WWF YOUTH STATE TOURNAMENT - Hartl, Steinbach are local state champs; three more place in Madison

WWF YOUTH STATE TOURNAMENT

Medford’s Croix Hartl and Dax Steinbach of Wolfpack Wrestling won state championships, leading a list of five wrestlers from the two local youth programs who placed over the weekend at the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation Kids Folkstyle State Championships in Madison.

After taking second in his bracket last year, Hartl went 2-0 to win a three-man pool at state this year at 185 pounds in the 2014-15 age class. Hartl needed just 16 seconds to pin Nolan Sina of the Oshkosh Mat Rats and clinched the title with a 42second pin over Marshall Damrow of Dodgeland.

Steinbach, wrestling at 145 pounds in the 2010-11 age class, went 4-0 to claim his state title. The Crass Trained wrestler pinned Max Wittman in 1:54 in the first and Zachary Knaack of Marshfield in 1:57 in the quarterfinals. A quick 37-second pin over Isaac Momper of Askren Wrestling put Steinbach in the championship, where he earned a 14-3 major decision over Jason Heiser of RT Elite Wrestling out of Mount Horeb.

Another wrestler from Cornell-Gilman-Lake Holcombe, Peyton Hugh, placed third at 70 pounds in the 2012-13 age class. Hugh had to fight his way back through the consolation bracket, but finished 5-1 and defeated Mason Fuchs of Merrill 12-4 in the third-place match. Hugh opened with a 9-0 win over Emmett Babcock of Milton, but then lost 6-0 to eventual champion Frederick Schanen of Ozaukee in the round of 16.

In the consolation bracket, Hugh beat Myles Tischer of Mauston 4-0, Kamdyn Engevold of Marshfield 3-1 and Dylan Louison of Monona Grove-McFarland 130.

Medford’s Sylus Peterson earned fifth place at 63 pounds in the 2016-17 age class after a 3-2 weekend. He drew a bye into the round of 16, where he pinned Caleb Everard of Southern Door in 2:23. He earned a 14-6 major decision over Oregon’s Zachary Wilczewski in the quarterfinals but then got tripped up 5-3 by Braylon Tibbett of Chippewa Elite in the semifinals. A loss by pin to Caleb Noble of Lancaster sent Peterson to the fifth-place match, where he pinned Nash Menghe of Mukwonago in 32 seconds.

Medford’s Kimberley Blair earned a sixth-place medal. Wrestling at 85 pounds in the 2012-13 age class, she pinned Railyn Lange of Luxemburg-Casco in 1:56 and Ariya Krogman of Prairie Wrestling in 2:46 to earn a spot in the semifinals. Eventual champion Alayna Rodriguez defeated Blair in a 16-1 technical fall. In consolation competition, Lange got her revenge with a pin in 2:56 and Northwestern’s Hadley Schilling won the fifth-place match 11-1.

Medford’s Branch Walton went 2-2 at 185 pounds in the 2012-13 age class. He pinned George Perkins of Parkview-Albany in 1:00 to reach the quarterfinals, where he was pinned in 1:23 by Tajse Matejka of Whitehall. Walton won by pin over Montgomery Graves-Anderson of Grantsburgh in 1:40 but then was eliminated by Menomonie’s Callan Hoffman 7-0.

Four Medford wrestlers went 1-2. Carson Olson pinned Jayden Pereida of the Stateline Stingers in 1:00 in his first match at 130 pounds in the 2010-11 age class. Maximus Szydel won his opening match 13-0 over Waukesha’s Brantley DeBois at 115 pounds in the 2012-13 age group. Rylee Walton earned a 2-0 consolation win over Giuliana Butti of Wilmot at 150 pounds in the girls 2012-13 age class. After a bye, Ryker Campbell won 6-1 in the round of 16 over Tyson Miller of Boscobel at 60 pounds in the 2016-17 age group.

Wrestlers going 0-2 in contested matches included Taiylor Kautzer at 55 pounds in the girls 2016-17 age class, Lillian Nemitz-Coleman at 80 pounds in the girls 2012-13 age class, Paige Mayer at 105 pounds in the girls 2010-11 age class and Angus Peterson at 63 pounds in the 2014-15 age class.

For Wolfpack Wrestling, Kable Bacha went 3-2 at 80 pounds in the 2016-17 age class but fell short of placing. He opened with a 13-6 win over Remington Fowell of Ithaca-Weston but then lost in a 16-1 technical fall to Louden Smith of Mishicot in the round of 16.

Bacha came back with two consolation wins, pinning Knox Bruins of Waupun in 1:44 and Samuel Romano in 1:50. Needing one more win to place, Bacha was pinned in 1:48 by Myles Ewing of Richland Center.

Eska Bacha went 2-2 at 105 pounds in the girls 2014-15 age group. She won her first match by pin in 50 seconds over Adley Kowalski of the Burlington Demons and got a pin in 43 seconds over Hudson’s Madelyne Hutter in her first consolation match. Needing one more win to place, she was eliminated with an 11-8 overtime loss to Madilyn Webb of Milton.

Carley Maier went 2-2 at 95 pounds in the girls 2012-13 age class. Both of her wins came in consolation competition as she pinned Deklynn Nye of Waunakee in 1:46 and Serina Pattridge of Neenah in 1:00. Needing one more win to place, she lost in a 15-0 technical fall to eventual third-place finisher Sawyer Viebrock of St. Croix Falls.

Reilla Warner went 1-2, pinning Ellie Kochanowski of Princeton in 2:00 in her first match. Li-Ana Schofield went 0-2 in contested matches at 172 pounds in the girls 2010-11 age group.