RICHLAND CENTER - The Monroe wrestling team had three individual champions en route to a fifth-place finish at the Richland Center Invitational Saturday.
The individual champions for the Cheesemakers were sophomore Patrick Rielly at 160 pounds, senior Sam Kind (170) and senior Dempzy Foley (182). Each of the title winning wrestlers went 4-0 on the day.
Gale Ettrick-Trempleau-Melrose captured the team tile 256-211.5 over Baraboo. Sugar River took 12th (85) in the 17-team invitational.
"Dempzy and Sam were each seeded first in their weight class," Monroe coach Tom Witt said. "Patrick was the No. 2 seed. Overall, we only took nine kids because we had some kids sick, some kids had some Christmas things and some are hurt. To only have six guys scoring and to take fifth is pretty good. With a full squad, we are probably right there with the first and second place teams."
After a first-round bye, Rielly (13-2) pinned Reedsburg's Kaden Reuterskiold in 1 minute, 19 seconds. In a semifinal match, he knocked off Wisconsin Dells' Sabastian Kontaxis in 6 minutes, 17-2. Rielly captured after a pin against Tomah's Marques Fritsche in 48 seconds.
At 170, Kind (14-1), ranked No. 6 in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, Mauston's Sterling Wilke in 1:47 in a quarterfinal match. In a semifinal match, Kind defeated Riverdale's Tyler Hach 9-3. In the championship match, Kind defeated Boscobel's Chase Bienborn 10-1.
"Sam did what he usually does - he wears you down and then beats you," Witt said.
Foley (15-0), ranked No. 11 at 182 and has 10 pins. Foley also cruised after a first-round bye. He pinned Tomah's Connor Von Haden in 1:21. Foley then pinned Baraboo's Aiden Estes in 5:54 in a semifinal match. In the title match, he took the top spot after Ithaca-Weston's Colton Clary dropped out due to an injury.
"Dempzy has yet to wrestle a 6-minute match," Witt said.
Monroe senior Tyson Welsch (heavyweight) took third and senior Travis Wolf (152) finished fifth. Welsch went 3-1. He pinned Belmont-Platteville's Michael Douglas in 5:41. In a quarterfinal match, Welsch edged Mauston's Dorn Meurett 3-1 in overtime. Ithaca-Weston's Carson McCauley, a three-time state qualifier ranked No. 7, pinned Welsch in 3:22 in the semifinals. He bounced back by knocking off Richland Center's Eli Schieldt 11-2 in a third-place match.
"I think we could have one more champion," Witt said of Welsch.
Welsch led his semifinal match 2-0 against McCauley, who is ranked No. 6 in Division 3.
"He (Welsch) was thinking he could pin him," Witt said. "He was working so hard for the pin that he made a mistake. He's learning. It's his first year as a varsity wrestler."
After Wolf pinned Cashton's Anthony Whitehead in 1;24 in a first-round match, he lost his only match of the day in the quarterfinals. Tomah's Travis Von Haden pinned Wolf in 4:59 in a quarterfinal match. Wolf rebounded by defeating Gale Ettrick-Trempelau-Melrose's Jaden Anderson 13-5. In a fifth-place match, Wolf defeated Sugar River's Jack Diederich 6-1.
Sugar River's Joe Quaglia (106) went 4-1 to take second and Max Gerner (132) went 2-2 and finished fourth. After a first-round bye, Quaglia (12-3) pinned Hillsboro's Dalton Kehoe in 3:34. He then pinned Gale Ettrick-Trempelau-Melrose's Kohl Lindberg in 2:57 in a semifinal match. In the title match, Belmont-Platteville's Trsiten Gilberston edged him 7-4.
Gerner also cruised after a first-round bye. He defeated Wisconsin Dells' Gavin Kingsley 6-0. Cochrane-Fountain City's Max Dascher pinned him in the semifinals in 1:36. Baraboo's John Gunderson then pinned Gerner in a third-place match in 3:55.
Monroe will host Milton in a Badger South Conference dual at 7 p.m. Thursday on the stage at the Performing Arts Center at the high school due to a home girls basketball game against Edgewood.
"Milton will be a heavy favorite," Witt said. "Milton is very strong. We don't match up well with them. I think we could win four matches. We will go in and wrestle as well and as hard as we can and whatever happens happens."
The individual champions for the Cheesemakers were sophomore Patrick Rielly at 160 pounds, senior Sam Kind (170) and senior Dempzy Foley (182). Each of the title winning wrestlers went 4-0 on the day.
Gale Ettrick-Trempleau-Melrose captured the team tile 256-211.5 over Baraboo. Sugar River took 12th (85) in the 17-team invitational.
"Dempzy and Sam were each seeded first in their weight class," Monroe coach Tom Witt said. "Patrick was the No. 2 seed. Overall, we only took nine kids because we had some kids sick, some kids had some Christmas things and some are hurt. To only have six guys scoring and to take fifth is pretty good. With a full squad, we are probably right there with the first and second place teams."
After a first-round bye, Rielly (13-2) pinned Reedsburg's Kaden Reuterskiold in 1 minute, 19 seconds. In a semifinal match, he knocked off Wisconsin Dells' Sabastian Kontaxis in 6 minutes, 17-2. Rielly captured after a pin against Tomah's Marques Fritsche in 48 seconds.
At 170, Kind (14-1), ranked No. 6 in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, Mauston's Sterling Wilke in 1:47 in a quarterfinal match. In a semifinal match, Kind defeated Riverdale's Tyler Hach 9-3. In the championship match, Kind defeated Boscobel's Chase Bienborn 10-1.
"Sam did what he usually does - he wears you down and then beats you," Witt said.
Foley (15-0), ranked No. 11 at 182 and has 10 pins. Foley also cruised after a first-round bye. He pinned Tomah's Connor Von Haden in 1:21. Foley then pinned Baraboo's Aiden Estes in 5:54 in a semifinal match. In the title match, he took the top spot after Ithaca-Weston's Colton Clary dropped out due to an injury.
"Dempzy has yet to wrestle a 6-minute match," Witt said.
Monroe senior Tyson Welsch (heavyweight) took third and senior Travis Wolf (152) finished fifth. Welsch went 3-1. He pinned Belmont-Platteville's Michael Douglas in 5:41. In a quarterfinal match, Welsch edged Mauston's Dorn Meurett 3-1 in overtime. Ithaca-Weston's Carson McCauley, a three-time state qualifier ranked No. 7, pinned Welsch in 3:22 in the semifinals. He bounced back by knocking off Richland Center's Eli Schieldt 11-2 in a third-place match.
"I think we could have one more champion," Witt said of Welsch.
Welsch led his semifinal match 2-0 against McCauley, who is ranked No. 6 in Division 3.
"He (Welsch) was thinking he could pin him," Witt said. "He was working so hard for the pin that he made a mistake. He's learning. It's his first year as a varsity wrestler."
After Wolf pinned Cashton's Anthony Whitehead in 1;24 in a first-round match, he lost his only match of the day in the quarterfinals. Tomah's Travis Von Haden pinned Wolf in 4:59 in a quarterfinal match. Wolf rebounded by defeating Gale Ettrick-Trempelau-Melrose's Jaden Anderson 13-5. In a fifth-place match, Wolf defeated Sugar River's Jack Diederich 6-1.
Sugar River's Joe Quaglia (106) went 4-1 to take second and Max Gerner (132) went 2-2 and finished fourth. After a first-round bye, Quaglia (12-3) pinned Hillsboro's Dalton Kehoe in 3:34. He then pinned Gale Ettrick-Trempelau-Melrose's Kohl Lindberg in 2:57 in a semifinal match. In the title match, Belmont-Platteville's Trsiten Gilberston edged him 7-4.
Gerner also cruised after a first-round bye. He defeated Wisconsin Dells' Gavin Kingsley 6-0. Cochrane-Fountain City's Max Dascher pinned him in the semifinals in 1:36. Baraboo's John Gunderson then pinned Gerner in a third-place match in 3:55.
Monroe will host Milton in a Badger South Conference dual at 7 p.m. Thursday on the stage at the Performing Arts Center at the high school due to a home girls basketball game against Edgewood.
"Milton will be a heavy favorite," Witt said. "Milton is very strong. We don't match up well with them. I think we could win four matches. We will go in and wrestle as well and as hard as we can and whatever happens happens."
