BELLEVILLE - Sugar River freshman Kody Popenfus remembers being a wrestling fan in the stands and admiring Lodi's program.
He had his chance to make his own mark in the Capitol Conference tournament on Saturday. Popenfus at 106 pounds lost a nail-biter to Lodi sophomore Jason Clapper 6-5.
"I have been coming to these wrestling meets my whole life and watching Lodi," Popenfus said. "They work really hard. I have a lot of respect for them. I lost to someone I respect a lot."
Lodi, ranked seventh in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, dominated the Capitol South Conference tournament en route to winning the title 286.5-192 over Marshall. Seven of the 11 Lodi wrestlers who reached the finals won championships. Sugar River finished third (181).
In addition to Popenfus, Sugar River junior Taylor Christen (113) and senior Brooks Hendrickson (152) each finished second.
Sugar River had four wrestlers take third place including Ricky Ace (132), Young-Chul Vetterli (145), Jack Nelson (195) and A.J. Helbach (220). Ace defeated Lakeside Lutheran's Brandon Schilling 12-5 in a third-place match. Vetterli, who went 3-1 at the tournament, defeated Columbus' Ray Steger to lock up third place.
In a third place match, Nelson pinned Cambridge's Reuben Hoppman in 4:39. Helbach captured third place when Columbus senior John Faulhaber had to scratch due to an injury.
"I didn't have a goal in mind of what place we would get," Sugar River coach Peter Swenson said. "Our motto has been to wrestle your butt off and see what happens. I thought we could finish in the top three."
Clapper had a 6-2 lead over Popenfus entering the third period due to a cradle that led to a near fall. Popenfus pulled off a reversal with 55 seconds left and Clapper was called for stalling to cut the deficit to 6-5.
Popenfus stayed aggressive riding on top, but he couldn't get the turn he needed.
"I wanted to try to get him to move so I could score," Popenfus said. "He was just stalling out."
Popenfus (31-6) has made an immediate impact. He's looking to contend for a sectional bid next week at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional.
"I will have to overcome some guys I lost to," Popenfus said. "You can't let a name get in your head. My goals are to keep improving."
After Christen received a bye in the first round, he pinned Marshall's Olivia Meinholz in the quarterfinals in 1:12. Christen in the semifinals upset No. 2 seed Devin McCord of Lake Mills via fall at 3:48. Lodi junior John Joutras, who is ranked fifth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, pinned Christen in 1:26 in the title match.
"We have been telling Taylor all year as long as you stay aggressive and keep shooting you can win matches," Swenson said.
Hendrickson pinned Marshall freshman Hugo Calderon in 1:42 in the semifinals to reach the championship match. Lodi junior Joe Conklin pinned Hendrickson in 3:56 for the title.
Swenson said Hendrickson's aggressiveness sets him apart as a wrestler.
"He goes hard every minute," Swenson said. "I think he knows if he stays on it, he can wrestle with anyone in the state."
He had his chance to make his own mark in the Capitol Conference tournament on Saturday. Popenfus at 106 pounds lost a nail-biter to Lodi sophomore Jason Clapper 6-5.
"I have been coming to these wrestling meets my whole life and watching Lodi," Popenfus said. "They work really hard. I have a lot of respect for them. I lost to someone I respect a lot."
Lodi, ranked seventh in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, dominated the Capitol South Conference tournament en route to winning the title 286.5-192 over Marshall. Seven of the 11 Lodi wrestlers who reached the finals won championships. Sugar River finished third (181).
In addition to Popenfus, Sugar River junior Taylor Christen (113) and senior Brooks Hendrickson (152) each finished second.
Sugar River had four wrestlers take third place including Ricky Ace (132), Young-Chul Vetterli (145), Jack Nelson (195) and A.J. Helbach (220). Ace defeated Lakeside Lutheran's Brandon Schilling 12-5 in a third-place match. Vetterli, who went 3-1 at the tournament, defeated Columbus' Ray Steger to lock up third place.
In a third place match, Nelson pinned Cambridge's Reuben Hoppman in 4:39. Helbach captured third place when Columbus senior John Faulhaber had to scratch due to an injury.
"I didn't have a goal in mind of what place we would get," Sugar River coach Peter Swenson said. "Our motto has been to wrestle your butt off and see what happens. I thought we could finish in the top three."
Clapper had a 6-2 lead over Popenfus entering the third period due to a cradle that led to a near fall. Popenfus pulled off a reversal with 55 seconds left and Clapper was called for stalling to cut the deficit to 6-5.
Popenfus stayed aggressive riding on top, but he couldn't get the turn he needed.
"I wanted to try to get him to move so I could score," Popenfus said. "He was just stalling out."
Popenfus (31-6) has made an immediate impact. He's looking to contend for a sectional bid next week at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional.
"I will have to overcome some guys I lost to," Popenfus said. "You can't let a name get in your head. My goals are to keep improving."
After Christen received a bye in the first round, he pinned Marshall's Olivia Meinholz in the quarterfinals in 1:12. Christen in the semifinals upset No. 2 seed Devin McCord of Lake Mills via fall at 3:48. Lodi junior John Joutras, who is ranked fifth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, pinned Christen in 1:26 in the title match.
"We have been telling Taylor all year as long as you stay aggressive and keep shooting you can win matches," Swenson said.
Hendrickson pinned Marshall freshman Hugo Calderon in 1:42 in the semifinals to reach the championship match. Lodi junior Joe Conklin pinned Hendrickson in 3:56 for the title.
Swenson said Hendrickson's aggressiveness sets him apart as a wrestler.
"He goes hard every minute," Swenson said. "I think he knows if he stays on it, he can wrestle with anyone in the state."
