Marathon sends seven to sectionals

By Casey Krautkramer

Marathon’s varsity wrestling squad had a productive day on Saturday at the WIAA Division 3 regional in Edgar, despite not finishing as one of the top two teams to advance to team sectionals like it did last season.

Seven Red Raiders including freshman Taylor Underwood at 106 pounds, junior Blake Underwood at 113, junior Cale Quaintance at 132, senior Levi Krautkramer at 138, junior Swayne Stencil at 144, junior Grant Salber at 165 and sophomore Jace Ostrowski at 165 finished in the top four wrestlers in their regional weight classes to advance to individual sectionals at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 22 in Ladysmith. The top three wrestlers in each sectional weight class will qualify for the individual state tournament on Feb. 27-28 and March 1 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Three Marathon grapplers won their regional weight classes on Saturday including brothers Taylor and Blake Underwood and Stencil. Quintance and Salber garnered second-place finishes in their regional weight classes. Ostrowski placed third and Krautkramer was fourth in their weight classes.

Red Raiders senior Juan Gomez took sixth place at 190 pounds to miss qualifying for sectionals by only two places. Juniors Will Tourtillott, Tate Sonnentag and Alex Poppe and sophomore Mason Lawrence didn’t place in their regional weight classes.

Edgar junior Lucas Stahnke took second place in the 190-pound weight class at regionals on Saturday in Edgar to qualify for sectionals. His Wildcats sophomore teammate, Isaiah Kraft, placed third at 120 pounds to also advance to sectionals. Seniors Austin Schreiber and Corey Koeppl took sixth place in their weight classes to miss qualifying for sectionals by only two places.

Wildcats senior William Hackel, sophomore Tyler Schmidt and freshmen Parker Albrecht and Landon Lukasko didn’t place in their regional weight classes.

Athens junior Evin Passehl and sophomore Garrett Frahm both took fifth place in their regional weight classes on Saturday in Edgar to barely miss qualifying for sectionals. Sophomore Dale Felix placed sixth at regionals. Gavin Frahm, Kian Ellenbecker, Shaylon Blake, Jeffery Draper and Jeffrey Hanson didn’t place at regionals.

HEAVYWEIGHTS BATTLE AT REGIONALS - Marathon junior wrestler Alex Poppe ends up winning a 15-3 major decision against Jordan Wulff of Thorp/Owen-Withee in the WIAA Division 3 regional 285-pound first round match on Saturday in Edgar. Poppe didn’t end up placing at regionals but he still has one more high school wrestling season. STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

PASSEHL BARELY MISSES SECTIONALS - Athens junior grappler Evin Passehl took fifth place in his regional 138-pound weight class on Saturday in Edgar. Only the top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to individual sectionals.

STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

LEARNING EXPERIENCE - Edgar freshman Landon Lukasko is shown wrestling Sam Schmitt of Spring Valley/Elmwood in the regional 138-pound weight class on Saturday. Lukasko lost by tehcnical fall, but continues to learn from his father, Edgar Wildcats head varsity wrestling coach Andrew Lukasko. STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER