DEFOREST - The Monroe wrestling team crowned two champions at the Badger Conference tournament Saturday en route to a third-place tie in the Badger South.
Monroe senior Traiten Gorr (33-1), ranked No. 5 at 220 pounds in the Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 2 poll, defeated Waunakee's Mason Ripp 6-1 in the title match. The other conference champion for the Cheesemakers was junior Kyle Walter at heavyweight. Walter defeated Fort Atkinson's Cole Beavers 2-1 overtime win on an ultimate tie-breaker to clinch the championship. Walter elected to choose down after two 30-second overtime periods and he came through with an escape to win it. Walter improved to 4-0 in overtime matches this year.
"He had the most left," Monroe coach Tom Witt said of Walter. "He understood the situation and he had the endurance. It's a great accomplishment for him."
Walter (29-8), after a first-round bye, pinned Baraboo's Joseph Schick in 3:52. In the semifinals, Walter edged Sauk Prairie's Konnor McNeal 1-0.
After a first-round bye, Gorr pinned Mount Horeb's Cade Czerwonka in 1 minute, 10 seconds. In the semifinals, Gorr scored a 12-0 major decision win over Stoughton's Adon Marshall.
"Traiten was expected to win," Witt said. "He didn't have a tough match all day. I think he has embraced that (high expectations). People know who he is and he accepts that challenge."
Stoughton, ranked No. 5 in the Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 1 poll, had four champions and ran away with the tournament championship with 313 points. Sixth-ranked Sauk Prairie finished second (285) and ninth-ranked Milton (215.5) took third. Sauk Prairie, like the Vikings, also had four conference champions. Monroe finished 10th out of 13 teams in the conference tournament, but tied for third with Fort Atkinson in the final Badger South standings. Sauk Prairie won the Badger North Conference for the sixth straight year.
"Stoughton and Sauk Prairie both had four conference champions," Witt said. "That just shows how dominant the conference champions were. For us to get two to win their weight classes is a good accomplishment," Witt said. "We were short-handed and there were a couple of kids who didn't score points for us that probably should have."
Monroe junior Cole Murray (25-7) finished third at 132. Murray beat Reedsburg's Logan Lewerenz 5-2 in a rematch in third-place match. Murray went 3-1 at the tournament. After a first-round bye, Lewerenz beat Murray 5-1 in a quarterfinal match. Murray bounced back defeating DeForest's Jared Stuttgen 10-4 and edging Stoughton's Cade Spilde 6-5. He then avenged an earlier loss to Lewerenz by beating him for third.
"It was just believing in himself and trusting himself," Witt said. "For him, when he gets a takedown, he usually wins the match. It should be a big confidence boost for him wrestling good competition."
Sophomore teammate Dempzy Foley (160) took fourth after suffering an injury and couldn't against Baraboo's Zachary Raymond. DeForest's Kevin Rauls, ranked 13th in Division 1, defeated Monroe junior Hayden Arneson, ranked No. 10 at 195, 6-2 for third place. It marked Rauls' second win against Arneson in the tournament.
After a first-round bye, Rauls pinned Arneson in 3:21. Arneson battled back by pinning Milton's Jerry Lipke in 3:42. That set up a rematch with Rauls for third place.
"It would have been just as tough at 195," Witt said. "He's probably disappointed in the first match. Hayden struggled early on. He got in a bad position in the first match."
Foley (24-9) at 160, had a 15-6 major decision win against Mount Horeb's Ky Kalscheur and then pinned Milton's Taylor Prochazka in 2 minutes in a quarterfinal match. Foley suffered a back spasm injury in his match against Prochazka In the semifinals, Foley lost on a technical fall.
Both Monroe freshman Gabe Witt (106) was seeded seventh and took sixth. Oregon's Steele Mellum pinned Witt in a fifth-place match. Witt (16-14) went 2-3 in the tournament. Witt pinned DeForest's Luke Beyer in 1:10 in the first round. Sauk Prairie's Zeke Smith then pinned Witt in 3:17. Witt rebounded with a 2-0 overtime win over Mount Horeb's Seth Loomis. That set the stages for the third-place match against Mellum.
Gabe Witt avenged an earlier loss to Loomis.
"Gabe had a really good day," the coach said. "It's good confidence boost that he can grind and ride out a match like that."
Monroe senior Traiten Gorr (33-1), ranked No. 5 at 220 pounds in the Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 2 poll, defeated Waunakee's Mason Ripp 6-1 in the title match. The other conference champion for the Cheesemakers was junior Kyle Walter at heavyweight. Walter defeated Fort Atkinson's Cole Beavers 2-1 overtime win on an ultimate tie-breaker to clinch the championship. Walter elected to choose down after two 30-second overtime periods and he came through with an escape to win it. Walter improved to 4-0 in overtime matches this year.
"He had the most left," Monroe coach Tom Witt said of Walter. "He understood the situation and he had the endurance. It's a great accomplishment for him."
Walter (29-8), after a first-round bye, pinned Baraboo's Joseph Schick in 3:52. In the semifinals, Walter edged Sauk Prairie's Konnor McNeal 1-0.
After a first-round bye, Gorr pinned Mount Horeb's Cade Czerwonka in 1 minute, 10 seconds. In the semifinals, Gorr scored a 12-0 major decision win over Stoughton's Adon Marshall.
"Traiten was expected to win," Witt said. "He didn't have a tough match all day. I think he has embraced that (high expectations). People know who he is and he accepts that challenge."
Stoughton, ranked No. 5 in the Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 1 poll, had four champions and ran away with the tournament championship with 313 points. Sixth-ranked Sauk Prairie finished second (285) and ninth-ranked Milton (215.5) took third. Sauk Prairie, like the Vikings, also had four conference champions. Monroe finished 10th out of 13 teams in the conference tournament, but tied for third with Fort Atkinson in the final Badger South standings. Sauk Prairie won the Badger North Conference for the sixth straight year.
"Stoughton and Sauk Prairie both had four conference champions," Witt said. "That just shows how dominant the conference champions were. For us to get two to win their weight classes is a good accomplishment," Witt said. "We were short-handed and there were a couple of kids who didn't score points for us that probably should have."
Monroe junior Cole Murray (25-7) finished third at 132. Murray beat Reedsburg's Logan Lewerenz 5-2 in a rematch in third-place match. Murray went 3-1 at the tournament. After a first-round bye, Lewerenz beat Murray 5-1 in a quarterfinal match. Murray bounced back defeating DeForest's Jared Stuttgen 10-4 and edging Stoughton's Cade Spilde 6-5. He then avenged an earlier loss to Lewerenz by beating him for third.
"It was just believing in himself and trusting himself," Witt said. "For him, when he gets a takedown, he usually wins the match. It should be a big confidence boost for him wrestling good competition."
Sophomore teammate Dempzy Foley (160) took fourth after suffering an injury and couldn't against Baraboo's Zachary Raymond. DeForest's Kevin Rauls, ranked 13th in Division 1, defeated Monroe junior Hayden Arneson, ranked No. 10 at 195, 6-2 for third place. It marked Rauls' second win against Arneson in the tournament.
After a first-round bye, Rauls pinned Arneson in 3:21. Arneson battled back by pinning Milton's Jerry Lipke in 3:42. That set up a rematch with Rauls for third place.
"It would have been just as tough at 195," Witt said. "He's probably disappointed in the first match. Hayden struggled early on. He got in a bad position in the first match."
Foley (24-9) at 160, had a 15-6 major decision win against Mount Horeb's Ky Kalscheur and then pinned Milton's Taylor Prochazka in 2 minutes in a quarterfinal match. Foley suffered a back spasm injury in his match against Prochazka In the semifinals, Foley lost on a technical fall.
Both Monroe freshman Gabe Witt (106) was seeded seventh and took sixth. Oregon's Steele Mellum pinned Witt in a fifth-place match. Witt (16-14) went 2-3 in the tournament. Witt pinned DeForest's Luke Beyer in 1:10 in the first round. Sauk Prairie's Zeke Smith then pinned Witt in 3:17. Witt rebounded with a 2-0 overtime win over Mount Horeb's Seth Loomis. That set the stages for the third-place match against Mellum.
Gabe Witt avenged an earlier loss to Loomis.
"Gabe had a really good day," the coach said. "It's good confidence boost that he can grind and ride out a match like that."
