RICHLAND CENTER - If Kevin Klopfenstein had to learn a painful lesson, the Monroe junior is sure glad it happened earlier in his prep wrestling career rather than later.
A state qualifier in 2010, when he set the Monroe High School freshman victories record with 40, Klopfenstein failed to earn the trip to Madison last winter.
That disappointment burned within him for a year. On Saturday, it fueled him to the 132-pound championship at the Division 2 Richland Center sectional.
"It's just amazing how far I've come in the last year," Klopfenstein said moments after defeating Sparta's Derek VonRuden 3-1 in the championship match.
"I thought it was going to be easy (last year), but it's not. You've got to work for it, and I feel like I've worked really hard for it this year."
Klopfenstein will have some company from the area at the WIAA state tournament Thursday-Saturday at the Kohl Center. Brodhead-Juda's Hunter Colden captured the area's second sectional title, and Monroe's Trevor Gorr and Aaron Hesgard qualified by finishing in the top three of their weight classes.
Klopfenstein (40-10) opted to wrestle at 132 pounds rather than 138 and the move paid off, as he pinned Prairie du Chien's Sam Stormoen in 5 minutes, 40 seconds and posted a 2-0 victory against Viroqua's Erik Vesbach to reach the finals.
In VonRuden, he faced an opponent who had beaten him both at sectionals last season and earlier this season in a tournament at Reedsburg.
With the match knotted at 1-1, Klopfenstein recorded a takedown with 50 seconds left to score the winning points.
"I knew I had a chance to win it and I wanted it, so I went after it," said Klopfenstein, adding that he's proud of the way he approached his junior season.
"I came in with a different mind set this year," he said. "I feel like I've been more technically sound."
Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said Klopfenstein has also been plenty motivated.
"The last two or three weeks, since the conference meet, he's really stepped up how he's working in the wrestling room and his mental attitude," Jackson said. "He's not going to let anyone stop him."
This is Colden's third trip to the state finals, but the junior checked a major goal off his list when he defeated Viroqua's Clay Fitzpatrick
11-6 in the 170-pound championship match.
"It's big winning a sectional championship for the first time instead of placing third," Colden said. "Winning a regional (title) last week for the first time was exciting, too."
Colden defeated West Salem-Bangor's Tyler Shrake 9-3, then dominated Lodi's Bryce Ziegler 14-6. In the title bout, he and Fitzpatrick were tied 4-4 entering the third period before Colden rattled off six quick points to seize control.
"Adrenaline, I guess," Colden said of his third-period dominance. "I knew come the third period I had to give a little bit more. I hit that suicide cradle, which could have been bad, but it wasn't - it turned out to my advantage and really turned the momentum of the match."
Colden, wrestling up two weight classes from a year ago, said being a member of the Cardinals' dominant football team definitely helped him be a stronger wrestler this season.
"I thank the football program for that - we have to lift (weights) so much," Colden said.
Klopfenstein and Colden will enjoy first-round byes at state by virtue of their sectional titles and won't wrestle until Friday. Gorr and Hesgard will kick things off in the first round on Thursday night.
Gorr (42-6) finished second at 220 pounds after dropping the championship match 7-3 to Viroqua's Trent Vesbach.
The Cheesemakers junior fell behind 6-0 before more than holding his own in the second half of the match.
"Going to state feels really good, but that last match was a bummer," Gorr said. "I haven't been sleeping too good - I've been worrying about matches - and my stomach hurt. I just went out there saying (Vesbach) is going to earn it and I'm not going to back down."
Jackson said he was impressed that Gorr mustered some energy on a day when he wasn't his best physically.
"He said he was under the weather all day long, but then all of a sudden he kind of turned it on for two periods and started thumping (Vesbach) pretty good," Jackson said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. He came in (to sectionals) and was sitting in a pretty good position and did what he needed to do."
Hesgard (35-14) finished third at 126 pounds to qualify for his first state tournament. The junior defeated Adams-Friendship's Hunter Johnson 7-1 in the first round, then was pinned by River Valley's Austyn Alt, a third-place finisher at state in 2011, in 1:23. He defeated Lodi's Kyle Klapper 9-3 in his first wrestleback match, then got a takedown in overtime to defeat Sparta's Tristan Zurfluh for the state tourney berth.
"It feels great," Hesgard said, adding that the first-round victory was a huge confidence boost.
"Getting through that was getting over another hump," he said. "It helped make my mind know I can do it and know I am up there will all the other wrestlers."
Said Jackson: "Aaron came out the right way. He was technically sound and he was getting after it and being the aggressor in matches. It looked like he really wanted it."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Logan Maurer (33-11) had an impressive tournament with a fourth-place finish at heavyweight. He pinned Belmont-Plattville's Lucas Stoney in 3:06 in the first round before getting pinned by West Salem-Bangor's Alex Arentz in 2:09.
In wrestlebacks, Maurer pinned Portage's Spencer Shier in 3:54 before being pinned by Lakeside Lutheran's Ben Ewings in 4:46 in the third-place match.
Monroe junior 182-pounder Dusty Burkhalter (29-18) and sophomore heavyweight Brett Zimmerman (23-17) each lost both their matches.
"They both wrestled hard and it's a great experience to get two matches at the sectional level," Jackson said. "I think they're both happy with their seasons. I'm very happy with their seasons."
Monroe junior 120-pounder Jesse Keizer (25-16) did not wrestle due to "illness," Jackson said.
Brodhead-Juda freshman Brady Colden (31-12) and senior Kramer Lewis (34-7), a regional champion, lost their only matches while Cardinals freshman Reave Lincoln
(14-10) lost two matches at 220.
Sugar River freshman Kody Popenfus (32-8) dropped his only match at 106 pounds while senior teammate Brooks Hendrickson (26-14) lost both his matches at 152.
In the Division 3 sectional at Mineral Point, Black Hawk sophomore Jared Pickett
(30-20) lost two matches at 113.
A state qualifier in 2010, when he set the Monroe High School freshman victories record with 40, Klopfenstein failed to earn the trip to Madison last winter.
That disappointment burned within him for a year. On Saturday, it fueled him to the 132-pound championship at the Division 2 Richland Center sectional.
"It's just amazing how far I've come in the last year," Klopfenstein said moments after defeating Sparta's Derek VonRuden 3-1 in the championship match.
"I thought it was going to be easy (last year), but it's not. You've got to work for it, and I feel like I've worked really hard for it this year."
Klopfenstein will have some company from the area at the WIAA state tournament Thursday-Saturday at the Kohl Center. Brodhead-Juda's Hunter Colden captured the area's second sectional title, and Monroe's Trevor Gorr and Aaron Hesgard qualified by finishing in the top three of their weight classes.
Klopfenstein (40-10) opted to wrestle at 132 pounds rather than 138 and the move paid off, as he pinned Prairie du Chien's Sam Stormoen in 5 minutes, 40 seconds and posted a 2-0 victory against Viroqua's Erik Vesbach to reach the finals.
In VonRuden, he faced an opponent who had beaten him both at sectionals last season and earlier this season in a tournament at Reedsburg.
With the match knotted at 1-1, Klopfenstein recorded a takedown with 50 seconds left to score the winning points.
"I knew I had a chance to win it and I wanted it, so I went after it," said Klopfenstein, adding that he's proud of the way he approached his junior season.
"I came in with a different mind set this year," he said. "I feel like I've been more technically sound."
Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said Klopfenstein has also been plenty motivated.
"The last two or three weeks, since the conference meet, he's really stepped up how he's working in the wrestling room and his mental attitude," Jackson said. "He's not going to let anyone stop him."
This is Colden's third trip to the state finals, but the junior checked a major goal off his list when he defeated Viroqua's Clay Fitzpatrick
11-6 in the 170-pound championship match.
"It's big winning a sectional championship for the first time instead of placing third," Colden said. "Winning a regional (title) last week for the first time was exciting, too."
Colden defeated West Salem-Bangor's Tyler Shrake 9-3, then dominated Lodi's Bryce Ziegler 14-6. In the title bout, he and Fitzpatrick were tied 4-4 entering the third period before Colden rattled off six quick points to seize control.
"Adrenaline, I guess," Colden said of his third-period dominance. "I knew come the third period I had to give a little bit more. I hit that suicide cradle, which could have been bad, but it wasn't - it turned out to my advantage and really turned the momentum of the match."
Colden, wrestling up two weight classes from a year ago, said being a member of the Cardinals' dominant football team definitely helped him be a stronger wrestler this season.
"I thank the football program for that - we have to lift (weights) so much," Colden said.
Klopfenstein and Colden will enjoy first-round byes at state by virtue of their sectional titles and won't wrestle until Friday. Gorr and Hesgard will kick things off in the first round on Thursday night.
Gorr (42-6) finished second at 220 pounds after dropping the championship match 7-3 to Viroqua's Trent Vesbach.
The Cheesemakers junior fell behind 6-0 before more than holding his own in the second half of the match.
"Going to state feels really good, but that last match was a bummer," Gorr said. "I haven't been sleeping too good - I've been worrying about matches - and my stomach hurt. I just went out there saying (Vesbach) is going to earn it and I'm not going to back down."
Jackson said he was impressed that Gorr mustered some energy on a day when he wasn't his best physically.
"He said he was under the weather all day long, but then all of a sudden he kind of turned it on for two periods and started thumping (Vesbach) pretty good," Jackson said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. He came in (to sectionals) and was sitting in a pretty good position and did what he needed to do."
Hesgard (35-14) finished third at 126 pounds to qualify for his first state tournament. The junior defeated Adams-Friendship's Hunter Johnson 7-1 in the first round, then was pinned by River Valley's Austyn Alt, a third-place finisher at state in 2011, in 1:23. He defeated Lodi's Kyle Klapper 9-3 in his first wrestleback match, then got a takedown in overtime to defeat Sparta's Tristan Zurfluh for the state tourney berth.
"It feels great," Hesgard said, adding that the first-round victory was a huge confidence boost.
"Getting through that was getting over another hump," he said. "It helped make my mind know I can do it and know I am up there will all the other wrestlers."
Said Jackson: "Aaron came out the right way. He was technically sound and he was getting after it and being the aggressor in matches. It looked like he really wanted it."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Logan Maurer (33-11) had an impressive tournament with a fourth-place finish at heavyweight. He pinned Belmont-Plattville's Lucas Stoney in 3:06 in the first round before getting pinned by West Salem-Bangor's Alex Arentz in 2:09.
In wrestlebacks, Maurer pinned Portage's Spencer Shier in 3:54 before being pinned by Lakeside Lutheran's Ben Ewings in 4:46 in the third-place match.
Monroe junior 182-pounder Dusty Burkhalter (29-18) and sophomore heavyweight Brett Zimmerman (23-17) each lost both their matches.
"They both wrestled hard and it's a great experience to get two matches at the sectional level," Jackson said. "I think they're both happy with their seasons. I'm very happy with their seasons."
Monroe junior 120-pounder Jesse Keizer (25-16) did not wrestle due to "illness," Jackson said.
Brodhead-Juda freshman Brady Colden (31-12) and senior Kramer Lewis (34-7), a regional champion, lost their only matches while Cardinals freshman Reave Lincoln
(14-10) lost two matches at 220.
Sugar River freshman Kody Popenfus (32-8) dropped his only match at 106 pounds while senior teammate Brooks Hendrickson (26-14) lost both his matches at 152.
In the Division 3 sectional at Mineral Point, Black Hawk sophomore Jared Pickett
(30-20) lost two matches at 113.
