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AMERY – The Spencer/Columbus Catholic wrestling team had a pair of champions and four state tournament qualifiers after competing at the WIAA Division 2 individual sectional on Saturday at Amery High School.
Hunter Luepke and Logan Zschernitz won sectional titles, Carson Hildebrandt finished second, and Dominick Wichlacz took third to advance to the 2018 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 22-24 at the Kohl Center in Madison. The top three finishers in each of the 14 weight classes qualify for the state meet.
Luepke, a senior and the defending 195-pound Division 2 state champion, remained undefeated this season, improving to 46-0, after pinning Justis Knutson of Chetek-Weyerhaeuser/Prairie Farm in 1:01 in the 220-pound championship match.
Zschernitz (40-2), a junior who placed third at 285 pounds at state last year, will be back after he whipped Morgan Berggren of Northwestern with a pin in 44 seconds in the 285-pound title bout.
Hildebrandt (30-14), a junior, took second at 170 pounds after losing in the finals to Dalton George of Ellsworth by pin in 5:56. Hildebrandt won a second-place wrestleback over Garrett Hecht of Somerset with a pin in 2:59.
Wichlacz (39-9), a senior, finished third at 113 pounds after losing the championship match and a second-place wrestleback.
Leo Rodriguez (19-13 at 120), Bryce Shaw (33-9 at 145), and Caden Schillinger (29-17 at 152) all placed fourth for the Rockets.
Ashton Ackman, a state qualifier a year ago, also competed at 106 pounds but did not place in the top four.
Hildebrandt and Wichlacz will compete in Division 2 preliminaries on Thursday at 7 p.m. Luepke and Zschernitz, as sectional champions, earn byes into the quarterfinals, which are set for Friday at 11:15 a.m.
2018 WIAA Division 2 Individual Wrestling Sectional
Feb. 17, at Amery High School
Top 3 in each weight class advance to WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament, Feb. 22-24, at Madison
106: Championship – Jared Stricker (ASH) won major dec. over Walker Ingham (AM), 12-3; Third place – Blaine Brenner (SBOW) won major dec. over Bailey Poellinger (ELL), 12-2; Second-place wrestleback – Ingham (AM) def. Brenner (SBOW), 7-2.
113: Championship – Jordan Penard (AM) won major dec. over Dominick Wichlacz (SC), 11-2; Third place – Erik Gerovac (ASH) def. Thomas Oswald (OSC), 4-3; Second-place wrestleback – Gerovac (ASH) def. Wichlacz (SC), 6-4.
120: Championship – Jacek Nickowski (BW) def. Charlie Stuhl (ELL), 1-0; Third place – Dane Higgins (MED) pinned Leo Rodriguez (SC), 3:55; No second-place wrestleback.
126: Championship – Owen Matzek (ELL) def. Alex McCray (BW), 7-3; Third place – Mack George (ASH) def. Russell Dorn (SBOW), 7-4; No second-place wrestleback.
132: Championship – Mike Smith (AM) won major dec. over Zeke Sigmund (MED), 10-0; Third place – Jordan Bonte (BW) def. Mitchel Harmon (BC), 3-2; Second-place wrestleback – Sigmund (MED) def. Bonte (BW), 7-1.
138: Championship – Sam Stuhl (ELL) pinned Tim Coyne (HN), 0:49; Third place – Calen Kirkpatrick (NW) pinned Andy Poetzl (MED), 0:59; Second-place wrestleback – Kirkpatrick (NW) def. Coyne (HN) by forfeit.
145: Championship – Jared Lansing (ELL) won major dec. over Tristan Massie (BAR), 14-5; Third place – Dylan Nielsen (NGL) def. Bryce Shaw (SC), 11-10; Second-place wrestleback – Massie (BAR) pinned Nielsen (NGL), 3:21.
152: Championship – Preston Anez (SOM) def. Cedric Kosnopfal (ELL), 5-0 (TB-1); Third place – Dalton Smith (SBOW) won by technical fall over Caden Schillinger (SC), 19-4. No second-place wrestleback.
160: Championship – William Waldofski (BAR) def. Kolten Hanson (MED), 12-7; Third place – Chase Melton (SW) pinned Joseph Aguilera (AC), 3:40; No second-place wrestleback.
170: Championship – Dalton George (ELL) pinned Carson Hildebrandt (SC), 5:56; Third place – Garrett Hecht (SOM) def. Donny Pooler (NW), 8-3; Second-place wrestleback – Hildebrandt (SC) pinned Hecht (SOM), 2:59.
182: Championship – Stephen Buchanan (NGL) pinned Ben Turner (SBOW), 1:20; Third place – Daniel Chuchwar (CWPF) def. Joe Schulte (PRES), 7-4; No second-place wrestleback.
195: Championship – Ryan Larson (SCC) def. Ty Sanford (PRES), 3-1 (SV-1); Third place – Jake Rau (MED) def. Lucas Ingold (NGL), 6-2; No second-place wrestleback.
220: Championship – Hunter Luepke (SC) pinned Justis Knutson (CWPF), 1:01; Third place – Joshua Carroll (SW) def. Caleb Linder (ELL), 2-0; Second-place wrestleback – Carroll (SW) def. Knutson (CWPF), 4-0.
285: Championship – Logan Zschernitz (SC) pinned Morgan Berggren (NW), 0:44; Third place – Jacob Konvicka (CWPF) pinned Henry Theisen (ERA), 1:24; Second-place wrestleback – Berggren (NW) def. Konvicka (CWPF) by injury default.