EVANSVILLE — Five area wrestlers punched their ticket to the WIAA state wrestling tournament to be held later this week. Monroe will send three wrestlers, while Darlington-Black Hawk and Pecatonica-Argyle will have one athlete representing their programs.

“It was a good effort — getting three out of five (to state) is pretty good percentage-wise, I think. It was a good day and I’m proud of them,” Monroe head coach Tom Witt said after the Division 2 meet in Evansville Feb. 22. 

Monroe senior Alex Witt will make it back-to-back years at the state meet, as he finished second at 182 pounds at sectionals this season. He’ll be joined by longtime friend and senior teammate Patrick Rielaly (160), as well as sophomore Brady Schuh (126). Darlington-Black Hawk’s Carson Lobdell (195) took second in the Evansville sectional, and Pecatonica-Argyle junior Noah Krahenbuhl (126) moves on after winning the Division 3 Westby Sectional.

Alex Witt (40-6) pinned Edgerton’s Dominic Hogan (24-14) in the third period of their first-round match, then won a tight 7-5 decision against Jefferson’s Aaron Heine (40-7). Heine took third.

“It means a lot to get back to state — that was my main goal,” Alex Witt said. “And my goal now is to place, and I think I am in a better situation as a wrestler this year than last year.”

Alex then lost 3-2 decision to Will Schaefer (38-6) of Belmont-Platteville in the championship match. The two wrestlers have been ranked No. 2 and 3 much of the season, with Alex defeating Schaefer 3-2 at regionals the week before.

“Since losing his match up at state last year, he’s been doing nothing but nonstop wrestling with his club stuff,” Tom Witt said of his son. “In the summer he was wrestling four days a week, and that’s paying off for him — and that’s why you do it. He’s not done yet.”

In the 160-pound quarterfinal, Rielly (30-10) won a 13-2 major decision against Richland Center’s Jaren Hill (19-10). In the semifinal, Rielly lost to Jefferson’s Dean Neff (44-1), the top-ranked wrestler in the state. Each of the last two years he failed to advance out of the sectionals, but this year he planned on it being different than in years past.

“In the prior two years I lost in the second round, and then I lost my head,” Rielly said. “So this time, I remembered that I have to stay mentally focus and prepared.”

Rielly then pinned Edgerton’s Hunter Seblom (17-14) in the first round of the consolation semifinals, and followed that up by pinning Evansville-Albany’s Ricky Braunschweig (32-17) in the third-place match to clinch a spot at state. 

“It’s awesome — the best feeling in the world,” Rielly said. “I just want to go to state and prove myself.”

In the second-place wrestleback, Rielly lost to second-ranked Traeton Saint (48-3) of Prairie du Chien by a 6-2 decision.

“It’s kind of cool that Pat gets to join Alex this year,” Tom Witt said.

Rielly grew up training with Alex, from first grade on. 

“We’ve been wrestling forever together. It’s nice to finally get the duo to state,” Rielly said.

“We’ve been training together all year and we push each other every day in the training room. I feel like it’s pretty even,” Alex said. “To have him make it, I’m proud of him because he was so close sophomore and junior years.”

At 126 pounds, Schuh faced the biggest test of all the Cheesemakers. After reaching sectionals a year ago at 106 pounds as a freshman, Schuh spent the offseason recovering from elbow surgery. He joined the team midway through the year and bumped up three weight classes. 

In his quarterfinal match at sectionals, Schuh (23-9) jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Lodi’s Dean Finney (12-14) after two rounds. In the third period, while trying to escape from the down position, Schuh was thrown to the ground and landed awkwardly on his head and neck, and the match was paused to check for a stinger. Schuh kept wrestling, immediately scoring a point on an escape and then making it 7-0 on a takedown moments later. He pinned Finney with 20 seconds left in the period.

In the semifinal, Evansville’s Austin Scofield (40-5) edged Schuh 6-2, but the young Cheesemakers returned with a vengeance, pinning River Valley’s Cole White (19-18) in the second period to reach the third-place match. 

“This has probably been the best he’s wrestled since he’s been in high school. We’ve been harping on him all along about technique,” Tom Witt said. “Today, I think, is the first time all year he’s won a match where he hasn’t used his headlock. I told him last week that technique will win him more matches, because you can’t rely on that home run all the time. He did some good stuff; he turned well, rode some kids — all technique.”

Only the top-3 wrestlers at each weight class make it to state out of the sectional. Schuh’s teammate, freshman Jack Dubach (33-10) had also reached the third-place match, climbing his way through the consolation bracket before losing by pin in the second period to Lodi’s Parker Heintz (34-12). 

Dubach laid on the mat in disappointment, narrowly missing out on his shot at state. Schuh was next to go on the same mat and knew it was “go time.”

“They are tougher up here,” Schuh said of the top end of the 126-pound weight class. “If they are tougher, then I have to be tougher.”

Schuh led 4-0 in the first period, but a quick reversal from Beloit Turner’s Justin Teague (30-10) brought it back to 4-2 headed into the second. Teague tied it out of the gates in the second on a reversal, but Schuh scored an escape go to up a point and made it three after a takedown. Teague once again brought it back to within a point after another reversal. With just three seconds left in the frame, Schuh scored two points on a reversal to put him up three. 

The third period was all Schuh, as he closed it out 12-6 to punch his ticket to state.

“It feels great. I can’t say it in words. In youth, I never made it to state. I was always jealous of the people who did. But now is the time that it actually matters. All that work is finally paying off,” Schuh said. “The guys up in the training room helped push me and get me back from my injury.”

Lobdell (27-11) had an up and down season for the WarBirds, and found himself wrestling nearly 20 pounds above his weight. Even still, the senior qualified for the sectional meet and proceeded to score wins of 6-4 and 5-0 in the quarter and semifinal over Viroqua’s Paul Nickelotti (36-9) and Edgerton’s Sam Hedding (20-17).  

In the finals, Prairie du Chien’s Tyler Hannah (50-0), the state’s top-ranked wrestler in his class, pinned Lobdell after 77 seconds. Lobdell would then fall to Turner’s Drew Ries (31-1) in the closing seconds of the first round in the second-place match.

“I’m very proud of myself. It’s been a long season — lots of ups and downs — but I got it done when I needed to,” Lobdell said after the sectional. “I’m not quite sure it’s hit me yet (that I’m going to state), but I’ll be pretty excited when it does. For now, I have to get home and get working next week to get ready for Thursday night.”

Lobdell was joined at the sectional by teammates Owen Huschitt (23-13) at 152 pounds and Bailey Schilling (22-7) at 220. Both Schilling and Huschitt made it to the consolation semifinals, where they lost.

“We just tried to prepare for each match one at a time. We knew it was going to be a tough sled, because when you come in as second-place (finisher at regionals), you get a first-place right away,” Darlington coach Dennis Wirth said. 

Sugar River advanced two wrestlers to the sectional meet — junior Joe Quaglia (36-8), a two-time state qualifier, and senior Robert Chenoweth (31-12).

Chenoweth lost both of his matches at 152 pounds to get knocked out, while Quaglia lost a tight 9-4 decision in the third-place match to Richland Center’s Gus Donovan (39-10).

“I think the guys wrestled about as good as they could have,” Sugar River coach Peter Swenson said. “At (sectionals), the person who makes the least amount of mistakes is the person who moves on.

Swenson said Quaglia was a little disappointed to lose, but added that the 132-pound bracket was really tough.

“The guys in the top 2 today I can say with confidence will be on the podium and in the top 4 or 5 at state. We saw Donovan earlier this year and had a great match with him — it was a great effort, but we just came short,” Swenson said.

Chenoweth, who reached the 100-win milestone late in the season, did everything right, according to Swenson. 

“He’s done everything that you’ve asked for and more. My heart goes out to him,” Swenson said. “We talked about how this is a small chapter in their lives and he is going to move on and do great things. This is going to be just one of those stepping stones that helps make him be mentally tougher in life and a great leader.”

Monroe’s Garret Voegeli (31-11) lost his quarterfinal match at 113 pounds to Edgerton’s Ryen Hazzard (38-8). Brodhead-Juda also had a quick day, with sophomore Jacob Lohmar (18-21) losing his 106-pound match to Wisconsin Dells junior Will Van Dinter (22-6) by pin in 62 seconds. Fellow Cardinals sophomore Cole Hoesly (24-17) lost his first match to Roman Martinez (21-7) of Mauston, 11-3.

At the Division 3 Westby sectional, Krahenbuhl (39-5), won his quarterfinal match by first-period pin, then edged Westby’s Trevor Lemke (31-15) on a 3-0 decision. In the championship, Krahenbuhl, a junior, pinned Riverdale freshman Ashton Miess in 98 seconds.

Pecatonica-Argyle sophomore Kristian Orloff (29-13) was pinned in the first round of his only match at 138 pounds.

The state games are set to be held Feb. 27-29 at the Kohl Center in Madison. Tickets are $10 per session and are available for purchase online or at the door.

Krahenbuhl gets a first-day bye and will wrestle at 11:45 a.m. Feb. 28.

Schuh’s first match will be Feb. 27 against Wrightstown’s Kaiden Koltz (40-10), with the session beginning at 7:15 p.m. Rielly hits the mat during the same session against Preston Potaczek (25-6) of Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee. Witt matches up later in the session against Chilton-Hilbert’s Kaiden Mikalowsky (32-9). Lobdell starts during the same session and will face Amery’s Kale Hopke (37-3).