WATERTOWN — The Cheesemakers finished ninth as a team and had one individual champion at the Badger Conference tournament Feb. 8.
Bodie Minder, recently ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 2’s heavyweight bracket, went 4-0 at the conference tournament. Minder scored pins in quarter- and semifinal matches, then knocked off Sauk Prairie’s Austin Rider 8-5 in the finals. Minder led 4-1 after the first period and went up by as much as 8-1 before time ran out.
“Bodie did his job. It was a good day for him,” Monroe coach Tom Witt said.
Patrick Rielly was second at 160 pounds, while Alex Witt was third at 182. Rielly had a bye in the first round and then won by pin in the quarter- and semifinal matches. In the championship he fell to Stoughton’s Luke Mechler in the finals by a 14-3 decision. Mechler moved from his normal weight of 152, where he’s the top-ranked wrestler in the state in Division 1.
“Patrick did what he should do,” Tom Witt said. “Then he got it handed to him in the finals.”
Alex Witt was one of five in the 182 bracket that qualified for state a season ago. After scoring a win over Stoughton’s Brandt Spilde in the quarterfinal, Witt lost to Sauk Prairie’s Marcus Hankins in the semifinal. Alex Witt then finished with a pair of consolation wins to close out his day.
“Hands down that was the toughest bracket in the tournament,” Tom Witt said. “For Alex, he avenged a previous loss, and he said to me afterwards that the best part of it was he closed out his competition against Stoughton with the win. That makes two now, with football added in.”
Also placing for Monroe were Garrett Voegeli (fourth at 113), Jack Dubach (fifth at 106), Deion Hargrove (seventh at 195) and Brady Schuh (eighth at 126).
“Deion has come a long way for a first-year wrestler,” Tom Witt said. Hargrove trailed his wrestleback round 5-2 with just 10 seconds left in the third period. He then scored a reversal and a nearfall before the buzzer to score a surprising win. “He used his quickness. It was a big win for him. Going 3-2 and placing seventh in your first year of wrestling — at 195 (pounds) — that’s impressive.”
Voegeli put on nearly 20 pounds from a year ago and has gone 28-9 so far this season at 113 pounds. Dubach, a freshman, is 30-7 this season and went 3-2 in his first conference tournament. Schuh, recently recovered from an elbow injury, went 2-3 at the meet and is 17-7 on the year. He lost the seventh-place match 8-6 in the fourth overtime, the ultimate tie breaker round.
“It was a good day for Garrett,” Tom Witt said. “Jack is probably disappointed, but he’s still just a freshman.”
Stoughton won the team title, with Milton placing second.
Capitol Conference, Feb. 8
Sugar River placed fifth, and Lodi won the team title over Marshall and Waterloo.
Joe Quaglia was the champion at 132 pounds, winning his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by pin. In the championship against Poynette’s James Amacher, Quaglia won a tight 2-0 decision.
Robert Chenoweth, who recently scored win No. 100 for his career, was second at 160, losing the championship match to Cambridge’s Aiden Ciha 3-1.
Sugar River’s Nathan Balderas was third at 113 pounds, scoring three pins on the day. None of his four matches went longer than 64 seconds. Avery Lettman (138) also finished third for the Raiders.
Brian Hollis was fifth at 126 pounds, while Patrick Samon was fifth at 170.
Rock Valley Conference, Feb. 8
Brodhead-Juda finished seventh, while Evansville bested Beloit Turner for the team title.
Jayson Starr was the top-placing Cardinal, finishing runner-up at 145. He was pinned in 11 seconds in the championship by Edgerton’s Cole Bavery, who came into the meet ranked third at 152 pounds, only to drop down a weight class for the conference meet.
Brian McCullough was third at 152, as was Seth Mansfield at 120. Scoring fourth-place finishes for Brodhead-Juda was Cole Hoesly (170) and Jacob Lohmar (106). Jacob Miller was fifth at 285.
SWAL Clash, Feb. 8
Prairie du Chien won the team title ahead of Mineral Point and Fennimore, while Darlington-Black Hawk finished sixth, less than five points behind Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern.
Leif Bredeson, ranked second, was the champion at 285, defeating fourth-ranked Troy Leibfried of CCBS with a 7-4 decision.
Carson Lobdell (195) and Owen Huschitt (152) took third for the Warbirds, while teammates Cashton Hauser (126), Cayden Milz (170) and Matt King (220) were fourth.
Scenic Ridge & Rivers Conference, Feb. 8
Pecatonica-Argyle finished 9.5 points off the mark as Ithaca-Weston won the conference tournament Feb. 8.
Noah Krahenbuhl won the title at 126 pounds, scoring a pin in the semifinals and in the championship. Teammate Dakota Doescher won the 132-pound weight class with three pins in three matches, and Dalton Turner had two pins on his way to the 182 title.
Easton Schraepfer was second at 160, while Tayte Hirsch (195), Kristian Orloff (138) and Dawson Gross (120) were all third. Ridge Toay (106) and Hunter Rodebaugh (113) were fourth for the Vikings, and Zander Brunker (152) and Daytin Johnson (170) were fifth.
