Wrestlers advance to sectionals
By Casey Krautkramer
Marathon sophomore Blake Underwood and Stratford junior Carter Lueck captured their second straight WIAA Division 3 individual regional championships on Saturday in Auburndale.
Underwood, who remains undefeated this season with a 48-0 match record, won the 106-pound regional title for the second straight season. He pinned Stratford senior Roman Schmidt in one minute, 19 seconds in the first place regional match. Edgar freshman Isaiah Kraft, 22-13, took third place at 106 pounds and Athens freshman Garrett Frahm, 33-17, placed fourth to also qualify for the sectional competition.
The top four wrestlers who place in each regional weight class advance to the individual sectional at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 17, in Edgar. The top three wrestlers in each weight class at sectionals will qualify for the individual state tournament on Feb. 22-24 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Lueck won the 175-pound regional championship this year after winning the 170-pound regional title last season. Lueck improved his match record to 46-1 this season after pinning Cadott senior Caden Kingston in the 175-pound regional first-place match on Saturday. Edgar junior Jase Apfelbeck, 21-7, took third place at 175 pounds during Saturday’s regional to advance to sectionals. Marathon sophomore Grant Salber, 30-17, placed fifth to just miss advancing to the sectional competition this year.
Marathon sophomore Cale Quaintance won his first regional championship on Saturday in Auburndale. Quaintance, 40-8 in matches this season, won a 13-4 major decision against Stratford junior Trenton Cournoyer in the 120-pound regional first-place match. Trenton Cournoyer, 388, also advances to sectionals where he hopes to finish in the top three wrestlers again in his weight class to qualify for the state tournament for the second straight season.
Red Raiders sophomore Swayne Stencil, 42-10, also won his first regional championship on Saturday. He pinned Stratford sophomore Mathias Kaiser, 2810, in the 132-pound first place regional match. Stencil was a junior varsity wrestler for Athens last year.
Marathon senior Dylan Dodson won his first regional title on Saturday despite qualifying for the state tournament for the past two years. Dodson, 18-2, pinned Clear Lake junior Trevor Gilbertson in the first place regional 138-pound match.
Red Raiders sophomore Reed McCain also won his first regional championship. He won a 9-4 decision against Stratford junior Jack Tubbs, 30-11, in the first place regional 165-pound match in Auburndale. It’s quite an improvement for McCain this season after placing fifth in the 145-pound regional weight class last season. Tubbs ended up taking third place on Saturday to advance to sectionals.
It didn’t take Stratford senior Noah Lucio very long to reacclimate himself to the varsity wrestling scene this year after not wrestling since his freshman year. Lucio, 35-6, pinned Cadott sophomore Mitchell Reineke in 1:10 in Saturday’s first place 190-pound regional championship match in Auburndale. Edgar sophomore Lucas Stahnke, 15-6, took fourth place to also advance to the sectional competition.
Edgar senior Harrison Graveen won his first regional championship on Saturday after placing fourth in the regional 220-pound weight class last season. Graveen, 34-5, pinned Clear Lake senior Ethan Wagner in 45 seconds in the first place 285-pound match in Auburndale. Stratford sophomore Drew Gage, 28-14, took fourth place to also qualify for the sectional competition.
Stratford sophomore Colin Cournoyer, 36-8, took second place in the regional 113-pound weight class on Saturday to See WRESTLING REGIONAL/ page 16
STAHNKE SECURES THE PIN- Edgar sophomore Lucas Stahnke displays his inner “Michael Jordan” with his tongue
hanging out while he pins Isaiah Romero of Boyceville in Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 regional 190-pound quarterfinals match in Auburndale. Stahnke took fourth place in his weight bracket to qualify for this Saturday’s individual sectional competition in his home high school gym.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER Wrestling regional
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advance into sectionals for the second straight season. He took third place in the 106-pound regional weight class last year and second place at sectionals to qualify for state. Athens sophomore Marshall Venzke placed fifth at 113 pounds at regionals to barely miss a trip to the sectional competition.
Tigers sophomore Aaron Knetter, 31-12, took third place in the regional 126-pound weight class on Saturday to qualify for sectionals. Marathon junior Levi Krautkramer, 30-7, placed fourth at 126 pounds at regionals in Auburndale to advance to his first sectional competition.
Marathon senior Derek Vesely, 32-14, took third place in the regional 144-pound weight class on Saturday in Auburndale to advance to sectionals.
Stratford senior Kaleb Krummel, 31-10, placed second in the regional 150-pound weight class to qualify for sectionals. Marathon senior Jacob Smith, 33-16, placed fourth at 150 pounds to also advance to sectionals.
Tigers junior Brandon Knetter, 2115, took fourth place in the regional 157-pound weight class to advance to sectionals. Marathon sophomore Tate Sonnentag, 32-17, placed fifth at 157 pounds to just miss going to sectionals.
Stratford junior Walker Weis, 11-6, took fourth place in the regional 215-pound weight class to advance into sectionals. Edgar junior Dakota Ellenbecker, 20-13, placed sixth at 215 pounds to miss qualifying for the sectional competition in Edgar.
Redemption at sectionals
Last season, Quaintance of Marathon took fourth place in the sectional 113-pound weight class to barely miss qualifying for the individual state tournament. His teammate, Derek Vesely, placed fourth in the sectional 138-pound weight class last year to also just miss state. Apfelbeck of Edgar placed fourth in the sectional 160-pound weight bracket last year to also just miss qualifying for the individual state tournament.
These three wrestlers are hoping to finish in the top three in their weight classes at sectionals this Saturday in Edgar to punch their tickets to individual state this season.
MAKING HIS PARENTS PROUD- Athens freshman wrestler Garrett Frahm is shown competing against Preston Arvey of Glenwood City in Saturday’s WIAA regional quarterfinals 106-pound match in Auburndale. Frahm pinned Arvey in a little over three minutes. He ended up placing fourth in his weight class at regionals to advance into this Saturday’s individual sectional in Edgar. His mother, Jessica Frahm, and other faithful Athens wrestling fans are shown in the bleachers showing their support for Frahm and the other Bluejays wrestlers.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
