MONROE - For diehard wrestling fans, the season doesn't begin until the stakes are the highest.
"February is when wrestling starts," Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "To me this is the most exciting time of the year. The matches that happen now mean more. At the end of the year, people remember who were the conference champions, state champions and who made it to state. That is what we work for all year."
Monroe enters the Badger Conference tournament at Waunakee on Saturday with something to prove after going 7-9 overall and 1-4 in Badger South duals.
"It's a tough tournament," Jackson said. "It's tough competition that prepares us for the tournament series for regionals, sectionals and state."
Monroe junior Trevor Gorr, ranked eighth at 220 pounds in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, won a conference title at 215 last season.
The Cheesemakers have several other wrestlers who could contend for a top-three finish, including juniors Aaron Hesgard (126), Kevin Klopfenstein (138) and Dusty Burkhalter (182). Klopfenstein is ranked eighth in the state at 138.
"You really have to have a heck of a tournament to get into that top three," Jackson said. "You will have a lot of guys at the state tournament from that top three."
SWAL/SWC
The clash between the Southwest Activities League and the Southwest
Wisconsin Conference will be a showdown between Iowa-Grant, ranked No. 3 in Division 3, Lancaster (No. 4) and Mineral Point (No. 7). The same three teams will duke it out a week later in the WIAA Division 3 Darlington regional.
"Two weeks in a row it will be some intense wrestling," Darlington coach Tom Mathias said. "There's no doubt about it. You know they will have to wrestle their best."
Ridge & Rivers
Pecatonica-Argyle and Black Hawk will have to make more than an 180-mile roundtrip trek to Royall High School in Elroy on Saturday.
The Vikings will only take five wrestlers to the conference tournament after sophomore Lucas McKeon and Brodie Gross suffered season-ending knee injuries.
"The guys are dropping like flies," Pecatonica-Argyle coach Ike Campbell said.
Capitol
Sugar River, which finished second in the Capitol South Conference last year, will host in Belleville.
"February is when wrestling starts," Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "To me this is the most exciting time of the year. The matches that happen now mean more. At the end of the year, people remember who were the conference champions, state champions and who made it to state. That is what we work for all year."
Monroe enters the Badger Conference tournament at Waunakee on Saturday with something to prove after going 7-9 overall and 1-4 in Badger South duals.
"It's a tough tournament," Jackson said. "It's tough competition that prepares us for the tournament series for regionals, sectionals and state."
Monroe junior Trevor Gorr, ranked eighth at 220 pounds in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, won a conference title at 215 last season.
The Cheesemakers have several other wrestlers who could contend for a top-three finish, including juniors Aaron Hesgard (126), Kevin Klopfenstein (138) and Dusty Burkhalter (182). Klopfenstein is ranked eighth in the state at 138.
"You really have to have a heck of a tournament to get into that top three," Jackson said. "You will have a lot of guys at the state tournament from that top three."
SWAL/SWC
The clash between the Southwest Activities League and the Southwest
Wisconsin Conference will be a showdown between Iowa-Grant, ranked No. 3 in Division 3, Lancaster (No. 4) and Mineral Point (No. 7). The same three teams will duke it out a week later in the WIAA Division 3 Darlington regional.
"Two weeks in a row it will be some intense wrestling," Darlington coach Tom Mathias said. "There's no doubt about it. You know they will have to wrestle their best."
Ridge & Rivers
Pecatonica-Argyle and Black Hawk will have to make more than an 180-mile roundtrip trek to Royall High School in Elroy on Saturday.
The Vikings will only take five wrestlers to the conference tournament after sophomore Lucas McKeon and Brodie Gross suffered season-ending knee injuries.
"The guys are dropping like flies," Pecatonica-Argyle coach Ike Campbell said.
Capitol
Sugar River, which finished second in the Capitol South Conference last year, will host in Belleville.
