FORT ATKINSON - The Monroe wrestling team had two Badger Conference champions crowned Saturday.
Monroe senior Trevor Gorr at 220 pounds won his third-straight conference title and senior Kevin Klopfenstein (138) also won a championship to lead the Cheesemakers to a fifth-place finish at the conference tournament. Sauk Prairie won the conference tournament title 287-276 over Milton. Fort Atkinson finished third (250) just ahead of Mount Horeb-Barneveld (235.5) and Monroe (203).
"That's a great accomplishment," Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said of Gorr becoming a three-time conference champion. "That is an accomplishment that doesn't happen too often."
The Cheesemakers had five wrestlers finish in the top four. In addition to Gorr and Klopfenstein, senior Aaron Hesgard (132) took second, junior Brett Zimmerman (heavyweight) finished third and junior Ryan Hughes (160) was fourth.
"I thought we wrestled really well," Jackson said. "I don't think we could have done any better. To finish ahead of Stoughton for the first time in a number of years was great. There is a rivalry between the North and South to see who is better. To have three of the top five from the South shows how strong we are."
Klopfenstein (37-4), ranked fourth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, cruised in the quarterfinals, pinning Baraboo's William Pierce in 1 minute, 53 seconds and rolled in the semifinals by pinning Reedsburg's Nick Sieber in 1:09. In the title match, he won a nail-biter 1-0 over Sauk Prairie's Austin Powell.
Gorr, (40-2) ranked fourth, knocked off Milton's Artan Rushiti 7-0 in the quarterfinals and he defeated Reedsburg's Nick Noye by the same score. In the championship match, Gorr pinned Baraboo's Hudson Greenwood in 1:36.
Hesgard (32-8), a state qualifier last year, pinned Reedsburg's Austin Bretsch in 3:46 in his first match and defeated Baraboo's Andre Mayllen 6-0. Hesgard lost the championship match to Sauk Prairie's Austin Fjoser, who is ranked sixth in Division 1, 17-1.
Despite forfeiting at 103 and 113 and senior Jesse Keizer (elbow) and sophomore Cody Wolf (knee) out with injuries, the Cheesemakers had some big contributions from several wrestlers. Senior Dusty Burkhalter finished fifth; freshmen McKenzy Foley and Traiten Gorr each took sixth place; and junior Troy Gorr (195) took seventh.
"Everyone wrestled to their seeds or better," Jackson said. "That is what they are expected to do. In a lot of big tournaments, they can have some freshmen nerves. We don't shy away from competition so they are ready for the competition."
Zimmerman, (32-8) ranked eighth, pinned Hunter Toppel in 1:15 in the quarterfinals. He then lost a heartbreaker 3-2 to Portage's Spencer Shier (32-2) in the semifinals. He rebounded and pinned Baraboo's Jeremy Bowers in 28 seconds and pinned Fort Atkinson's Dion Hupke in 1:30 to seal third.
Hughes started strong just like Zimmerman. He pinned Stoughton's Aaron Knudtson in 4:28 and then lost a hard fought match 2-1 to Milton's John McCarthy. Hughes came back and pinned Baraboo's Calvin Holloway in 54 seconds and lost to Fort Atkinson's Riley Telfer 5-2.
"We thought we could beat him," Jackson said of Zimmerman's match against Shier. "Brett was right in it. Brett is giving up a lot of weight. He is undersized in that heavyweight bracket. He is giving 40 to 60 pounds. He has really come a long way."
Monroe senior Trevor Gorr at 220 pounds won his third-straight conference title and senior Kevin Klopfenstein (138) also won a championship to lead the Cheesemakers to a fifth-place finish at the conference tournament. Sauk Prairie won the conference tournament title 287-276 over Milton. Fort Atkinson finished third (250) just ahead of Mount Horeb-Barneveld (235.5) and Monroe (203).
"That's a great accomplishment," Monroe coach Jeriamy Jackson said of Gorr becoming a three-time conference champion. "That is an accomplishment that doesn't happen too often."
The Cheesemakers had five wrestlers finish in the top four. In addition to Gorr and Klopfenstein, senior Aaron Hesgard (132) took second, junior Brett Zimmerman (heavyweight) finished third and junior Ryan Hughes (160) was fourth.
"I thought we wrestled really well," Jackson said. "I don't think we could have done any better. To finish ahead of Stoughton for the first time in a number of years was great. There is a rivalry between the North and South to see who is better. To have three of the top five from the South shows how strong we are."
Klopfenstein (37-4), ranked fourth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, cruised in the quarterfinals, pinning Baraboo's William Pierce in 1 minute, 53 seconds and rolled in the semifinals by pinning Reedsburg's Nick Sieber in 1:09. In the title match, he won a nail-biter 1-0 over Sauk Prairie's Austin Powell.
Gorr, (40-2) ranked fourth, knocked off Milton's Artan Rushiti 7-0 in the quarterfinals and he defeated Reedsburg's Nick Noye by the same score. In the championship match, Gorr pinned Baraboo's Hudson Greenwood in 1:36.
Hesgard (32-8), a state qualifier last year, pinned Reedsburg's Austin Bretsch in 3:46 in his first match and defeated Baraboo's Andre Mayllen 6-0. Hesgard lost the championship match to Sauk Prairie's Austin Fjoser, who is ranked sixth in Division 1, 17-1.
Despite forfeiting at 103 and 113 and senior Jesse Keizer (elbow) and sophomore Cody Wolf (knee) out with injuries, the Cheesemakers had some big contributions from several wrestlers. Senior Dusty Burkhalter finished fifth; freshmen McKenzy Foley and Traiten Gorr each took sixth place; and junior Troy Gorr (195) took seventh.
"Everyone wrestled to their seeds or better," Jackson said. "That is what they are expected to do. In a lot of big tournaments, they can have some freshmen nerves. We don't shy away from competition so they are ready for the competition."
Zimmerman, (32-8) ranked eighth, pinned Hunter Toppel in 1:15 in the quarterfinals. He then lost a heartbreaker 3-2 to Portage's Spencer Shier (32-2) in the semifinals. He rebounded and pinned Baraboo's Jeremy Bowers in 28 seconds and pinned Fort Atkinson's Dion Hupke in 1:30 to seal third.
Hughes started strong just like Zimmerman. He pinned Stoughton's Aaron Knudtson in 4:28 and then lost a hard fought match 2-1 to Milton's John McCarthy. Hughes came back and pinned Baraboo's Calvin Holloway in 54 seconds and lost to Fort Atkinson's Riley Telfer 5-2.
"We thought we could beat him," Jackson said of Zimmerman's match against Shier. "Brett was right in it. Brett is giving up a lot of weight. He is undersized in that heavyweight bracket. He is giving 40 to 60 pounds. He has really come a long way."
