Area wrestlers gear for individual state tournament
Just the facts
What: WIAA state individual wrestling tournament for the Divisions 1, 2 and 3. No team scores are kept.
Where: Kohl Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
When: Thursday—Division 1 preliminaries, 3 p.m.; Division 1 quarterfinals, 5:15; Division 2 and 3 prelimaries, approximately 7:15.
Friday—Division 1 consolation, 10 a.m.; Division 2 and 3 quarterfinals, approximately 11:15; Division 1 consolation semifinals, approximately 1:45 p.m.; Division 2 and 3 consolation semifinals, approximately 2:45; Division 1, 2 and 3 semifinals, 7 p.m.
Saturday—Division 1, 2 and 3 consolation wrestlebacks, 11 a.m.; Championships, 6 p.m.
Tickets: $8 per session; available at the Kohl Center.
The luck of the draw.
Sometimes that can be the difference between a medal or an early exit from the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament.
The 14 weight classes in the three divisions aren’t seeded for the competition that begins Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison. That explains why the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4-ranked wrestlers at 112 pounds in Division 1 are in the upper bracket, and why Janesville Craig’s third-ranked Siven Furseth is licking his chops in the lower bracket.
It means Furseth (42-1) wouldn’t have to wrestle anyone ranked in the top five until the championship match Saturday night.
“Obviously, we’re really happy with the draw,” Craig High coach Jeff Kaster said. “A lot of years we couldn’t say that, but that’s not the case this year. I know Siven is really fired up about the draw because he knows he can win state.”
Furseth advanced to state a year ago, but he lost to eventual champion Alex Dieringer of Port Washington in the quarterfinals. The sophomore’s only loss this season was to Elkhorn sophomore Ryan Slack, a Division 1 state qualifier at 119 pounds.
Kaster said Furseth is on a mission.
“Siven wants to destroy everybody he wrestles,” Kaster said. “Last year, he let a couple of kids come after him, and it cost him at state. This year, he has gone after everybody and not let his opponent dictate the match.
“I still think he’s going to win a state title before he’s through, and hopefully this is the year. He’s got a great chance the way he’s wrestling right now.”
Furseth is one of several area wrestlers making a return trip to state, while East Troy has the most area qualifiers. The Trojans advanced five wrestlers to state in Division 2, including sectional champions David Edwards at 140 and Chesten Kesselhon at 171.
Edwards was second a year ago at state, and East Troy coach Mike Weygand said his senior is poised to go out on top—also aided by a favorable draw. Top-ranked Nick Hager (47-0) of Tomahawk is the opposite bracket of Edwards (44-2), setting up what could be a memorable title bout.
“A lot of times, the goal at state is to get to the podium,” Weygand said. “In David’s case, it’s to get to the top of the podium.
“He knows what he needs to do to put himself in that position, so this week it’s just a matter of working on a few things and staying fresh.”
Edwards is joined the 140-pound field by Jefferson senior Ryan Bartelt (31-8), also a sectional champion. Both have received byes into Friday morning’s quarterfinals.
Kesselhon will take a 44-4 record into his quarterfinal bout and would likely face T.J. Kinjerski (40-1) of Mishicot in the semifinals. Kesselhon finished third a year ago at 160.
Other East Troy qualifiers are Jake Stollenwerk (37-12) at 189, Matthew Reitman (25-21) at 285 and Jacob Zess (44-2) at 125. Zess and Stollenwerk are making their second straight appearances at state.
“This is not the week to put in a new move or change anything,” Weygand said. “All you want to do is go up there and leave everything on the mat. There’s no next week for most of us, so this is it. Just try and get to the podium.”
Also looking for that chance to shine in Division 2 are three Clinton standouts—sophomore Daniel Banh (35-6) at 112, senior Bryan Banh (28-6) at 125 and senior Brad Hesebeck (38-3) at 130. All three will compete in Thursday night’s first round of Division 2, with Bryan Bahn paired against Zess.
Meanwhile, 189-pound senior Nick Patchen (34-6) of the Evansville/Albany co-op joins an elite Division 2 group as his program’s first sectional champion in more than a decade. Patchen gets a bye into the quarterfinals and could face Stollenwerk in the Friday night semifinals.
Two Elkhorn wrestlers will be looking to bounce back from their first losses of the season. Senior Richard Kessler takes a 36-1 record into his Division 1 preliminary match against Andrew Fix (23-10) of Racine Park.
Like Furseth and Edwards, Kessler appears to have gotton a favorable draw. Elkhorn coach Ken Reynolds said his Stanford University recruit is eager to redeem himself after losing 8-6 in overtime to Muskego’s Roland Dunlap in the sectional final bout. Kessler was second at 160 at state a year ago.
“Richard would like nothing better than to wrestle that kid again with a state title on the line,” Reynolds said. “I think losing at sectional has helped Richard re-focus a little bit.
“It wasn’t that he was cocky or anything, but sometimes a loss can bring you back down to earth and make you realize how important each and every little thing you do in a match is.”
Slack, a sophomore, will take a 41-1 record into his preliminary match against Logan Cudd of River Falls (40-4). Slack defeated Cudd handily in earlier this season.
Lake Geneva Badger’s John Leibforth (44-1) has the best record in the 16-man bracket at 130 pounds in Division 1. The sophomore will wrestle David Hood (43-5) of Kenosha Tremper in his preliminary bout.
Two sectional champions, sophomore John Wells (103) and senior James Miller (189), lead four Milton wrestlers into the Division 1 field. Miller is making his second straight trip to state.
Also competing for the Red Hawks will be senior Shaun O’Neill at 140 and freshman Ian Johnson at 152.
The 215-pound class in Division 1 could be the toughest in all three divisions. Led by unbeatens Alex Polizzi (40-0) of Beloit Memorial and Jeff Bias (43-0) of Racine Horlick, six of the 16 wrestlers have two losses or fewer. Wisconsin Rapids senior Vance Grube (43-1) was second at 215 a year ago, while Polizzi was third at the same weight.
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1O3 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
John Wells, Milton, fr. (31-7) vs. James Bennett, Holmen, fr. (35-5)
Dukas Dittner, Delavan-Darien, fr. (33-12) vs. Kevin Betthauser, Tomah, sr. (40-3)
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Tim Pendelton, Jefferson, fr. (28-5) vs. Parker Peterson, Campbellsport , jr. (31-7)
112 POUNDS
Divison 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Sevin Furseth, Janesville Craig (42-1), soph. vs. Izzy Balsiger, Chippewa Falls, fr. (36-7)
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Daniel Banh, Clinton, soph. (35-6) vs. Gabe Paulson, Amery, fr. (28-8)
119 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Ryan Slack, Elkhorn, soph. (41-1) vs. Logan Cudd, River Falls, soph. (40-4)
Tanner Klitzke, Stoughton, sr. (43-2) vs. Bobby Holzem, Sussex Hamilton, fr. (24-12)
125 POUNDS
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Jacob Zess, East Troy, jr. (44-2) vs. Bryan Banh, Clinton, sr. (28-8)
130 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
John Leibroth, Lake Geneva Badger, soph. (44-1) vs. Ryan Robillard, Neenah, jr (34-8)
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Brad Hesebeck, Clinton, sr. (38-3) vs. Crandel Weissmiller, Medford, sr. (39-5)
135 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Jackson Urso, Stoughton, jr. (42-3) vs. Dryden Holmes, Brookfield Central, sr. (35-5)
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Dylan Schwitz, Monroe, soph. (30-15) vs. Mark Puckhaber, West De Pere, sr. (39-2)
140 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Shaun O’Neill, Milton, sr. (26-4) vs. Ray Hernandez, Oak Creek, jr. (33-6)
Dan Schiferl, Stoughtion, sr. (44-1) vs. Josh Farnsworth, Racine Park, sr. (25-10)
Division 2
(11:15 a.m. Friday)
David Edwards, East Troy, sr. (44-2) vs. Seth Moe, Seymour, sr. (38-4) or Jamey Simmons, Abbotsford/Colby, soph. (33-8)
Ryan Bartelt, Jefferson, sr. (31-8) vs. Bo Seibel, Kewaskum, sr. (26-17) or Will Davis, Prairie du Chien, sr. (26-17)
145 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Ryan Smith, Fort Atkinson, sr. (28-18) vs. Jerad Jaborek, Wisconsin Rapids, sr. (35-10)
Jose De La Barrera, Beloit Memorial, jr. (33-3) vs. Michael Priem, Holmen, sr. (37-5)
152 POUNDS
Divison 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Ian Johnson, Milton, fr. (22-11) vs. Kyle Crain, Hudson, jr. (40-4)
Divison 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Tyler Zimmerman, Lakeside Lutheran, sr. (38-10) vs. Jordan Olson, Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol, sr. (40-10)
160 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m . Thursday)
Ben Lodahl, Delavan-Darien, sr. (30-7) vs. Al Yde, Hartland Arrowhead, jr. (37-2)
171 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Richard Kessler, Elkhorn, sr. (36-1) vs. Andrew Fix, Racine Park, sr. (23-10)
Jesse Swedlund, Beloit Memorial, sr (38-3) vs. Steve VandenAvond, Green Bay Preble/East, sr. (42-3)
Division 2
(11:15 a.m. Friday)
Cheston Kesselhon, East Troy, sr. (44-4) vs. Nick Dobbs, Melrose-Mindoro, sr. (37-7) or Dusty Jentz, Belmont/Platteville, fr. (37-8)
189 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
James Miller, Milton, jr. (26-6) vs. Abe Graziano, Slinger, fr. (32-7)
Division 2
7:15 p.m. Thursday
Jake Stollenwerk, East Troy, sr. (37-12) vs. Scott Burzynski, Stanley-Boyd/Thorp, sr. (31-5)
(11:15 a.m. Friday)
Nick Patchen, Evansville/Albany, sr. (34-6) vs. Zach Wetzel, Campbellsport, jr. (28-10) or Spencer Corey, Balwin-Woodville, sr. (28-9)
215 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Alex Polizzi, Beloit Memorial, jr. (40-0) vs. Bernie Tamsett, Waterford, sr. (28-7)
285 POUNDS
Division 1
(3 p.m. Thursday)
Joe Cychner, Lake Geneva Badger, jr. (34-16) vs. Bill Mitchell, South Milwaukee, jr. (38-4)
Division 2
(7:15 p.m. Thursday)
Matthew Reitman, East Troy, sr. (25-21) vs. Andy Coenen, Seymour, jr. (35-5)
Feb 26, 2009 at 6:13 p.m.
Suggest removal
lets stand behind all the wrestlers from our area
Feb 26, 2009 at 12:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
good luck at state go milton redmen i mean red hawks
Feb 26, 2009 at 7:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
BeloitGuy, I stand corrected they were mentioned. 4 wrestlers 2 sentences you were right.
Feb 25, 2009 at 4:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
The Milton wrestlers are mentioned. It would have been nice if you read the whole article before making a comment!
Feb 25, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
nice article on the area wrestlers going to state. it would have been much nicer if it would have included the 4 milton wrestlers that are going also.
Feb 25, 2009 at 8:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
Siven, Good luck at state. Bring home the gold. All of Janesville will be rooting for you.
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