MONROE - The Monroe wrestling squad didn't treat Friday like the typical weekday worker might.
The Cheesemakers didn't sluff off thinking about the weekend and earned a 40-25 Badger Conference victory over Mount Horeb-Barneveld.
"They all did their jobs," Monroe wrestling head coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "They did what I asked of them. Even the guys that were a little bit outmatched."
After going down 6-0 in the first match, the Cheesemakers got the ball rolling behind heavyweight junior Lucas Leu and his flair for the dramatic. Leu trailed Viking junior Joe Klopotic 4-3 when the referee whistled for a restart with 38 seconds left. The combatants battled from the upright position until Leu found a little extra motor with five ticks remaining. Leu took down Klopotic with a waist bearhug with five ticks remaining to hold on for the victory and cut the Cheesemakers' deficit in half.
Monroe took the momentum Leu provided and ran with it as the team rattled off four straight victories and claimed a 22-6 lead.
"My match ... it shouldn't have come down to that, but when it did I'm glad that's what happened," Leu said. "It kind of got everyone else excited."
Junior Gavin Wels was the first Cheesemaker to earn a victory and he wrestled up a weight-class at 112 due to an injury. Wels worked Viking senior Patrick Schlimgen for all three periods and earned a 10-2 major decision. The victory gave Wels three career wins over Schlimgen. The fiery junior took a 7-1 lead into the second period and didn't allow Schlimgen off the mat in the second.
"Gavin did a hell of a job beating a kid that's very good," Jackson said. "(Wels) beat him twice last year, but the kid is growing and getting a lot better."
Monroe freshman Dylan Schwitz kept the ball rolling at 119 pounds by pinning sophomore Preston Schmit in 3 minutes, 22 seconds. Schwitz's victory extended the team lead to 13-6.
Junior Tyler Rupnow wasted little time in doing his duty for the Cheesemakers. He pinned freshman Matt Berger in 1 minute, 17 seconds.
Cheesemaker junior Jordan Gilbertson was down 8-6 with a minute to go against Viking junior Josh Bollinger, but scored a two-point rolling reversal and nearly pinned Berger with 34 seconds left. He earned a 9-6 decision.
"That's growth for him," Jackson said. "Going six minutes and being able to pull out a win is cool. That's what we've got to be able to do."
After a loss at 135, lone senior Kyle Klopfenstien outworked an undermatched Justin Zimpel. Klopfenstien led 14-0 in the third period, but added the exclamation point with a pin at the 5 minute, 30 second mark.
Mount Horeb-Barneveld earned two straight victories by pin and cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 38-22. Junior Michael Leu stopped the bleeding at 160 with a pin at 2 minutes, 54 seconds over sophomore Jenson Olmoen.
Vikings senior Joshua Alley snagged a late decision off of Dillion Weckerley to put the Cheesemakers ahead 34-25, but Monroe sophomore Cory Kundert finished the night off in style with a first-period pin of Mitchell Calhoun in 1 minute, 53 seconds.
"They understood what it meant to stay off their backs. That's what we've been working on all year," Jackson said. "Staying off our backs and pinning when we can pin. That's what we did tonight."
The Cheesemakers didn't sluff off thinking about the weekend and earned a 40-25 Badger Conference victory over Mount Horeb-Barneveld.
"They all did their jobs," Monroe wrestling head coach Jeriamy Jackson said. "They did what I asked of them. Even the guys that were a little bit outmatched."
After going down 6-0 in the first match, the Cheesemakers got the ball rolling behind heavyweight junior Lucas Leu and his flair for the dramatic. Leu trailed Viking junior Joe Klopotic 4-3 when the referee whistled for a restart with 38 seconds left. The combatants battled from the upright position until Leu found a little extra motor with five ticks remaining. Leu took down Klopotic with a waist bearhug with five ticks remaining to hold on for the victory and cut the Cheesemakers' deficit in half.
Monroe took the momentum Leu provided and ran with it as the team rattled off four straight victories and claimed a 22-6 lead.
"My match ... it shouldn't have come down to that, but when it did I'm glad that's what happened," Leu said. "It kind of got everyone else excited."
Junior Gavin Wels was the first Cheesemaker to earn a victory and he wrestled up a weight-class at 112 due to an injury. Wels worked Viking senior Patrick Schlimgen for all three periods and earned a 10-2 major decision. The victory gave Wels three career wins over Schlimgen. The fiery junior took a 7-1 lead into the second period and didn't allow Schlimgen off the mat in the second.
"Gavin did a hell of a job beating a kid that's very good," Jackson said. "(Wels) beat him twice last year, but the kid is growing and getting a lot better."
Monroe freshman Dylan Schwitz kept the ball rolling at 119 pounds by pinning sophomore Preston Schmit in 3 minutes, 22 seconds. Schwitz's victory extended the team lead to 13-6.
Junior Tyler Rupnow wasted little time in doing his duty for the Cheesemakers. He pinned freshman Matt Berger in 1 minute, 17 seconds.
Cheesemaker junior Jordan Gilbertson was down 8-6 with a minute to go against Viking junior Josh Bollinger, but scored a two-point rolling reversal and nearly pinned Berger with 34 seconds left. He earned a 9-6 decision.
"That's growth for him," Jackson said. "Going six minutes and being able to pull out a win is cool. That's what we've got to be able to do."
After a loss at 135, lone senior Kyle Klopfenstien outworked an undermatched Justin Zimpel. Klopfenstien led 14-0 in the third period, but added the exclamation point with a pin at the 5 minute, 30 second mark.
Mount Horeb-Barneveld earned two straight victories by pin and cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 38-22. Junior Michael Leu stopped the bleeding at 160 with a pin at 2 minutes, 54 seconds over sophomore Jenson Olmoen.
Vikings senior Joshua Alley snagged a late decision off of Dillion Weckerley to put the Cheesemakers ahead 34-25, but Monroe sophomore Cory Kundert finished the night off in style with a first-period pin of Mitchell Calhoun in 1 minute, 53 seconds.
"They understood what it meant to stay off their backs. That's what we've been working on all year," Jackson said. "Staying off our backs and pinning when we can pin. That's what we did tonight."
