RICHLAND CENTER - Monroe seniors Austin Minder and Brett Zimmerman each finished second place in their respective weight classes at the Richland Center Invitational Saturday, Dec. 21.
Minder (14-1) at 195 pounds went 3-1 in the tournament and lost his first match of the season. After receiving a bye, Minder pinned Hillsboro's Jacob Benish in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. He then pinned Boscobel's James Keller in 3:45. In the championship match, Baraboo's David Gale pinned Minder in 1:45.
Zimmerman (12-3) pinned Reedsburg's Nate Bergman in 45 seconds. He then pinned Baraboo's Jeremy Bowers in 2:44. In the title match, Marshfield's Tristan Wilson pinned Zimmerman in 5:36. Minder and Zimmerman were two of five Monroe wrestlers to finish in the top five to lead the Cheesemakers to a seventh-place finish (142 points) in the 14-team tournament. Marshfield outdistanced Reedbsurg for the team title 307-258.5. Sugar River, led by Jacob Larson (182) who finished first place, finished eighth as a team (119).
"It was good," Monroe coach Tom Witt said about having two in the finals. "For their sake, they weren't satisfied. Seven of the eight wrestlers we took finished sixth or better. To me, in my mind, that was a pretty good day."
Zimmerman lost to Wilson for the second time in the last two years. Wilson defeated him in a fifth-place match at the Bi-State Classic last year. Trailing 2-1 and hoping for an escape, Zimmerman chose down to start the third period and Wilson was able to turn him for the pin.
"In hindsight we probably should have chose top or neutral," Witt said. "We should have probably put him on his feet and worked for a takedown. Hopefully, we will see him again at Bi-State."
Monroe freshman David Andrews (113) and Cole Murray (126) each finished fourth place and sophomore Traiten Gorr took fifth.
After a first-round bye, Larson defeated Gorr 5-1 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Larson defeated Richland Center's Josh Kidd 8-2. Larson then beat Hillsboro's Max Sebranek 5-0 in the championship. Larson defeated Gorr for the second time this year. Gorr trailed 3-1 with about eight seconds to go in the third period, but Larson was able to seal the win with a takedown. Gorr was aggressive early in the match against Larson.
"He (Gorr) got deep on a double leg, but when he turned the corner they were out of bounds," Witt said. "He got a good shot, but just didn't finish. Whoever gets the first takedown usually wins 75 percent of the time."
Gorr after his second bye of the tournament, defeated Riverdale's Jarred Schneider 7-0 and pinned Baraboo's Ben Goodreau in 2:16 for fifth place.
"He (Gorr) might have been the second best wrestler there," Witt said but he finished fifth with how the bracket was seeded.
Murray went 2-2 in the tournament. Murray defeated Hillsboro's Logan Rohn 9-2 and then knocked off Reedsburg's Wyatt Rabuck 3-0. With the win, Murray avenged a loss to Rabuck by a pin earlier this season. Murray then lost a heartbreaker 4-2 in double overtime to Riverdale's Brandon Roen. In a third place match, Marshfield's Luke Mahoney defeated him 5-0.
"He was seconds away from the finals," Witt said of Murray.
Andrews went 1-2 Saturday. He pinned Richland Center's Isaac Orr in 3:32. Marshfield's Anthony Christmas pined Andrews in a third-place match in 4:22.
Sugar Rver senior Young-Chul Vetterli took second place. Vetterli (12-2) went 2-1 in the matches he wrestled. He defeated Monroe's Mitch Swanson 11-2 and pinned Baraboo's Calvin Holloway in 4:30. Vetterli was pinned in the championship match by Weston-Ithaca's Mason McCauley in 3:55.
Sugar River's John Cehnoweth (106) and Kody Popenfus (132) each went 2-2 and finished fourth place in their weight classes.
Monroe will be back in action Friday, Dec. 27 and Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Bi-State Classic in La Crosse. The top 16 wrestlers make it to Saturday and the top 12 place.
Minder (14-1) at 195 pounds went 3-1 in the tournament and lost his first match of the season. After receiving a bye, Minder pinned Hillsboro's Jacob Benish in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. He then pinned Boscobel's James Keller in 3:45. In the championship match, Baraboo's David Gale pinned Minder in 1:45.
Zimmerman (12-3) pinned Reedsburg's Nate Bergman in 45 seconds. He then pinned Baraboo's Jeremy Bowers in 2:44. In the title match, Marshfield's Tristan Wilson pinned Zimmerman in 5:36. Minder and Zimmerman were two of five Monroe wrestlers to finish in the top five to lead the Cheesemakers to a seventh-place finish (142 points) in the 14-team tournament. Marshfield outdistanced Reedbsurg for the team title 307-258.5. Sugar River, led by Jacob Larson (182) who finished first place, finished eighth as a team (119).
"It was good," Monroe coach Tom Witt said about having two in the finals. "For their sake, they weren't satisfied. Seven of the eight wrestlers we took finished sixth or better. To me, in my mind, that was a pretty good day."
Zimmerman lost to Wilson for the second time in the last two years. Wilson defeated him in a fifth-place match at the Bi-State Classic last year. Trailing 2-1 and hoping for an escape, Zimmerman chose down to start the third period and Wilson was able to turn him for the pin.
"In hindsight we probably should have chose top or neutral," Witt said. "We should have probably put him on his feet and worked for a takedown. Hopefully, we will see him again at Bi-State."
Monroe freshman David Andrews (113) and Cole Murray (126) each finished fourth place and sophomore Traiten Gorr took fifth.
After a first-round bye, Larson defeated Gorr 5-1 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Larson defeated Richland Center's Josh Kidd 8-2. Larson then beat Hillsboro's Max Sebranek 5-0 in the championship. Larson defeated Gorr for the second time this year. Gorr trailed 3-1 with about eight seconds to go in the third period, but Larson was able to seal the win with a takedown. Gorr was aggressive early in the match against Larson.
"He (Gorr) got deep on a double leg, but when he turned the corner they were out of bounds," Witt said. "He got a good shot, but just didn't finish. Whoever gets the first takedown usually wins 75 percent of the time."
Gorr after his second bye of the tournament, defeated Riverdale's Jarred Schneider 7-0 and pinned Baraboo's Ben Goodreau in 2:16 for fifth place.
"He (Gorr) might have been the second best wrestler there," Witt said but he finished fifth with how the bracket was seeded.
Murray went 2-2 in the tournament. Murray defeated Hillsboro's Logan Rohn 9-2 and then knocked off Reedsburg's Wyatt Rabuck 3-0. With the win, Murray avenged a loss to Rabuck by a pin earlier this season. Murray then lost a heartbreaker 4-2 in double overtime to Riverdale's Brandon Roen. In a third place match, Marshfield's Luke Mahoney defeated him 5-0.
"He was seconds away from the finals," Witt said of Murray.
Andrews went 1-2 Saturday. He pinned Richland Center's Isaac Orr in 3:32. Marshfield's Anthony Christmas pined Andrews in a third-place match in 4:22.
Sugar Rver senior Young-Chul Vetterli took second place. Vetterli (12-2) went 2-1 in the matches he wrestled. He defeated Monroe's Mitch Swanson 11-2 and pinned Baraboo's Calvin Holloway in 4:30. Vetterli was pinned in the championship match by Weston-Ithaca's Mason McCauley in 3:55.
Sugar River's John Cehnoweth (106) and Kody Popenfus (132) each went 2-2 and finished fourth place in their weight classes.
Monroe will be back in action Friday, Dec. 27 and Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Bi-State Classic in La Crosse. The top 16 wrestlers make it to Saturday and the top 12 place.
