MADISON - Albany senior Nick Patchen capped off a stellar prep career with a fifth-place finish at the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament Saturday.
Patchen (36-8) at 189 pounds avenged a 7-5 overtime loss to Campbellsport junior Zach Wetzel by defeating him in a fifth-place match, 8-0, Saturday at the Kohl Center.
"It's gravy and potatoes," Patchen said about placing fifth at state in his senior season. "This was the ultimate goal. I learned no matter what, you can be beat. If your record is 40-0 or 80-0, the state tournament is way different. It's not like anything else. The intensity level is much higher. It's sad to say this is my only chance."
Sugar River senior Kalvin York (40-2) also battled back to finish fifth at 145.
York, a University of Wisconsin recruit who had finished as the state runner-up the previous two years, suffered a heartbreaking loss to Ellsworth senior Hayden Hauschildt, 8-5, Friday night in the semifinals, then lost a consolation wrestleback, 4-3, to Port Washington's Andy Dieringer (36-6), who went on to win the state title.
York rebounded and dominated his final prep match by defeating Mosinee senior Dillon Gorman in a technical fall, 19-4.
"I just want to put this tournament behind me," York said. "It's nice to come out on top in my final match and show I'm still the same Kalvin York. If I would have wrestled the entire tournament like that, I don't think anyone would have been able to stop me."
After wrestling most of the dual meet season at 160 and 171, York dropped down to 145 pounds before the regional tournament to make a run at a state title.
"I didn't feel good last night or today," he said. "It may have been the weight cut."
York was disappointed in his 4-3 consolation wrestleback on Saturday, which quashed any shot at wrestling for third place.
"I just wasn't ready to go," he said. "I didn't feel the greatest. I wasn't ready to wrestle and dominate. I just felt like I was going through the motions."
The road for Patchen to a fifth-place finish was filled with drama. He wrestled two overtime matches in his first two matches at state. He had his hopes dashed of wrestling for third place after a 12-6 loss to Prescott senior Jake Filkins (37-1), who entered the state tournament unbeaten. Patchen came back from a 6-4 deficit with a takedown with 1:46 left in the match.
When asked if he wrestles his best with his back against the wall, Patchen didn't hesitate.
"It kind of seems that way," he said. "It's not my normal technique."
After a blood timeout on Filkins, he surged to the finish. Filkins came out of the break scoring on a go-ahead escape to take a 7-6 lead.
"The goal was to take him down to get some back points," Patchen said. "He had a nice takedown."
He followed that up with a takedown to push the lead to 9-6. Filkins sealed the match with a near fall in the final 10 seconds.
"You got better every time you stepped on the mat," Evansville-Albany coach Rob Kostroun said to Patchen.
Evasville-Albany assistant coach Andy Lehman knows Patchen grew more comfortable with each match at state.
"I think the big thing is it was your first time at the state tournament," Lehman said. "I think you were used to the atmosphere. It's a whole different level when you get here."
Patchen will attend UW-La Crosse next fall and will study law. Whether wrestling at the college level is in his future is still to be determined.
"I knew that question was coming," he said. "My answer right now is undecided. I don't know if I will be able to balance my classes with the time it takes to be a college wrestler."
Patchen (36-8) at 189 pounds avenged a 7-5 overtime loss to Campbellsport junior Zach Wetzel by defeating him in a fifth-place match, 8-0, Saturday at the Kohl Center.
"It's gravy and potatoes," Patchen said about placing fifth at state in his senior season. "This was the ultimate goal. I learned no matter what, you can be beat. If your record is 40-0 or 80-0, the state tournament is way different. It's not like anything else. The intensity level is much higher. It's sad to say this is my only chance."
Sugar River senior Kalvin York (40-2) also battled back to finish fifth at 145.
York, a University of Wisconsin recruit who had finished as the state runner-up the previous two years, suffered a heartbreaking loss to Ellsworth senior Hayden Hauschildt, 8-5, Friday night in the semifinals, then lost a consolation wrestleback, 4-3, to Port Washington's Andy Dieringer (36-6), who went on to win the state title.
York rebounded and dominated his final prep match by defeating Mosinee senior Dillon Gorman in a technical fall, 19-4.
"I just want to put this tournament behind me," York said. "It's nice to come out on top in my final match and show I'm still the same Kalvin York. If I would have wrestled the entire tournament like that, I don't think anyone would have been able to stop me."
After wrestling most of the dual meet season at 160 and 171, York dropped down to 145 pounds before the regional tournament to make a run at a state title.
"I didn't feel good last night or today," he said. "It may have been the weight cut."
York was disappointed in his 4-3 consolation wrestleback on Saturday, which quashed any shot at wrestling for third place.
"I just wasn't ready to go," he said. "I didn't feel the greatest. I wasn't ready to wrestle and dominate. I just felt like I was going through the motions."
The road for Patchen to a fifth-place finish was filled with drama. He wrestled two overtime matches in his first two matches at state. He had his hopes dashed of wrestling for third place after a 12-6 loss to Prescott senior Jake Filkins (37-1), who entered the state tournament unbeaten. Patchen came back from a 6-4 deficit with a takedown with 1:46 left in the match.
When asked if he wrestles his best with his back against the wall, Patchen didn't hesitate.
"It kind of seems that way," he said. "It's not my normal technique."
After a blood timeout on Filkins, he surged to the finish. Filkins came out of the break scoring on a go-ahead escape to take a 7-6 lead.
"The goal was to take him down to get some back points," Patchen said. "He had a nice takedown."
He followed that up with a takedown to push the lead to 9-6. Filkins sealed the match with a near fall in the final 10 seconds.
"You got better every time you stepped on the mat," Evansville-Albany coach Rob Kostroun said to Patchen.
Evasville-Albany assistant coach Andy Lehman knows Patchen grew more comfortable with each match at state.
"I think the big thing is it was your first time at the state tournament," Lehman said. "I think you were used to the atmosphere. It's a whole different level when you get here."
Patchen will attend UW-La Crosse next fall and will study law. Whether wrestling at the college level is in his future is still to be determined.
"I knew that question was coming," he said. "My answer right now is undecided. I don't know if I will be able to balance my classes with the time it takes to be a college wrestler."
