By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Nine advance to state tourney
Hauri, Ubersox make it for 4th time; Minder, Witt move on for Cheesemakers
hauri
Brodhead-Juda’s Jackson Hauri advanced to the state tournament for the fourth-straight year. Hauri was the WIAA Division 2 Adams-Friendship sectional champion in the 152-pound weight class, winning all three matches Feb. 16. - photo by By Tom Gunnell

ADAMS — Brodhead-Juda’s Jackson Hauri reached state for the fourth time, while Monroe and Sugar River are sending a pair of wrestlers to the Kohl Center after successful days at the WIAA Division 2 wrestling sectional Feb. 16 at Adams-Friendship.

Bodie Minder and Alex Witt will represent the Cheesemakers at the state meet, while Joe Quaglia and Daniel Enloe both reached the elite stage for the Raiders.

“Sectionals is intense,” Monroe head coach Tom Witt said. “There’s a lot on the line.”

Hauri, the state’s No. 1-ranked wrestler in Division 2 at 152-pounds, opened his day with an 18-2 technical fall win over Dodgeville’s Riley Crook. Then Hauri, the runner up at 152 last year, upended Westby’s Ryan Knight 8-2 in the semifinal. The win clinched Hauri his fourth-straight trip to Madison.

In the title match, Hauri pinned Prairie du Chien’s Bradyn Saint in 36 seconds. Hauri, like all sectional champions, will receive a first-round bye in the state meet and is guaranteed two matches.

Minder, Monroe’s 220-pounder, pinned all three of his opponents at the sectional to reach state. He is also guaranteed a first-round bye and two matches.

“They were all good wrestlers and put up a good fight,” said Minder, who overcame setbacks in each of his first two years to keep him from the state meet.

Sectionals is intense. There’s a lot on the line.
Monroe head coach Tom Witt

The Monroe junior improved to 39-8 on the season with wins over Westby’s Dylan Nottestad (25-13) in 53 seconds, Wautoma-Wild Rose’s Damean Netzler (36-12) in 3:17 in the semifinal, and then Trevor Daffinson (27-7) of GET/Melrose-Mindoro in 1:46 in the title bout.

“It’s amazing. I can’t wait until Friday when I can go wrestle. I was very determined after the last two years. I finally get my chance,” Minder said.

Alex Witt (42-7) beat Westby’s Grant Fremstad (29-9) 3-2 in the opening round, then lost to Lodi’s Sawyer Helbrecht (28-2) in the 170-pound semifinal. Witt then defeated Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern’s Bradley Goffinet (27-14) for the third time this season by a score of 6-2.

In the third-place match, Witt faced off against Tanner Bell (26-13) of Dodgeville for the fourth time this year. The two were tied at 2-2 and standing neutral in the waning seconds of the third period. After a re-start with under 10 seconds left, Witt scored a takedown and a 4-2 victory, clinching a spot to Madison.

“It’s always been a close matchup with him,” Alex Witt said of Bell. “My goal all year was to make it to Madison, and I’m glad I did.”

In the second-place match against Wisconsin Dells’ Hunter Stenson (28-10), Witt won 12-5.

“The second-place match was the easiest match of the day for Alex. It was a very long, very tough day for him,” said Tom Witt, a 1989 individual wrestling champion and Alex’s father. Tom said it was satisfying to see his son reach the state meet. “He puts in so much extra effort and extra work. That’s his mentality, and that’s what it takes to be at that level, so it’s rewarding to see.” 

Quaglia, a state-qualifier a year ago as a freshman, took third in the 126-pound weight class. After winning 2-1 and 8-6 in his first two matches, Quaglia (28-12) lost in the title match to GET-MM’s Julian Purney (47-1) by pin-fall in the third period. Purney is the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state.

Quaglia then lost to Evansville-Albany’s Austin Schofield 8-2 in the second-place match. Quaglia had beaten Schofield 7-5 in the regional final a week earlier.

Enloe, a senior, won his first two matches by pin in the 285-pound bracket, earning his way to the state meet. Enloe (31-11) was pinned in the championship in the third period by Mauston’s Dom Meurett (39-4), the state’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight, but came back to win the second-place match 3-1 over Belmont/Platteville’s Michael Douglas (35-13).

Monroe had sent seven total wrestlers to the sectional, more than regional team champion Evansville-Albany (5) or second-place Edgerton (4). 

“Overall, it was a good day. Unofficially, we finished with more points than both Evansville and Edgerton,” Tom Witt said. “Having seven kids qualify for sectionals was good. And better yet, all seven are back next season.”

At 195-pounds, Kelsey Domingez (18-8) was Monroe’s only one-and-done on the day at sectionals. Domingez lost his first-round match to Kayleb Galloway (20-17) of Wisconsin Dells 6-2.

Julian Gruber (32-14) went 0-2 at the sectional in the 182-pound weight class. His first-round match was against River Valley’s Shane Liegel (44-0), No. 1 in the state in the 182-class and one of the top grapplers in the state regardless of weight or division. 

“Gruber’s first match was against a two-time state champ,” Tom Witt said.

My goal all year was to make it to Madison, and I’m glad I did.
Monroe junior Alex Witt, 170 pounds

Gruber was pinned by Liegel in 59 seconds, and then lost to 12th-ranked Landon Lockington (32-15) of GET-MM by a score of 5-1.

“It was tied 1-1, neutral, with 15 seconds left. Julian got too aggressive and got taken down and almost pinned instead of waiting for overtime,” Tom Witt said of the match against Lockington. “Gruber, he had a chance. He’s close to getting to Madison.”

Patrick Rielly (29-6) won his first match of the day against Lodi’s Jack Hansen (17-15) by pin-fall. Rielly was then pinned by River Valley’s Cayden Robson (34-7) in the 160-pound semifinal and was ousted in the consolation semifinals by GET-MM’s Hunter Anderson by technical fall with the score 19-2.

“That’s not the normal Patrick Rielly we are used to seeing,” Tom Witt said.

Freshman Brady Schuh (26-12) lost both of his matches at 106 pounds, and fellow freshman Garrett Voegeli (13-8) did the same at 113.

“Voegeli is giving up about 20 pounds to his weight class. To me, it was just great he made it to sectionals,” Tom Witt said.

Sugar River’s Robert Chenoweth (26-11) lost both of his matches in the 145-pound bracket, while teammate Jack Diederich (26-16) was pinned in both of his 152-pound matches.

Brodhead-Juda’s Brian McCullough (23-16) lost his only match of the day by pin in 44 seconds in the 145-pound class. Teammate Jayson Starr (23-16) was also pinned in his only match at 138-pounds.


Division 3: Ubersox makes fourth trip to Madison

MINERAL POINT — Darlington-Black Hawk senior Kolbe Ubersox qualified for state for the fourth time after sweeping through the 138-pound weight class at the WIAA Division 3 Mineral Point sectional Feb. 16.

Ubersox (36-4), a senior, won his first match against De Soto’s Alex Scoville (23-13) by technical fall, 15-0. In the semifinal, Ubersox again won by technical fall, with a 17-1 victory over New Lisbon’s Jacob Rogers (35-7). In the championship, Ubersox needed sudden victory overtime to knock off Fennimore’s Trevor Wanek (30-14) 9-7. Ubersox dropped from the top-ranked wrestler at 138 in Division 3 to third after regionals. Wanek was No. 2.

WarBirds teammate Leif Bredeson, wrestling in the heavyweight class, also was sectional champion and advance to the state meet. Bredeson (35-5) won all three of his matches by pin-fall in less than a minute. In the first match, Bredeson ousted Parkview’s Gage Everson (12-16) in 31 seconds, while New Lisbon’s Joshua Woggon (32-11) lasted 40 seconds in the semifinal. Mineral Point’s Garrett Ward (24-15) made it the longest against Bredeson — 58 seconds.

Both Bredeson and Ubersox have a first-round bye at state and are guaranteed two matches, needing just one win to get a chance at a spot on the podium.

Pecatonica-Argyle sent five wrestlers to the sectional and advanced two to the state meet.

Noah Krahenbuhl (26-4) took third at 120-pounds. Krahenbuhl, a state qualifier a year ago, won his first match by pin, but lost in the semifinal to Fennimore’s Mason Lull (35-12) by an 11-4 decision. Krahenbuhl then pinned his next two opponents on the consolation side of the bracket to qualify for state.

Easton Schraepfer, grappling at 152-pounds, took second at the sectional. Schraepfer (40-8) lost his first-round match to Mineral Point’s Nolan Springer (34-8), but wrestled all the way back on the consolation side of the bracket. Schraepfer pinned Ian Kaczmarowski (13-17) of Aquinas by pin, and then won a 7-4 decision over Owen Wolf (29-14) of Lancaster in the third-place match to guarantee a spot at state. Schraepfer then ousted Parkview’s Korben Brown (30-6) in the second-place match by a 14-4 major decision. Schraepfer had beaten Brown 4-0 a week earlier in the regional final.

Lucas Gilbertson (33-11), a 195-pound wrestler for Pec-Argyle, lost his only match of the day, getting pinned in the quarterfinal just 22 seconds before the end of the third period. Gilbertson was a state qualifier in 2018.

Junior Dawson Gross (27-14) won his first 106-pound match for the Vikings by pinning Cashton’s Damian Mellen (4-18) in just 15 seconds, but then lost in the semifinal by pin in 59 seconds by Fennimore’s Brody Lee (27-11). In the consolation semifinal against Royall’s Nolan McKittrick (40-4), Gross was pinned in just 22 seconds. Lee is the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state at 106, while McKittrick is No. 3.

Also wrestling for Pec-Argyle was freshman Tate Hirsch (17-18) was pinned in both of his matches at 182-pounds.