team has now beaten the most competitive wrestling squads in the Marawood Conference this season. Stratford beat Auburndale, 47-29, on Dec. 12. Stratford then defeated both Edgar, 73-6, and Marathon, 50-30, at Thursday’s Marathon Quad. Stratford still needs to beat a pair of less formidable Marawood opponents, Chequamegon and Phillips, at its rescheduled home quad at 6 p.m. this Tuesday, Jan. 21, in order to win its 12th consecutive Marawood Conference regular-season dual meet championship.
Tigers head coach Adam Davison cautioned his team in the post match huddle after beating Marathon that it shouldn’t overlook Chequamegon and Phillips, just because their records aren’t as good as the more competitive conference opponents Stratford has beaten this season.
“We talk all the time that we don’t ever want to take a team for granted, so we don’t want to look past Chequamegon and Phillips,” he said. “I know they aren’t historically the powerhouse teams in the conference but you got to show up and perform every time. Part of my conversation with the guys is we did it on the mat against Edgar and Marathon but if this team wants to be all it can be then each wrestler needs to remain focused every day on their nutrition and workouts and do everything the right way for the rest of this season. If we are going to win the conference championship, then let’s make sure we represent the Marawood with pride.”
Stratford currently has a 4-0 record in the Marawood South Conference followed by Auburndale, 3-1; Marathon, 4-2 and Edgar, 3-3 as the top four teams. Stratford is ranked No. 5 in Wisconsin Grappler’s Division 3 state poll while Auburndale is ranked No. 6 and Marathon is No. 9.
Tigers senior wrestler Trenton Cournoyer recently achieved his 150th career win. He is the 10th Stratford wrestler in school history to obtain over 150 career wins, based off the 100 Wins Club placard in the Fanetti Wrestling Center.
“That was pretty exciting,” he said. “With high school kids getting more matches, 150 is kind of the new 100 wins, honestly in my opinion.”
He is also excited about Stratford’s wrestling squad being on the brink of winning its 12th straight Marawood Conference dual meet championship.
“You don’t want to be the class that wrecks it so we are working that much harder to keep this streak going,” Trenton Cournoyer said. “Twelve in a row is pretty impressive.”
Stratford dominates Edgar
Stratford began the Marathon Quad on Thursday with an easy 73-6 match win against Edgar.
Junior heavyweight wrestler Drew Gage only needed 48 seconds to pin Edgar senior Corey Koeppl in the 285-pound weight class. Edgar freshman Parker Albrecht received a forfeit win at 106 pounds and Stratford freshman Joey Cable was given a forfeit win at 113. Trenton Cournoyer won a 17-2 technical fall against Edgar sophomore Isaiah Kraft at 120 pounds. Stratford freshmen Jaden De-Foe received a forfeit win at 126 pounds and Alberto Garcia was given a forfeit win at 132.
Sophomore Aaron Knetter won a 17-1 technical fall against Edgar freshman Landon Lukasko at 138 pounds. Junior Lucas Forrest won a 13-2 major decision against Edgar junior Dominic Contreras at 144 pounds. Senior Cayden Leonhardt pinned Edgar sophomore Tyler Schmidt in three minutes, 26 seconds at 150 pounds. Junior Mathias Kaiser won a 17-0 technical fall against Edgar senior Austin Schreiber at 157 pounds. Sophomore John Mews pinned Edgar senior William Hackel in 3:38 at 165 pounds. Senior Jack Tubbs pinned Edgar junior Alex Schneider in 45 seconds at 170 pounds. Tigers senior Carter Lueck received a forfeit win at 190 pounds.
Stratford senior Walker Weis pinned Edgar junior Lucas Stahnke in 1:49 in a highly-anticipated 215-pound match. Weis took fourth place at sectionals last season to barely miss advancing to state while Stahnke qualified for the WIAA Division 3 individual state tournament for the first time.
See WRESTING/ page 16
STRATFORD’S KNETTER IS IN CONTROL - Stratford sophomore Aaron Knetter eventually pinned Marathon freshman Dylan Behnke in their 132-pound bout. He helped the Tigers beat the Red Raiders, 50-30, at Thursday’s Marathon Quad.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
WEIS WORKS HIS WAY TO A WIN - Stratford senior Walker Weis pinned Edgar junior Lucas Stahnke in their 215-pound bout at Thursday’s Marathon Quad. Weis helped the Tigers to a dominating 73-6 match win against the Wildcats.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
Trenton Cournoyer Wrestling
Continued from page 8
Red Raiders fall to Eagles
Marathon’s varsity wrestling team began Thursday’s home quad with a 53-18 loss to Auburndale.
Freshman Taylor Underwood won a 7-3 decision against Auburndale freshman Sawyer Kundinger at 106 pounds. Junior Blake Underwood won a 12-1 major decision against Auburndale freshman Carson Weiler at 113 pounds. Eagles senior Derek Godard received a forfeit win at 120 pounds. Marathon junior Cale Quaintance won a 17-1 technical fall against Auburndale freshman Wyatt Pavlik at 126 pounds. Auburndale junior Zane Grassel pinned Marathon junior Korben Hall in 1:05 at 132 pounds.
Auburndale freshman Brennen Welch won a 15-0 technical fall against Marathon freshman Dylan Behnke at 138 pounds. Red Raiders junior Swayne Stencil pinned Coleman Becker in 3:23 at 144 pounds. Auburndale freshman Conner Johnson won a 15-0 technical fall against Marathon junior Will Tourtillott at 150 pounds. Eagles junior Trevor Trowbridge won a 12-3 major decision against Marathon junior Jaden Herr at 157 pounds. Auburndale senior Colton Weiler pinned Marathon freshman Alex Doty in 1:35 at 165 pounds. Carter Grassl of Auburndale won a 3-2 decision against Marathon junior Grant Salber at 175 pounds. Eagles sophomore Russell Tesla pinned the Red Raiders’ Juan Gomez in 1:53 at 190 pounds. Auburndale freshman Alex Becker pinned Marathon junior Alex Poppe in 1:28 at 285 pounds.
Stratford downs Marathon
It was a battle of attrition as Stratford beat Marathon, 50-30, in Thursday’s match at the Marathon Quad. The Tigers and Red Raiders didn’t have their usual full staring lineup of wrestlers available for the match.
Taylor Underwood received a forfeit at 106 pounds. Blake Underwood pinned Cable at 113 pounds. Trenton Cournoyer received a forfeit at 120 pounds. Quaintance was given a forfeit at 126 pounds. Knetter pinned Behnke in 4:15 at 132 pounds. Forrest pinned Her in 3:07 at 138 pounds.
Stencil received a forfeit at 144 pounds. Leonhardt won a highly-competitive 9-3 decision against Tourtillott at 150 pounds. Kaiser won an 18-0 technical fall against Marathon freshman Tyler Seefeldt at 157 pounds. Salber pinned Mews at 165 pounds. Tubbs received a forfeit at 175 pounds. Lueck was given a forfeit at 190 pounds. Weis received a forfeit at 215 pounds. Gage pinned Poppe at 285 pounds.
Wildcats lose to Eagles
Edgar fell, 64-18, to Auburndale at Thursday’s Marathon Quad.
Kundinger pinned Albrecht in 1:59 at 106 pounds. Carson Weiler received a forfeit at 113 pounds. Godard won a 17-0 technical fall against Kraft at 120 pounds. Grassel received a forfeit at 126 pounds. Pavlik was given a forfeit at 132 pounds. Welch won a 17-1 technical fall against Lukasko at 138 pounds.
Contreras of Edgar pinned Coleman Becker in 2:54 at 144 pounds. Johnson pinned Schmidt in 1:52 at 150 pounds. Trowbridge pinned Schreiber in 57 seconds at 157 pounds. Colton Weiler pinned Hackel in 1:42 at 165 pounds. Grassl pinned Schneider in 2:43 at 175 pounds. Stahnke of Edgar pinned Tesla in 3:56 at 190 pounds. Andrew Hasenohrl received a forfeit at 215 pounds. Koeppl of Edgar pinned Becker in 4:45 at 285 pounds.
Edgar Quad
Host Edgar beat Athens, 66-17, on Monday. Athens junior Evin Passehl won a 161 technical fall against Lukasko at 138 pounds. Bluejays sophomore Kian Ellenbecker received a forfeit at 144 pounds. Schreiber of Edgar pinned junior Shaylon Blake in 52 seconds at 150 pounds. Athens sophomore Jeffery Draper pinned Mason Strampe in 1:16 at 157 pounds.
Koeppl of Edgar pinned sophomore Jeffrey Hanson in 31 seconds at 285 pounds. Kraft of Edgar pinned sophomore Dale Felix in 1:39 at 132 pounds.
Edgar wrestlers’ Hackel, Schneider, Stahnke, Vanessa Czech, Albrecht, Paxton Mueller, Ashley Krause and Blayne Crawford all received forfeit wins.
Athens beat Elcho, 48-12 but lost to Marathon, 60-9. Edgar defeated Elcho, 84-0. Schmidt pinned Russell Multhauf in 2:26 at 150 pounds and Koeppl pinned Josh Eighmy in 5:38 at 285 pounds. The rest of the Wildcats received forfeit wins.
Marathon defeated Edgar, 51-21. Cameron Pestka received a forfeit at 144 pounds. Stencil won a 15-0 technical fall against Schmidt at 150 pounds. Tate Sonnentag pinned Schreiber in 2:29 at 157 pounds. Salber pinned Hackel in 2:36 at 165 pounds. Mason Lawrence pinned Schneider in 1:41 at 175 pounds. Stahnke of Edgar pinned Jace Ostrowski in 1:41 at 190 pounds.
Gomez received a forfeit at 215 pounds. Koeppl won an 8-3 decision against Poppe at 285 pounds. Edgar’s Mueller received a forfeit at 106 pounds and Albrecht received a forfeit at 113. Blake Underwood received a forfeit at 120 pound and both teams forfeited 126. Quaintance pinned Kraft at 132 pounds. Levi Krautkramer won a 14-5 major decision against Lukasko at 138 pounds.
Extra matches featured Tourtillott pinning Strampe in 1:04 at 157 pounds and Doty pinning Ethan Myszka in 2:30 at 165.
JOCKEYING FOR A TWO-POINT REVERSAL - The Marathon wrestling team’s bench attempts to persuade the referee to award a two-point reversal to junior Grant Salber at the end of the first period during his 3-2 decision loss to Auburndale’s Carter Grassl in their 175-pound bout. Pictured, from left to right, front row: Red Raiders assistant coaches Clint Quaintance and Logan Werner, middle schooler Nash Quaintance, assistant coach Terry Tackes and varsity wrestler Tate Sonnentag.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
