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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – After a narrow loss a year ago in the team sectional, the Marshfield wrestling team was focused on from the start of the season on winning it this time around.
The Tigers got that chance with a rematch against Hudson in the WIAA Division 1 team sectional and came through with a 41-36 victory to advance to the WIAA Team State Wrestling Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Marshfield will compete at the state team tournament at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison on March 2 at 5:30 p.m. Division 1 quarterfinal matches are to be announced on Feb. 21 after seeding. The semifinals follow the quarterfinal matches, with the championship match set for March 3 at 3 p.m.
Junior Nolan Hertel, a two-time individual state qualifier, clinched the victory for Marshfield in the second-to-last match of the dual when he beat Peter Hansen by technical fall 18-3.
For Hertel, making the team tournament is what it’s all about.
“I knew the team score was pretty close and I knew if I won that match it would put the dual away, so I was doing everything in my power to win that match,” Hertel said. “These guys are who I work with every day. The individual comes as a side show. Our mindset was to go out there and do what we do best, and the scoreboard kind of showed that tonight.”
Senior Payton Young set the tone in the first match for the Tigers. After nearly getting pinned in the first minute, Young flipped Caleb Hatch and earned a pin instead, winning in 1:32.
Marshfield eventually built a 21-6 lead after a pair of forfeits and a 10-5 win from senior Issac Slark at 195, and never trailed.
“This is my final time wrestling on this mat (at home) and you kind of got to do what you’ve got to do,” Young said. “I wasn’t going to lose this match. We all put in a lot of work during the summer and we all kept thinking about how we were so close last season. We put in a lot of work and hard work pays off. This is what you get.”
Freshman Gage Pugh won by technical fall at 113 pounds, 17-2, in dominating fashion. Caden Dennee followed with a first-period pin at 120, and Tanner Kanable won a major decision 22-8 at 126 to put Marshfield on top 36-18, leaving the Tigers in search of one more win over the final four matches to snag the sectional title.
Hudson stayed alive with pins in the next two matches, before Hertel stepped up and handled his opponent with a flurry of takedowns and nearfalls on his way to the 18-3 win.
“In the end, it comes down to the strength of this team,” Marshfield coach Jackson Hein said. “It’s not just the 14 guys that wrestled tonight, it’s the 31 that are on our team and wrestle every day, and buying into our team concept. I’m just glad they get the opportunity to wrestle at team state because I think they deserve the opportunity to do so.”
For Hein, in his fourth year as head coach of the Marshfield program, making the team state tournament has always been a goal. After losing by just three points to Hudson a year ago, he wasn’t surprised the Tigers put it together this year.
“I think I saw what Marshfield had to offer and the support that I have gotten from the administration, parents and teachers,” Hein said. “As long as you have goals set in place and the right support behind you, anything is possible. We have great kids, we have great parents.”
Marshfield 41, Hudson 36
160: Payton Young (MAR) pinned Caleb Hatch, 1:32.
170: Jacob Anderson (HUD) pinned Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann, 3:52.
182: Sam Mitchell (MAR) won by forfeit.
195: Issac Slark (MAR) def. Cody Cicha, 11-5.
220: Alex Brost (MAR) won by forfeit.
285: Cole Godbout (HUD) won by forfeit.
106: Leo Draveling (HUD) pinned Riley Wilcott, 1:52.
113: Gabe Pugh (MAR) won by technical fall over Matthew Feia, 17-2.
120: Caden Dennee (MAR) pinned Isaac Hatch, 1:10.
126: Tanner Kanable (MAR) won by major dec. over Bryce Hunsberger, 22-8.
132: Vincent Fanning (HUD) pinned Spencer Wirthlin, 0:40.
138: Mitchell Anderson (HUD) pinned Caden Pearce, 5:45.
145: Nolan Hertel (MAR) won by technical fall over Peter Hansen, 18-3.
152; Hank Gierke (HUD) pinned Brayden Richardson, 5:12.