MONROE - Senior Travis Wolf wanted to use the Badger South Conference showdown with third-ranked Stoughton as a measuring stick.
Wolf, at 152 pounds, defeated Stoughton sophomore Brandt Spilde, who is ranked No. 4 in Division 1, by a score of 5-2. It was one of two matches the Cheesemakers won in 63-9 loss to the Vikings Friday night. Stoughton, ranked No. 3 in the Division 1 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, has finished as the Division 1 state runner-up the past two years and is looking to win a third straight conference title.
"It just shows us where we are at as a team and individuals," Wolf said. "It makes us prepare even harder for the conference tournament. We know what we have to do to beat these guys in the future."
Stoughton, which has a lineup that features eight wrestlers ranked in the top 12 in the state in Division 1, won nine of the 11 matches wrestled. The Cheesemakers forfeited matches at 120 pounds, 126 and heavyweight, since senior Tyson Welsch is injured.
"I thought we wrestled well from top to bottom," Monroe coach Tom Witt said. "I just think mentally for our guys who lost they know they can stick with those guys and compete with them. You can't step on the mat and already be defeated thinking you can't win."
Witt didn't want to take the risk of having Welsch, ranked No. 9 in Division 2 face Stoughton senior Adon Marshall, ranked No. 7 in Division 1, when he is not 100 percent.
"To me it wasn't worth it," Witt said of having Welsch wrestle injured. "We weren't going to win it (dual) anyway."
In Wolf's match, the Cheesemaker scored on a key reversal to pull out the win over Spilde.
"We wanted to wrestle hard and fight because they are a tough team and ranked in Division 1," Wolf said. "We wanted to get a good fight with them and see what we could do."
Monroe senior Dempzy Foley (182) got the other win for the Cheesemakers, pinning Stoughton senior Joe Lepine in 1 minute, 49 seconds. It marked Foley's 22nd pin this season. Foley said he was expecting to wrestle Stoughton freshman Brooks Empey, who missed the match due to illness according to Witt.
"I expected it not to be a full match," Foley said. "I'm pretty sure the other guy who wrestles 182 was sick today."
The Vikings got six pins from Alexander Wicks (106), Nathan Rein (113), Freeman Detweiler (132), Gavin Model (138), Rudy Detweiler (145) and Will Neuenfeld (195).
Foley is just five pins from setting the school record.
"I just want to get to state and get the pins record," he said.
Monroe turned in several other exciting matches. Monroe senior Sam Kind, ranked No. 6 at 170 in Division 2, wrestled Stoughton senior Tyler Dow, a University of Wisconsin recruit, who is ranked No. 1 in Division 1 at 160. Kind battled Dow a full 6 minutes, but lost to the future Badger 5-1.
"After the match, Sam was running in the other gym and then doing sit-ups and pushups," Witt said. "He said he could have done better than he did. Sam is at that level. He really is."
At 160, Stoughton junior Cade Spilde defeated Monroe sophomore Patrick Rielly 6-4. Rielly, ranked No. 11 in Division 2, scored on a takedown to take a 4-1 lead with 42 seconds left in the second period. Spilde scored on a reversal at the end of the second period to cut Rielly's lead to 4-3.
Spilde opened the third period with an escape to tie the match at 4. He then scored on a takedown with 17 seconds to go to seal the win.
Monroe's conference match at Monona Grove-McFarland that was postponed Thursday still has to be rescheduled. The Cheesemakers will wrestle in the Monroe Invitational Jan. 20.
Foley is confident the Cheesemakers can learn from the dual meet against the Vikings.
"We wrestled good for the most part," he said. "Most of our guys made it through three periods. As a team it helps prepare us for the competition in Division 2. Stoughton is a Division 1 school with like 40 wrestlers and we have about 20. That helps when you get more people in the pool to pick from."
Wolf, at 152 pounds, defeated Stoughton sophomore Brandt Spilde, who is ranked No. 4 in Division 1, by a score of 5-2. It was one of two matches the Cheesemakers won in 63-9 loss to the Vikings Friday night. Stoughton, ranked No. 3 in the Division 1 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll, has finished as the Division 1 state runner-up the past two years and is looking to win a third straight conference title.
"It just shows us where we are at as a team and individuals," Wolf said. "It makes us prepare even harder for the conference tournament. We know what we have to do to beat these guys in the future."
Stoughton, which has a lineup that features eight wrestlers ranked in the top 12 in the state in Division 1, won nine of the 11 matches wrestled. The Cheesemakers forfeited matches at 120 pounds, 126 and heavyweight, since senior Tyson Welsch is injured.
"I thought we wrestled well from top to bottom," Monroe coach Tom Witt said. "I just think mentally for our guys who lost they know they can stick with those guys and compete with them. You can't step on the mat and already be defeated thinking you can't win."
Witt didn't want to take the risk of having Welsch, ranked No. 9 in Division 2 face Stoughton senior Adon Marshall, ranked No. 7 in Division 1, when he is not 100 percent.
"To me it wasn't worth it," Witt said of having Welsch wrestle injured. "We weren't going to win it (dual) anyway."
In Wolf's match, the Cheesemaker scored on a key reversal to pull out the win over Spilde.
"We wanted to wrestle hard and fight because they are a tough team and ranked in Division 1," Wolf said. "We wanted to get a good fight with them and see what we could do."
Monroe senior Dempzy Foley (182) got the other win for the Cheesemakers, pinning Stoughton senior Joe Lepine in 1 minute, 49 seconds. It marked Foley's 22nd pin this season. Foley said he was expecting to wrestle Stoughton freshman Brooks Empey, who missed the match due to illness according to Witt.
"I expected it not to be a full match," Foley said. "I'm pretty sure the other guy who wrestles 182 was sick today."
The Vikings got six pins from Alexander Wicks (106), Nathan Rein (113), Freeman Detweiler (132), Gavin Model (138), Rudy Detweiler (145) and Will Neuenfeld (195).
Foley is just five pins from setting the school record.
"I just want to get to state and get the pins record," he said.
Monroe turned in several other exciting matches. Monroe senior Sam Kind, ranked No. 6 at 170 in Division 2, wrestled Stoughton senior Tyler Dow, a University of Wisconsin recruit, who is ranked No. 1 in Division 1 at 160. Kind battled Dow a full 6 minutes, but lost to the future Badger 5-1.
"After the match, Sam was running in the other gym and then doing sit-ups and pushups," Witt said. "He said he could have done better than he did. Sam is at that level. He really is."
At 160, Stoughton junior Cade Spilde defeated Monroe sophomore Patrick Rielly 6-4. Rielly, ranked No. 11 in Division 2, scored on a takedown to take a 4-1 lead with 42 seconds left in the second period. Spilde scored on a reversal at the end of the second period to cut Rielly's lead to 4-3.
Spilde opened the third period with an escape to tie the match at 4. He then scored on a takedown with 17 seconds to go to seal the win.
Monroe's conference match at Monona Grove-McFarland that was postponed Thursday still has to be rescheduled. The Cheesemakers will wrestle in the Monroe Invitational Jan. 20.
Foley is confident the Cheesemakers can learn from the dual meet against the Vikings.
"We wrestled good for the most part," he said. "Most of our guys made it through three periods. As a team it helps prepare us for the competition in Division 2. Stoughton is a Division 1 school with like 40 wrestlers and we have about 20. That helps when you get more people in the pool to pick from."
