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MEDFORD – Spencer/Columbus Catholic had five individual champions and three others finish second to lead the Rockets to a WIAA Division 2 regional team title on Saturday at Medford High School.
The Rockets scored 249.5 points to easily outdistance second-place Medford, which had 218 points.
With the victory, Spencer/Columbus moves on to the WIAA Division 2 team sectional on Tuesday at Hayward. Spencer/Columbus will take on Northwestern and Somerset will go against Ellworth in the semifinals starting at 6 p.m. The finals will be at 8 p.m.
Dominick Wichlacz (113 pounds), Bryce Shaw (145), Carson Hildebrandt (170), Hunter Luepke (220), and Logan Zschernitz (285) all won regional titles for the Rockets to move on to the Division 2 individual sectional Feb. 17 at Amery.
Ashton Ackman (106), Leo Rodriguez (120), and Caden Schillinger (152) each finished second for Spencer/Columbus to also qualify for the sectional.
The top three finishers in each weight class at the sectional move on to the 2018 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 22-24. The 2018 WIAA State Team Tournament will be March 2-3 at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison.
“We really have been wrestling our best these past two weeks,” SC coach Jake Zschernitz said. “Every guy is contributing and scoring team points. Obviously, our top guys are driving us, but without the guys on the backside of the bracket and the guys taking third and fourth, we wouldn’t be doing as well as a team, they are putting us over the top.
“I’m just really happy for all of these guys and excited for them to experience wrestling at team sectionals. Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Spencer/Columbus’ three state qualifiers from a year ago will get another chance to get back to Madison.
Luepke, a defending D-2 state champion, improved to 41-0 this season with a pin of Tanner Zschernitz of Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal in 1:07 of the 220-pound championship match.
Logan Zschernitz won a regional title by injury default at 285 pounds, moving to 35-2 this season.
Ashton Ackman (25-7) is also back at sectionals after taking second at 106 pounds. He lost in the championship match then had to win a second-place wrestleback, pinning River Halopka of Abbotsford/Colby in 2:41.
Wichlacz (35-7) won the 113-pound title by beating Jake Brunner of Medford, 8-3; Shaw (30-6) topped Dylan Nielsen of Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal 11-3 in the 145-pound championship; and Hildebrandt (170) needed overtime to beat Jesse Buchanan of NGL, 5-3.
Rodriguez (17-9) was pinned by Dane Higgins of Medford in the 120-pound championship, and Schillinger (26-15) lost to Dalton Smith of Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee 6-3 in the finals at 152.
2018 WIAA Division 2 Wrestling Regional
Feb. 10, at Medford High School
Team scores: 1. Spencer/Columbus Catholic 249.5; 2. Medford 218; 3. Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal 182; 4. Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee 173.5; 5. Abbotsford/Colby 103; 6. Black River Falls/Lincoln 71.
Top two in each weight class qualify for individual sectional Feb. 17 at Amery
106: Championship – Blaine Brenner (SBOW) pinned Ashton Ackman (SC), 0:23; Second-place wrestleback – Ackman (SC) pinned River Halopka (AC), 2:41.
113: Championship – Dominick Wichlacz (SC) def. Jake Brenner (MED), 8-3.
120: Championship – Dane Higgins (MED) pinned Leo Rodriguez (SC), 4:36.
126: Championship – Walker Ewan (MED) won major dec. over Russell Dorn (SBOW), 13-1; Third place – Jake Dick (SC) pinned Juan Tzintzun (AC), 1:09.
132: Championship – Zeke Sigmund (MED) pinned Nathan Buchanan (NGL), 2:22; Third place – Colton Schillinger (SC) pinned Ross Elmhorst (AC), 5:00.
138: Championship – Andy Poetzl (MED) pinned Logan Ruesch (AC), 1:41; Third place – Andres Rodriguez (SC) pinned Josh Goldsmith (BRFL), 1:48; Second-place wrestleback – Ruesch (AC) won major dec. over Rodriguez (SC), 9-1.
145: Championship – Bryce Shaw (SC) won major dec. over Dylan Nielsen (NGL), 11-3.
152: Championship – Dalton Smith (SBOW) def. Caden Schillinger (SC), 6-3.
160: Championship – Kolten Hanson (MED) won major dec. over Joseph Aguilera (AC), 14-4; Fifth place – Tanner Kleinschmidt (SC).
170: Championship – Carson Hildebrandt (SC) def. Jesse Buchanan (NGL), 5-3 (OT).
182: Championship – Stephen Buchanan (NGL) pinned Ben Turner (SBOW), 2:29; Third place – Cody Derks (SC) pinned Kaleb Dobson (BRFL), 0:27; Second-place wrestleback – Turner (SBOW) pinned Derks (SC), 1:13.
195: Championship – Lucas Ingold (NGL) won major dec. over Jake Rau (MED), 10-2; Fifth place – Daniel Richmond (SC).
220: Championship – Hunter Luepke (SC) pinned Tanner Zschernitz (NGL), 1:07.
285: Championship – Logan Zschernitz (SC) won by injury default over Sean Hassamer (SBOW).