A/C wrestlers show talents in Ladysmith
First time in ten years A/C has champion
A decade long drought was destroyed in sensational fashion on Saturday. It had been ten years since the Abbotsford/ Colby wrestling co-op had a champion crowned at the Ladysmith Invitational.
On Saturday, they had two. Carter Grewe and Tanner Halopka both reached the summit of their weight class over the weekend, besting ranked and unranked wrestlers from across twenty programs.
Only five wrestlers were on hand to represent Abby/Colby, but they succeeded in tallying 166 team points to place 11th out of 20 programs. Reedsville was first with 463, Cameron was second with 424 and Cumberland took third with 363.
It took Tanner Halopka less than seven minutes to win the title in the 145 weight class on Saturday. Halopka won all three of his matches via pinfall, improving his record to a phenomenal 27-1.
Halopka decimated the competition, earning his first win with a 34 second pin. His second match lasted just 3:35, and his first place match was over in 2:40. Halopka picked up 52 points for the co-op.
Halopka picked up an even bigger award after the tournament concluded. He was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler by his peers.
“It felt amazing,” Halopka said, describing what it meant to be recognized in such a way. “I pinned the fifth ranked kid in the state in 3 minutes so that was a confidence booster.
“I figured I would get the Outstanding Wrestler award because I had a stacked bracket and dominated the whole thing, but it still felt awesome when I got it.”
Carter Grewe was just as dominant as Halopka. Grewe and Halopka have formed a one-two punch all season long for the co-op, and like his teammate, Grewe was the last man standing in the 195 weight class when it was all said and done.
Grewe received a pair of byes that sent him straight through to the semifinal at the Ladysmith Invitational. His first opponent on the day was Austin Loasching of Eau Claire Memorial.
Grewe made quick work of the D-1 wrestler, pinning Loasching in 32 seconds to punch his ticket to the championship match. Grewe drew hometown favorite Grant Rydlund of Ladysmith in the final, a top ten wrestler in D-3.
Rydlund gave Grewe a good fight, but ultimately, Grewe overpowered Rydlund for the pin in 5:01. Grewe improves his record to 26-1 on the year, and is closing in on an impressive 100 match wins in a career. He’ll have a chance to reach that milestone this Thursday when he wrestles in Abbotsford.
Halopka and Grewe weren’t the only wrestlers to have a great weekend. Of the other three AC wrestlers in attendance, all three placed inside the top ten in their weight classes.
Brayden Meyer placed fifth in the 152 weight class. Meyer was his opening match in 30 seconds, took a 7-4 loss in the quarterfinal but took out teammate Jacob Hoppe in the consolation bracket with a hard won 7-6 decision.
From there Meyer defeated Wyatt Moses of Black River Falls with an 8-4 decision. Meyer improves to 13-7, and earned 31 team points.
Senior Talon Severson wrestled in the 170 pound division on Saturday. Severson placed sixth on the day. Severson began his tournament by pinning Aidan Drost of Rice Lake in 3:40. Severson dropped a 14-8 decision in his next match, but rebounded with a pin in 3:06 over Ethan Upson of Phillips.
Severson’s win over Upson sent him to the fifth place match against Matthew Roach of Ladysmith, but Severson lost his bout with the hometown favorite, falling in 1:21 via pinfall.
Severson’s 2021-22 record improves to 16-9, and his sixth place result secured 31 team points for the co-op.
Freshman Jacob Hoppe continues to develop as a promising wrestler for the co-op. Like Meyer, Hoppe wrestled in the 152 weight class, and like Meyer, Hoppe was in the top ten, though he had to battle Meyer later in the tournament.
Hoppe won his first match in 1:41, but was pinned in 1:48 in the quarterfinals. As a result, he had to take on Meyer in the consolation rounds, and lost a nailbiting 7-6 decision.
The loss put Hoppe in the seventh place match, and he rebounded there for a 13-9 decision against Brockton Naessen of Shell Lake to take seventh overall. The tournament improves Hoppe to 11-10.
The co-op will be back in action on Thursday in Abbotsford. They’ll host Athens and Thorp, with matches slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. From there, the co-op will travel to St. Croix Falls on Saturday for another tournament.
The event promises to be a special one. Senior Carter Grewe will likely pick up his 100th match win of his prep career.
Spencer Quad
The Abbotsford/Colby wrestling co-op had a nice bit of practice on the mats prior to the Ladysmith Invittational thanks to quadrangular meet in Spencer on Thursday, Jan. 13.
The co-op grappled with wrestlers from Auburndale, Spencer/Columbus Catholic and the Osseo-Fairchild/Fall Creek/Agusuta co-op.
Results from Abby/Colby’s match with the Osseo-Fairchild/Fall Creek/Augusta co-op were not available upon publication. Individual results from the co-op’s match with Spencer/Columbus Catholic were also not available, though Abby/ Colby won the match 34-24.
The co-op lost to Auburndale 36-30. The co-op forfeited matches in the 106, 113, 120 and 182 weight classes, with double forfeits in the 126, 132 and 285 weight classes.
Frankie Rodriguez was pinned in 2:37 by Auburndale’s Noah Altman. Tanner Halopka picked up six points via a forfeit in the 145 weight class. Jacob Hoppe lisst to Brett Thiel with a pin in 3:34.
Brayden Meyer and Talon Severson got 12 points for the co-op thanks to forfeits in the 160 and 170 weight class.
Carter Grewe dominated seventh ranked Brice Thiel in 1:13, and Levi Dommer won in 1:54 over Adam Dorshorst in the 220 weight class.
SUBMITTED PHOTOTALON IS IN COMPLETE CONTROL - Abby/Colby’s Talon Severson grasps Carson Kilty of Spencer-Columbus in an iron grip in Thursday’s quadrangular meet. Severson won on a 12-0 decision. TRG PHOTO/DEAN LESAR
TOP DOG - Tanner Halopka poses with his Most Outstanding Wrestler plaque. Halopka was given the award after winning the 145 weight class in Ladysmith.
