Pair of A/C wrestlers face best in state

By Nathaniel Underwood

A season’s worth of hardwork and grit culminated in a trip to the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament for two Abbotsford/ Colby wrestlers. Jacob Hoppe and Tristen Smazal represented the co-op squad down in Madison last week, wrestling across three days against the best that the state has to offer. Both went 2-2 under the bright lights of the Kohl Center, Hoppe earning sixth place and Smazal making it to the consolation semifinals.

With a revamped bracket in place, a loss in the opening round of the tournament would not mean the end of the road for any wrestler at the state tournament. While fifth place was the best that any athlete could place after suffering a loss in either the first championship round or in the quarterfinals, a defeat in one’s first match no longer meant immediate elimination.

Because of the new format, Hoppe’s state tournament journey was given new life, despite a tough loss in his opening bout.

Wrestling for the first time at the state tournament, the 10th-seeded Hoppe began his campaign in the 175-pound weight class against Oconto Falls’ Nick Trepanier, the seventh seed. Trepanier, who had taken third at the sectional meet in Seymour to qualify for the tournament, jumped out to an early lead with the match’s first takedown. Hoppe quickly scored a reversal to get on the board, but another reversal for the Oconto Falls senior kept up by three after the first period.

Hoppe opened the second with an escape and followed it up with a takedown a minute later to briefly grab the lead. An escape from Trepanier in the final seconds evened up the score, however, and a penalty and another escape were awarded to Hoppe’s opponent early in the third. Trepanier was able to hold the bout in neutral for the remaining two minutes and relegated Hoppe to the consolation bracket with an 8-6 decision.

The Abby/Colby senior bounced back in his Day 2 match. Facing off against eighthseeded Nathan Blaschke of Fennimore, a late push from Hoppe was the difference maker.

The pair grinded to a stalemate for two rounds, neither willing to give ground to the other. However, Hoppe took the initiative in the third. After Blaschke elected to give Hoppe a free escape to start the round in neutral, Hoppe picked up the one and only takedown of the match not long after, bringing Blaschke to the mat at the 4:37 mark. The A/C senior was able to hold his ground for nearly a minute and while his opponent managed a late escape, Hoppe was able to maintain his lead and take home the 4-1 decision.

In the consolation semifinals, he then faced off against Ellsworth’s Blake Nelson, the 11th seed. Once again, neither wrestler gave up a point in the first round, but Hoppe quickly changed the complexion of the bout in the second. He scored the first points of the match with an early escape and then followed it with five more points by notching a takedown and a two-point nearfall.

Nelson countered with a reversal, but that would be the only points he would earn in the match. After being awarded a penalty point near the end of the second, Hoppe grabbed five more points in the third to secure a 12-2 major decision victory over Nelson and a spot in the fifth place match.

Sixth-seeded Vincent Cook of Freedom awaited him there. Cook turned out to be a formidable opponent, leaving Hoppe few opportunities to score points against him. The Freedom senior took a lead in the first with a takedown, and while Hoppe was able to answer with an escape, 11 straight points would go to Cook. Hoppe managed three points in the third but it wasn’t enough to get him out of the significant deficit he found himself in, ending his day with a 16-4 major decision defeat. His 2-2 tournament performance ended with a sixth place finish, the final guaranteed place at state.

Meanwhile, Smazal wrestled for the coop in the 126-pound category after taking first at the sectional meet in Amery the week prior. This was the junior’s second state appearance after qualifying for the tournament as a freshman two years ago. His journey as a freshman ended early after a first round loss saw him eliminated after just one match. Entering this year’s tournament as the fifth seed, Smazal’s trip to Madison would last much longer this time around.

On Thursday, he faced off against Freedom’s Grayson Ratajczak, who held the

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TAKE ‘EM DOWN - Jacob Hoppe lifts his opponent Nathan Blaschke of Fennimore in the air to prevent him from escaping his grasp in the second period of the pair’s bout in the consolation bracket. Hoppe would eventually win the match, taking a 4-1 decision and moved on to take sixth place in the 175-pound category.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

BATTLING AT STATE - Tristen Smazal tries to flip his opponent Evan Curtis onto his back while the two fight against elimination in the consolation bracket. Smazal would go on to win the match, notching an 11-1 victory

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD State wrestling

Continued from page 10 12th seed, in the opening round of the championship bracket. Smazal made quick work of his opponent, earning a takedown halfway through the first period before being able to convert it into a pin 30 seconds later, winning by fall at the 1:27 mark.

He was then matched up against eventual state-runner up Aidan Peters of Seymour in the quarterfinals. Peters had just three losses all season and dominated the affair, racking up nine points with a takedown and a pair of nearfalls in the first before earning eight more points in the second to deliver a 17-0 technical fall defeat to Smazal at the 2:39 mark.

Smazal was able to bounce back on Friday, however. The A/C junior faced off against Evan Curtis of the Cuba City co-op team, who held the 11th seed heading into the day. A late takedown as the seconds waned in the first put Smazal up 3-0 heading into the second. There he was able to rack up four more points with a reversal and a two-point nearfall before a late escape finally got Curtis on the board.

There would be no comeback for the Cuba City co-op’s wrestler. A penalty awarded to Smazal at the end of the second undid the escape and another takedown in the third sealed his hold over the contest. The 11-1 major decision victory over Curtis earned him a spot in the consolation semifinals, where he faced off against Dodgeville’s Rhet Spurley.

In his final state match, Smazal had a difficult time gaining an advantage when in neutral. While he managed to collect six points across the course of the bout, four of those came via escapes. Meanwhile, Spurley earned four takedowns, often coming away from neutral states with leverage.

Though Smazal only found himself down by two after a 3-1 first period, things got a bit more difficult after Spurley was able to earn an escape and a takedown to start the scoring in the second. An escape for Smazal got him another point and he started the third with a reversal, drawing him back within three, but Spurley was able to turn momentum back to him after following Smazal’s reversal with an escape and a takedown. The Dodgeville sophomore was able to keep Smazal on the defensive for the remainder of the match and defeated him with a 14-6 major decision. The loss was Smazal’s second and eliminated him from the tournament.

Smazal finished the season with a 44-10 record while Hoppe held a 47-8 record in his final year.

TAKING FULL CONTROL - Tristen Smazal secures his grip and positioning over Cuba City’s Evan Curtis.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD