SOUTH WAYNE - In an early-season measuring stick, the Black Hawk and Pecatonica-Argyle wrestling teams faced a litmus test.
Merill outdistanced Waterford 279-224.5 to win its seventh straight Black Hawk Invitational title Saturday.
Black Hawk senior Dusty Weber at 125 pounds finished second place, just losing a hard fought championship match to Merrill's Matthew Reinhardt, 2-0.
"To get a champ out of here is well respected," Black Hawk coach Jim Seffrood said of the invitational, in its 22nd year featuring 16 schools. "To have someone from my school get first or second place from my team and in the final, it's a big accomplishment."
The Warriors finished 10th place as a team (79 points), just 11 points away from seventh-place Mount Horeb. Pecatonica-Argyle took 15th place with wrestlers in nine of the 14 weight classes.
The Vikings were led by senior Riley Sigg, who finished third at 171 by pinning River Ridge's Pat Blake in 4 minutes, 34 seconds. Sigg's bid for a title was dashed when eventual champion Dusty Jentz of Belmont-Platteville pinned him in the semifinals.
Pecatonica-Argyle coach Ike Campbell said several wrestlers still were trying to get down to weight.
"It's a tough tournament to start the year off," Campbell said. "Merrill probably has 40 kids out for wrestling and we are lucky to have 15. It's tough to compete with those larger schools team-wise."
Black Hawk junior Isaac Sigafus at 112 took fourth place. Sigafus lost a third-place match to River Ridge's Kevin Seng, who pinned him in 52 seconds.
Seffrood said the determination and dedication make Weber and Sigafus successful wrestlers.
Black Hawk junior Grant Roper, giving up nearly 30 pounds, finished sixth at 189. Roper, who normally wrestles at 160, stepped up despite a defintive size disadvantage.
Black Hawk junior Jiri Benda finished sixth place at 152 and Jordan Luhman took sixth at 171. Benda lost a fifth-place match and Luhman lost a fifth-place match to Rockford Guildford's Nate McGuire, 9-7.
The Black Hawk Invitational was the first of four tournaments in December for the Vikings.
Campbell said the biggest improvement the Vikings need is getting younger wrestlers experience.
"We need to correct mistakes and get more mat time," Campbell said. "In life in general, if you don't correct mistakes you won't be successful."
Merill outdistanced Waterford 279-224.5 to win its seventh straight Black Hawk Invitational title Saturday.
Black Hawk senior Dusty Weber at 125 pounds finished second place, just losing a hard fought championship match to Merrill's Matthew Reinhardt, 2-0.
"To get a champ out of here is well respected," Black Hawk coach Jim Seffrood said of the invitational, in its 22nd year featuring 16 schools. "To have someone from my school get first or second place from my team and in the final, it's a big accomplishment."
The Warriors finished 10th place as a team (79 points), just 11 points away from seventh-place Mount Horeb. Pecatonica-Argyle took 15th place with wrestlers in nine of the 14 weight classes.
The Vikings were led by senior Riley Sigg, who finished third at 171 by pinning River Ridge's Pat Blake in 4 minutes, 34 seconds. Sigg's bid for a title was dashed when eventual champion Dusty Jentz of Belmont-Platteville pinned him in the semifinals.
Pecatonica-Argyle coach Ike Campbell said several wrestlers still were trying to get down to weight.
"It's a tough tournament to start the year off," Campbell said. "Merrill probably has 40 kids out for wrestling and we are lucky to have 15. It's tough to compete with those larger schools team-wise."
Black Hawk junior Isaac Sigafus at 112 took fourth place. Sigafus lost a third-place match to River Ridge's Kevin Seng, who pinned him in 52 seconds.
Seffrood said the determination and dedication make Weber and Sigafus successful wrestlers.
Black Hawk junior Grant Roper, giving up nearly 30 pounds, finished sixth at 189. Roper, who normally wrestles at 160, stepped up despite a defintive size disadvantage.
Black Hawk junior Jiri Benda finished sixth place at 152 and Jordan Luhman took sixth at 171. Benda lost a fifth-place match and Luhman lost a fifth-place match to Rockford Guildford's Nate McGuire, 9-7.
The Black Hawk Invitational was the first of four tournaments in December for the Vikings.
Campbell said the biggest improvement the Vikings need is getting younger wrestlers experience.
"We need to correct mistakes and get more mat time," Campbell said. "In life in general, if you don't correct mistakes you won't be successful."
