By Mark Massoglia
 Madison – Brad Dolezal became Marshfield's first two-time individual state wrestling champion at the Kohl Center. And he had to wrestle out of his mind to do it. So, too, did the other wrestlers who defeated central Wisconsin wrestlers during the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament. Of the eight finalists from area schools, three won their title bouts, but the others left a lasting impression on the large crowd in attendance at the championship session. Dolezal needed double overtime to edge Wisconsin Rapids sophomore Zak Benitz, 2-1, to claim the Division 1 title at 145 pounds. Both wrestlers neutralized each others’ normally potent offensive attacks, with two escapes for Dolezal and one for Benitz being the only points scored. Benitz had a trio of coaches/family in his corner. Encouraging the sophomore Rapids standout were his father and head coach, Scott Benitz; his uncle, Shane Benitz; and former long-time coach Lewie Benitz, Zak's grandfather. Rapids, which brought a Division 1-high 10 wrestlers to the state meet and saw eight wrestlers place, watched Port Washington junior Alex Dieringer control Rapids sophomore Rylan Lubeck's tornado-style attack en route to the 140-pound title. It was Dieringer’s second state title in three championship appearances. The match, however, that brought the Kohl Center to its feet was the 171-pound final between Rapids sophomore Devin Peterson and Milwaukee Custer senior Davion Willis. There was a pre-match buzz about the showdown in the media room even before the third- and fifth-place matches were completed. The two competitors didn't disappoint. The shear speed and power of the two boys (men really) were evident when a flurry at the edge of the match late in the second period ended with Peterson's right eye getting spit open by Willis' elbow. Once Peterson was patched up, the physical match resumed. On two occasions, Peterson had a deep single leg, but was unable to convert the takedowns. The only points other than each wrestler's escape were the result of the winning takedown with six seconds left in the overtime by Willis. Another area underclassman, Marshfield junior Torin Boernke, came up short in his bid for a second straight title, falling, 4-0, to Janesville Craig junior Siven Furseth in the 125 title bout. Boernke defeated Furseth to win the 112-pound title a year ago. That disappointment couldn't overshadow the great tournament enjoyed by the Marshfield wrestlers. All four state qualifiers were up on the podium as they went 6-0 collectively on Friday and 215-pounder Jordan Koranda set a new single-season pin record for the school with 27. The previous mark was 25, held by Steve Tollers since 2002. In Division 3, Edgar saw four of its six wrestlers medal. With all but one wrestler coming back next year, the Wildcats will be a team to keep an eye on the next few years. Edgar junior Aaron Karlen, Edgar's 215-pounder, was 22-23 last year and didn't make it to state. Yet he finished third with a 37-4 record this year. “After a tough loss in the semifinals, I knew I could still get third and just went for it,” Karlen said. “To finish third after not even being here last year feels great. All the hard work paid off. I'm going to train even harder to make it to the top next year.” Tomahawk’s Zach Zehner posted a commanding 6-2 victory to win his second Division 2 championship, while Mosinee’s Dylan Iczkowski held on to take the 189-pound weight class and win the school’s first title since 1999. Elsewhere in Division 2, Nekoosa/Port Edwards, which had its first state qualifiers since 2005, saw Larry Masonick (135) and Nathan Bowe (152) reach the podium in sixth place. “It feels good getting on the podium, but I wish I could have done better,” Bowe said. That is typically the sentiment for all but those who are on the top step of the medal stand. Even with Saturday's triumphs and disappointments, one day hopefully these talented wrestlers will look back and realize just how good they were for three days in February. Go Back to the Home Page Read More Articles by Joe../../../../Joeshinners.com.html../../../08-09_Articles.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1