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EDGAR – Stratford earned five sectional titles and will be sending seven to the state tournament after competing at the WIAA Division 3 Individual Wrestling Sectional on Saturday at Edgar High School.
The top three finishers in each of the 14 weight classes qualify for the 2020 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Feb. 27-29.
Gavin Drexler continued his undefeated season, improving to 47-0 by winning the 126-pound title. Drexler pinned Tyler Schunck of Shell Lake in 1:07 of the championship match.
Stratford will also be sending two defending state champions back to Madison. Senior Max Schwabe (45-2) won the 132-pound title, beating Tristan Drier of Cadott, 10-1; and senior Trevor Dennee (46-1) earned the 195-pound title by beating Connor Westfall of Athens, 6-0.
Devin Dennee and Elijah Lucio (16-1) earned Stratford’s other sectional titles. Lucio won the 138-pound championship by beating Cole Pfeiffer of Cadott, 11-2, while Devin Dennee (46-2) took down Ivan Ruble of Clear Lake in 1:14 to win the 160-pound final.
Also qualifying for state for the Tigers were Jacob Heiden (39-8), who finished second at 152, and Karter Stuttgen (23-5), who took third at 113 pounds. Heiden lost in the finals to Nelson Wahl of Cadott, 4-3.
“I am very happy to see these guys perform so well today,” Stratford coach Joe Schwabe said. “This is usually the toughest day of the year for a coach as other kids just missed their goal of qualifying today. Fortunately, our Stratford kids have Team State the following weekend to help keep everyone focused. This was a very tough sectional this year with 10 weight classes having the No. 1-ranked kid in the state and all six returning state champs were in this sectional also.”
Westfall (30-7) was Athens’ lone state qualifier.
Edgar also had one state qualifier. Ethan Heil (28-0), the defending 220-pound state champion in Division 3, will return after winning the 220-pound final with a pin in 1:06 of Milan Monchilovich of Cumberland.
Stratford will compete at the 2020 WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament on March 7 at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison. The Tigers are making their fifth-straight trip to the team state tournament.
2020 WIAA Division 3 Individual Wrestling Sectionals
Feb. 22, at Edgar High School
Team scores: 1. Stratford 159; 2. Cadott 140; 3. St. Croix Falls 95; 4. Boyceville 79.5; 5. Clear Lake 63; 6. Ladysmith 47; 7. Mondovi 45; 8. Athens 36; 9. Shell Lake 28; 10. Glenwood City 27; 11. Cameron 26.5; 12. Cumberland 25; 13. Edgar and Phillips 22; 15. Chequamegon 20; 16. Flambeau 18.5; 17. Spring Valley/Elmwood 14.5; 18. Chetek-Weyerhauseer/Prairie Farm 12.5; 19. Unity 7; 20. Bruce 0.
Top three in each weight class qualify for WIAA State Individual Tournament at Madison, Feb. 27-29
106 pounds
Championship: Brayden Sonnentag (CAD) def. Luke Thaemert (SCF), 5-2.
Third place: Mitch Anderson (CL) pinned Brooks Kraus (ATH), 4:00.
Second-place wrestleback: Thaemert def. Anderson, 4-2.
113 pounds
Championship: Tanner Gerber (CAM) won by technical fall over Dominic Leintz (CL), 21-6.
Third place: Karter Stuttgen (ST) pinned Clayton Roscoe (LAD), 0:35.
Second-place wrestleback: Leintz (CL) pinned Stuttgen (ST), 5:48.
120 pounds
Championship: Josiah Berg (BOY) def. Mason Will (SCF), 8-4.
Third place: Derick Vollendorf (LAD) def. Remington Ladd (CAM), 7-5.
126 pounds
Championship: Gavin Drexler (ST) pinned Tyler Schunck (SL), 1:07.
Third place: Nate Stuart (BOY) pinned Gabe Knops (GC), 2:46.
132 pounds
Championship: Max Schwabe (ST) won major dec. over Tristan Drier (CAD), 10-1.
Third place: Matt Anderson (CL) won major dec. over Cody Wagner (MON), 9-0.
Second-place wrestleback: Drier def. Anderson, 4-2.
138 pounds
Championship: Elijah Lucio (ST) won major dec. over Cole Pfeiffer (CAD), 11-2.
Third place: Ira Bialzik (BOY) def. Zack Clark (SCF), 17-15.
Second-place wrestleback: Pfeiffer pinned Bialzik, 3:38.
145 pounds
Championship: Kole Marko (SCF) def. Hunter Bruhn (PH), 6-2.
Third place: Benett Schramski (CUM) pinned Lance Crawford (MON), 5:53.
152 pounds
Championship: Nelson Wahl (CAD) def. Jacob Heiden (ST), 4-3.
Third place: Bennett Bergmann (SCF) def. Tyler Dormanen (BOY), 7-3.
160 pounds
Championship: Devin Dennee (ST) pinned Ivan Ruble (CL), 1:14.
Third place: William Peters (CWPF) def. Spencer Kraus (ATH), 4-2.
Second-place wrestleback: Ruble (CL) pinned Peters (CWPF), 1:47.
170 pounds
Championship: Brady Spaeth (CAD) won by technical fall over Blake Flach (SL), 19-2.
Third place: Bryce Best (FLAM) def. Hunter Ford (ST), 10-6.
Second-place wrestleback: Best pinned Flach, 0:48.
182 pounds
Championship: Trett Joles (BOY) pinned Steven Pfeiffer (CAD), 1:39.
Third place: Tucker Lagerstrom (GC) pinned Raife Smart (ST), 4:26.
195 pounds
Championship: Trevor Dennee (ST) def. Connor Westfall (ATH), 6-0.
Third place: Raith Bauer (MON) pinned Trenten Marson (SVE), 1:49.
220 pounds
Championship: Ethan Heil (ED) pinned Milan Monchilovich (CUM), 1:06.
Third place: Ethan Tegels (CAD) def. Nathan Pelke (MON), 2-0.
Second-place wrestleback: Tegels won major dec. over Monchilovich, 11-1.
285 pounds
Championship: Tanner Gaffey (SCF) def. Wade Stanger (LADY), 3-0.
Third place: Parker Renken (CHQ) pinned Carson Johnson (UN), 2:17.
Second-place wrestleback: Stanger pinned Renken, 0:56.