A-C wrestling hosts Cloverbelt meet

The Abby-Colby wrestling team hosted the Cloverbelt conference tournament this past Saturday, inviting athletes from around central and eastern Wisconsin to Abbotsford’s gymnasiums to compete. The squad had several top individual performances, leading to a sixth place team finish at the meet.

Of the 11 conference teams that participated in the tournament, the Abby-Colby co-op’s 96.0 points put them solidly in the middle of the pack. They found themselves 22 points short of fifth place Bloomer/Colfax’s 118.0 points and Spencer/ Columbus’ 87.0 points put them right behind the hosts. Cadott walked away as the tournament’s team champions, their 236.0 points handily outpacing the 152.0 points of the second place team, the combined Regis/Altoona squad. Neillsville/Loyal/Greenwood and Stanley-Boyd tied for third, both ending the day with 128.5 points.

Five of Abby-Colby’s eight varsity wrestlers that participated in the tournament found themselves on the podium following the day’s events.

Tristen Smazal got his fourth topthree tournament finish this season, capping off his regular season tournament campaign with a conference title in the 113-pound weight class. After receiving a first round bye, Smazal defeated Cera Phillips of Thorp/Owen-Withee by fall in the first period, pinning his opponent in the final moments of the round. The win propelled the freshman to the championship match, where he faced off against Regis/Altoona’s Deaglan O’Connell.

Smazal built a small lead in the first period with a takedown of O’Connell and he built on that advantage in the second by racking up four more points. A dominant final frame saw Smazal doubling his point total, giving him a 12-0 major decision over O’Connell and earning himself a first place finish. His tournament performance also earned his team 23.0 points.

Fellow freshman Matt Jakel and junior Luis Nava Rojas earned second place finishes for the Abby-Colby squad on Saturday. The pair did so on opposite sides of the weight-class spectrum, with Jakel earning his place in the 106-pound bracket and Nava Rojas doing so in the 285-pound category.

Jakel opened his day by taking on Drew Ryder from Bloomer/Colfax. An escape in the second period would be the only point Ryder would notch against Jakel, who went on to claim the 6-1 decision, giving him a shot at the championship.

He faced off against Kaleb Lodahl of Cadott in what would turn out to be a hard fought battle. Lodahl took an early lead in points, earning two in the first round and four in the second. Despite being significantly behind, Jakel roared back in the final period, earning seven points and nearly pinning his opponent. Lodahl was able to get himself out of danger and turned the tables, managing to pin Jakel at the 5:43 mark. While he was not able to complete the comeback, Jakel still earned second place and 16.0 team points.

Nava Rojas had a similar tale. He got a 4-0 decision over Stanley-Boyd’s Damien Seichter to put himself in the championship match, using a takedown in the first round to claim an early lead and never surrendering a point to his opponent.

He then faced off against Nathan Zarins of Thorp/Owen-Withee in the final. Zarins had taken second place in last year’s Cloverbelt conference tournament and had defeated Nava Rojas just the week prior during a conference dual in Thorp.

The two looked evenly matched on Saturday. Nava Rojas took an early 2-1 lead after the first round, following a takedown of Zarins. Another takedown in the second period pushed that lead to 4-2 as the two moved to the third round. Down by two and looking for a pin, Zarins opted to start on top for the third round. Nava Rojas could not escape his opponent’s grasp and lost by fall at the 5:46 mark. His second place finish earned the team 16.0 points.

Sophomore Jacob Hoppe earned a third place finish on Saturday. Participating in the 160-pound weight class, had a round one match up with Regis/ Altoona’s Brandon Myher. Hoppe used a plethora of takedowns to relegate Myher to the consolation bracket, defeating the Regis/Altoona junior with 9-1 decision.

Hoppe then ran into eventual champ Cole Pfeiffer of Cadott in the next round, losing a 11-2 decision to the Hornet senior. Forced into the consolation bracket, Hoppe defeated Spencer/ Columbus’ Sam Helgestad, quickly pinning his opponent in the first period to move on to the third place match. There he faced off against Jakob Luchterhand of Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal. A third round escape and subsequent takedown earned Hoppe the 5-2 decision over Luchterhand and gave him third place and 15.0 team points.

Brayden Meyer was the final Abby-Colby co-op athlete to find himself on the podium. The senior took fourth place in the 152-pound bracket. A dominant performance against Jaden Garneau of Spencer/Columbus, which ended with Meyer pinning his opponent in the first round, bought him a meeting with Tristan Drier of Cadott. Drier, who only had two losses on the season, proved to be a formidable foe. While Meyer was able to hold out until the third round, Drier eventually pinned him, pushing Meyer into the consolation bracket.

Meyer faced off against Miles Lueck of Bloomer/Colfax next. The Abby-Colby senior made quick work of his opponent, pinning Lueck in the first period at the 1:41 mark. The win put Meyer into the third-place match, where he faced off against Keeghan Anding of Neillsville/ Greenwood/Loyal. In a close duel, a takedown in the second round for Anding turned out to be the difference maker. Anding took the 6-4 decision and Meyer earned fourth place and 14.0 team points.

Other varsity results included a fifth place finish for Alex Sundermeyer, a sixth place finish for Christian Fuentes, and a seventh place finish for Erik Martinez.

The wrestling team will take part in the regional tournament this coming Saturday, Feb. 11. The competition will be held at the Neillsville fieldhouse and will feature many familiar faces, as many Cloverbelt teams including Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal, Bloomer/ Colfax, Regis/Altoona, Spencer/Columbus and Stanley-Boyd will also be at the meet. Tournament play will begin at 10:30 a.m.