This story is sponsored by: American Family Insurance – Randy LeMoine Agency, LLC
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MADISON – Spencer/Columbus Catholic junior Hunter Luepke did not mess around in his third trip to the WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament.
Luepke, who earned a fifth-place medal last season at 182 pounds, will be wrestling in his first state finals after a pair of dominating wins Friday at the Kohl Center.
Luepke (38-2) earned a major decision over Hayden Arneson of Monroe 12-3 in the quarterfinals and dominated Matthew Van Eperen of Wrightstown in the Division 2 195-pound semifinals with a pin 51 seconds into the second period.
Luepke will face undefeated Lucius Rinehart (36-0) of Evansville/Albany in the finals Saturday night.
“I knew he (Van Eperen) was going to be good because he made the semis,” Luepke said. “I was just trying to work the stuff that I usually do and I was getting it pretty well early, then I just rode him hard and looked for stuff on the top. I’ve been working hard this week to get to the championship and that has been my goal since Day 1 this season. It’s nice to get there.”
Luepke controlled the quarterfinal from the start, earning a takedown and nearfall in the first period, and escape, takedown and nearfall in the second, and another takedown in the third to build an 11-0 lead on the way to the 12-3 victory.
In the semifinals, Luepke was leading 2-0 in the second period when he flipped Van Eperen on his back and finished off the match with a pin.
“He’s just on fire right now, at a whole other level,” Spencer/Columbus coach Jake Zschernitz said. “Everything’s clicking, he’s going after it, and hopefully he can keep that up (Saturday) night.”
Spencer/Columbus’ Logan Zschernitz, who earned a spot in the D-2 285-pound quarterfinals by virtue of his sectional win last weekend, won his quarterfinal match with a pin of Josh Frerk of Denmark in 2:55.
In the semifinals, however, Zschernitz couldn’t budge Cody Jacobson (44-2) of Ripon and lost 3-1.
Zschernitz (38-4) will face an old foe, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal’s Nick Rueth (40-7) in a consolation bracket semifinal Saturday morning. The winner wrestles for third place and the loser moves into the fifth-place match, both of which are set for Saturday afternoon.
Zschernitz has beat Rueth the past three weekends in the Cloverbelt Conference, WIAA regional, and WIAA sectional finals at 285 pounds.
“We get as many shots off as we’d like,” Jake Zschernitz said of Logan’s match. “(Jacobson) controlled his head pretty well. Logan’s young, we have some time left with him, but he wrestled well all year and hopefully we can come back and get third.”
2017 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament
Feb. 23-25, Kohl Center, Madison
Saturday, Feb. 25
Division 1, 2 & 3 consolation wrestlebacks, 10 a.m.
Division 1, 2 & 3 fifth-place and third-place matches, 11 a.m.
Division 1, 2 & 3 championship matches, 5 p.m.
Friday’s Local Matches
Division 1 consolation first round
145: Austin Thomas (22-6), Waterford, def. Nolan Hertel (32-11), Marshfield, 3-1.
170: Bryson Alsteen (42-8), Kaukauna, pinned Sam Mitchell (25-16), Marshfield, in 4:05.
Division 2 quarterfinals
195: Hunter Luepke (37-2), Spencer/Columbus, won by major dec. over Hayden Arneson (32-7), Monroe, 12-3.
285: Logan Zschernitz (38-3), Spencer/Columbus, pinned Josh Frerk (35-5), Denmark, in 2:55.
Division 3 quarterfinals
106: Manny Drexler (40-3), Stratford, pinned Logan Steglich (38-7), Cumberland, in 1:27.
120: A.J. Schoenfuss (33-5), Stratford, pinned Caden Calabrese (40-8), Kenosha Christian Life, in 3:03.
126: Max Dascher (34-3), Cochrane-Fountain City, def. Derek Marten (36-5), Stratford, 10-6, OT.
132: Seth Schlegel (41-2), Spring Valley/Elmwood, def. Jake Drexler (40-3), Stratford, 8-5.
138: Jeremy Schoenherr (15-0), Stratford, won by major dec. over Weston Wichman (40-6), Johnson Creek, 9-1.
152: Mason Kauffman (30-0), Stratford, won by major dec. over Levi Kohn (40-10), Random Lake, 16-4.
160: David Marquardt (36-4), Stratford, won by major dec. over Zach Coffeen (45-5), Laconia, 12-2.
195: Aiden Hoffman (36-9), Stratford, def. Caleb Johnson (36-8), Riverdale, 10-6.
220: Kamren Bornbach (37-1), Stratford, won by major dec. over Cody McCollough (43-6), Fennimore, 10-1.
285: Tyson Kauffman (14-5), Stratford, pinned Zenaido Capetillo (37-9), Reedsville, in 4:00.
Division 2 semifinals
195: Hunter Luepke (38-2), Spencer/Columbus, pinned Matthew Van Eperen (31-15), Wrightstown in 2:51.
285: Cody Jacobson (44-2), Ripon, def. Logan Zschernitz (38-4), Spencer/Columbus, 3-1.
Division 3 consolation first round
126: Derek Marten (37-5), Stratford, def. Cam Haanrahan (42-6), Kewaunee, 6-0.
132: Jake Drexler (41-3), Stratford, pinned River Pawelski (41-6), Southern Door, in 2:31.
Division 3 semifinals
106: Manny Drexler (41-3), Stratford, won major dec. over Javyn Freeman (32-8), Phillips, 15-4.
120: A.J. Schoenfuss (34-5), Stratford, pinned Andrew Rothering (29-9), Cochrane-Fountain City, in 0:51.
138: Jeremy Schoenherr (16-0), Stratford, def. Brady Spaeth (36-4), Cadott, 3-0.
152: Mason Kauffman (31-0), Stratford, def. Max Maylor (44-2), Iowa-Grant/Highland, 2-1.
160: Brock Schlough (42-1), Boyceville, def. David Marquardt (36-5), Stratford, 10-7.
195: Tory Jandrin (41-4), Southern Door, def. Aiden Hoffman (36-10), Stratford, 3-1, SV-1.
220: Kamren Bornbach (38-1), Stratford, won by major dec. over Matt Kostka (37-6), Cornell/Gilman/Lake Holcombe, 9-1.
285: Tyson Sommer (43-4), Athens, def. Tyson Kauffman (14-6), Stratford, 1-0.
Saturday’s Local Matches
Division 2 consolation semifinals, 10 a.m.
285: Logan Zschernitz (38-4), Spencer/Columbus, vs. Nick Rueth (40-7), Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal.
Division 3 consolation semifinals, 10 a.m.
126: Derek Marten (37-5), Stratford, vs. Dylan Bune (32-10), Spring Valley/Elmwood.
132: Jake Drexler (41-3), Stratford, vs. Kolbe Ubersox (42-4), Darlington/Black Hawk.
160: David Marquardt (36-5), Stratford, vs. James LaPointe (27-2), Bayfield/Washburn.
195: Aiden Hoffman (36-10), Stratford, vs. Noah Friedl (39-4), Royall.
285: Tyson Kauffman (14-6), Stratford, vs. Noah Novotney (38-10), Boyceville.
Division 2 finals, 5 p.m.
195: Hunter Luepke (38-2), Spencer/Columbus, vs. Lucius Rinehart (36-0), Evansville/Albany.
Division 3 finals, 5 p.m.
106: Manny Drexler (41-3), Stratford, vs. Koltin Grzybowski (40-3), Coleman.
120: A.J. Schoenfuss (34-5), Stratford, vs. Sawyer Sarbacker (45-1), Iowa-Grant/Highland.
138: Jeremy Schoenherr (16-0), Stratford, vs. Sammy VanStraten (40-3), Shiocton.
152: Mason Kauffman (32-0), Stratford, vs. James Pfeiffer (39-4), Cadott.
220: Kamren Bornbach (38-1), Stratford, vs. Noah Wieczorek (41-4), Clear Lake.