Joeshinners.com Week 7

MATSIDE
Max Askren Ranked No. 3 Former Arrowhead wrestler Max Askren is currently ranked No. 3 at 184 pounds in the latest Amateur Wrestling News College Rankings. The Wisconsin Badgers have three wrestlers ranked in the listings. At 133, Tyler Graff is ranked No. 7. At 165, Andrew Howe is ranked No. 1 and at 197, Trevor Brandvold is ranked No 6. Wisconsin is ranked No. 22. In Division 3, UW-LaCrosse continued to hold down the No. 1 national ranking. UW-Stevens Point is ranked No. 7. Andy Moore of LaCrosse is ranked No. 3 at 197. Moore is from Milwaukee Heritage Christian. In Division II, UW-Parkside is ranked No. 11. Cody Zimmerman is ranked No. 8 at 125 and Craig Becker is ranked No. 2 at 149 for Parkside. Both wrestled at Hartford. Streaking along Port Washington is closing in on a major milestone in the North Shore Conference. Port has won 59 consecutive dual meets in the league, and can hit 60 when the Pirates host Cedarburg at 7 p.m. Thursday. Pewaukee has gone 30-0 since it entered the Woodland Conference in the 2006-’07 season. Hartford has won 24 straight dual meets in the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference, dating to the 2006-’07 season. Muskego has won 30 consecutive dual meets in the Southeast Conference, dating back to the 2005-’06 season. Burlington Bruises Indians, Pointers
The Burlington Demons defeat of the Mukwonago Indians at the Burlington Duals drew some stares over the weekend. Burlington coach Jade Gribble has been quietly building a team for six years, and he really showed the Demons have arrived with the Burlington’s defeat of Mineral Point, the three-time defending D3 state champion that is currently ranked No. 2 in the state. Burlington won nine of 14 matches against Mukwonago and picked up two pins by Matt Ehlen (103) and Derek Gill (112) and another victory by Nathan Gill (119) to close out Mukwonago in the dual that began at 125. Against Mineral Point, solid performances in losses were the difference for Burlington. Nathan Gill lost to Mineral Point’s Garrett Smart, 3-1, in double overtime at 119 and Cody Elsbury denied a pin when he lost to Mineral Point’s Todd Tibbits in a 17-2 technical fall for Tibbits. “We wrestled well that day,” Gribble said. Mukwonago coach Jon Wierzbicki praised Burlington for its effort. “They’re pretty solid,” he said. “They outwrestled us right from the get go. They have a nice team.” Still Alive: During this period of time when the state can ill afford to lose a or a school or a wrestling team, all looks good at Milwaukee Heritage Christian, a D3 team struggling financially to stay alive. Coach Paul Havel, who has churned out several top wrestlers during his 14 years at the school, is happy to be teaching and coaching at the small school in Milwaukee. Earlier this year, it appeared the school would close due to financial considerations. “I came here a while ago and thought it would only be for a few years,” Havel said. “But I like it. It’s a good school. We’ve built something.” Heritage Christian is struggling with budget issues, and is in need of raising more than $1.4 million after raising $400,000 to keep the school alive this year. As for now, Havel isn’t planning on moving unless it is necessary. “The kids I have and the families here are really supportive,” he said. “We want to keep going as a school. Last I heard, we’ll make it through the year. We’ll know a lot more in February and where we will be in the future.” Havel has two individual state champions under his belt at the small school. The first was Andy Moore, who won the 189 D3 title in 2005. The second was William McCormick, who won the 275 title in 2006. “We’re teaching and we’re coaching,” said Havel. “We have a new school board and they are doing a good job from what I gather. We’re just hoping right now.”

Cheesehead’s Impact Remains Solid
Some coaches think the Cheesehead Invitational, the 24-team mega tournament with several nationally ranked teams and many nationally ranked individuals that is held at Kaukauna each year, is good for the state wrestlers. Others think it is not. Some are concerned about how tough the competition is. For two area coaches who attended, there’s no argument. “It’s the best thing you can do, going to a tournament like that,” said Port Washington coach Angelo LaRosa. “I just can’t explain how good it is. It is the third toughest tournament in the country. I think it’s the best thing going on in the state. What you need to work on stands out like a sore thumb at a tournament like that.” Arrowhead coach John Mesenbrink agreed. “We need that competition (in the state) to see where we are at,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to be seen by others around the nation. It’s a good opportunity. It’s huge.”
Sueflohn’s Fortunes Rise on Mat
The ability of Arrowhead junior Jake Sueflohn to successfully wrestle on the mat was highlighted again against Port Washington junior Alex Dieringer in the. Dieringer went out and scored six points off three takedowns to build a 6-2 lead. But Sueflohn used a four-point move off a scramble to take the lead, a key takedown and went on to a 10-6 victory in the 135-pound final against Dieringer. Sueflohn’s mat skills also allowed him to defeat eventual state champion Jesse Thielke, a Germantown junior believed to be the best wrestler in the state, a year ago in the sectional finals. Sueflohn , Dieringer and Thielke are nationally ranked this year.
“(Sueflohn) is beginning to close the gap on takedowns against those guys,” said Mesenbrink of his star wrestler’s performance against top wrestlers. “He’s getting better on his feet.”
LaRosa looked toward a potential rematch.
“Hopefully, Alex gets another shot at Jake,” said LaRosa. “Jake was a snake out there. He’s such a great scrambler. Jake wrestled really well.”
Central stumbles at Merrill
West Allis Central suffered its first two losses of the season at the 24-team Northern Exposure in Merrill. Central finished fourth at the tournament with a 5-2 record to fall to 15-2 this year. Central lost to Luxemburg-Casco, 37-35, and Merrill, 42-25.
Veling Undefeated
Brookfield Central senior Tyler Veling remained undefeated this year by winning the 152-pound title at the Badger State Invitational in Madison. Veling (23-9) defeated Sparta junior Morgan Leis (14-6) by a pin in 1:52 in the final to improve to 23-0 this year.
Franklin Doubles Trouble
The Franklin Sabers were busy over the holidays as they finished second at the Badger State Invitational in Madison and then managed to post a 5-2 record at the Northern Exposure in Merrill to finish 7th. At Badger State, Franklin had three finalists in junior Sam Kortes (17-3 at 119), sophomore Colin DeClark (13-7 at 125) and junior David Cabral (18-3 at 135). Kortes and Cabral won titles as Franklin finished second with 156.5 points. Host Stoughton won the tournament title with 208 points. At the Northern Exposure, Franklin's two losses were to Mineral Point, 30-25, and Oconto Falls, 42-15. Benn Wins Mid-States Title
Mukwonago’s Nick Benn defeated Elkhorn’s Taylor French, 4-1, to win the 130-pound title at the Mid-States Invitational at UW-Whitewater. Benn was one of several area wrestlers to advance to the finals. Mukwonago also saw Damon King finish second at 189 pounds. Kettle Moraine’s Jacob Laux finished second at 215 pounds. Oconomowoc’s Taylor Mommaerts lost to Reedsburg’s Tony Koch by a 14-6 decision in the final at 135 pounds. Mommaerts’ brother, Zach, finished third at 125. Rapids Rolls in La Crosse
Wisconsin Rapids sent seven wrestlers to the finals and claimed four individual champions as it ran away with the Division 1 and overall titles at the Bi-State classic in La Crosse. Kasey Einerson (130), Rylan Lubeck (140), Devin Peterson (171) and Curt Fuller (285) all won titles for Rapids, which finished first in Division 1 with 525.5 points. Hudson finished second with 255.5 points, followed by Bloomington Kennedy (Minn.) with 242.5 and Arrowhead with 241.4 in the 21-team Division 1.
Division 2 was won by Ellsworth, which scored 226.5 points, follwed by River Valley (208) in the 15-team division. Division 3 was won by New Lisbon with 200 points, follwed by DeSoto with 162.5 points in the 20-team division.
Rapids had 13 of its 14 wrestlers place at the tournament to run away with the overall title. Thielke wins 3rd in Oshkosh Germantown junior Jesse Thielke against dominated the field at the Oshkosh on the Water Classic at UW-Oshkosh. Thielke, a junior two-time state champion, defeated Coleman sophomore Mitch Champange by a 17-2 technical fall in the final at 125 pounds.
Thielke posted three pins and two technical falls on his way to his third individual title and was named outstanding wrestler at the tournament. Kewaskum junior Brad Bentz, a two-time state qaualifier, won the 145 title and Milwaukee Custer senior Davion Willis won the 189 title. Wilmot’s Matt Gray (140), Watertown’s Justin McFarland (160), Grafton’s Brandon Schweitzer (215) and Slinger’s Jake Schall all reached the finals but lost. Wisconsin Lutheran 2nd at Fox
The Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings finished second at the 16-team Battle on the Fox at Kimberly. Lutheran finished with a 4-1 record with three solid victories. Lutheran defeated Green Bay West/Southwest, 56-21, Ashwaubenon, 45-25, and Appleton West, 37-33. Owatonna (Minn.) won the team title with a 5-0 record. “They kids were pretty excited about that,” said Lutheran coach Darrell Roecker, who saw five wrestlers go 4-1 at the tournament. “It’s fun to go against quality teams.”

Team of the week

Burlington.

The Demons ran away with the team title at the Eagle Invite at Racine Case by crowning seven champions and totaling 264.5 points at the 10-team event. Ft. Atkinson finished a distant second with 171 points. Burlington’s champions were sophomores Derek Gill (112), Brandt Gavin (130) and Willie Ehlen (140) as well as seniors Nick Jazdzewski (152), Joel Alvarez (160), Mark Ney (215) and Joe Clarey (285).

Wrestler of the Week

Jake Sueflohn, Arrowhead. The kid has just been blowing up this year in state-wide and national notice. It was no different for Sueflohn this week as he was named the The Open Mat’s national wrestler of the week after he won the 135- pound final at the Geneseo (Ill.). In the 135 final, Sueflohn defeated Edwin Cooper of Providence (Ill.) by a 7-5 decision in overtime. Cooper is ranked No. 6 in the nation. This year, Sueflohn has defeated four nationally ranked wrestlers, including Port Washington junior Alex Dieringer. A year ago, Sueflohn finished second to Gertmantown junior Jesse Thielke at 125 in D1 at the state tournament. Sueflohn defeated Thielke, also nationally ranked, in the sectionals a year ago. This weekend, Sueflohn could face No. 7-ranked Chris Dardanes of Oak Park-River Forest (Ill.) at the OP-RF Tournament. Sueflohn is now ranked No. 14 in the TOM’s national rankings.

Joe’s Week 7 Team Rankings

Team Rankings Area (Records through Monday) 1, Arrowhead, 8-2. 2, Burlington, 12-0 3, West Allis Central, 20-3 4, Kenosha Tremper, 26-4 5, Muskego, 12-3. 6, Mukwonago, 11-3. 7, Hartford, 17-2. 8, Pewaukee, 12-1 9, Franklin, 12-4 10, Kewaskum, 9-2

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Quote of the Week

“It’s been a rough year,” Muskego senior Derek Olson on his injury and the state of the Muksego squad this year.

Tremper Stops Tech
By Joe Shinners Kenosha Tremper Trojans wrestling coach Joel Dutton was looking forward to getting his full lineup back on the mat in a big tournament. He came away impressed as the full Tremper team completed its dismantling of the Holiday Duals Wednesday afternoon at Milwaukee Hamilton by compiling a 10-0 record in the state's largest two-day dual tournament. Tremper finished with a 10-0 record at the tournament, followed by Marshall (9-1), Kenosha Bradford (8-2) and Wauwatosa (7-3) in the top four of the 12-team tournament. "I'm proud of the guys," said Dutton, whose team improved to 19-4 overall this year. "We've come a long way. We wrestled pretty dog gone good."
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Jason Zweifel of Lakeside Lutheran won by pin over Eric Volkey of Madison Edgewood/Monona Grove in 3:31.

Warriors Bounce Back
By Joe Shinners Hartford - Much to the chagrin of many, you just can't count the Muskego Warriors wrestling team out just yet. They proved that and more as the Warriors completed a difficult two-week stretch to begin the season Saturday afternoon by winning the team title at the 34th annual Hartford Team Tournament.
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Week 7
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Marquette Settles For
Large School Title
Milwaukee Marquette Hilltoppers wrestling coach Ralph DeNisco chose to look on the bright side of his team’s large school title at the 10th annual Red Knight Invitational Saturday at Milwaukee Lutheran. The Hilltopppers wrestled with only 10 of 14 wrestlers after a spate of injures depleted the squad in recent weeks, but still managed to send five wrestlers to the finals, claim three individual champions, post one of the tournament’s biggest upsets and walked away with a team title trophy at the tournament for the first time. Marquette finished first in the large school division with 178.5 points, ahead of Wisconsin Lutheran (145) and Milwaukee Pius (117) at the 18-team tournament. But Marquette could not catch Lake Mills Lakeside Lutheran, which won the small school title and overall title with 185 points. Oshkosh Lourdes (158 points) finished third overall, followed by Wisconsin Lutheran and La Crosse Aquinas (137.5) in the top five. “I thought we could do well at this tournament,” said DeNisco, in his second year. “We only had 10 guys, but we had eight of the 10 place and put five in the finals. I like the odds of going into any tournament with numbers like that. What helps is we had a lot of kids wrestle all year round.” Lakeside was too deep for Marquette to catch, however. More

Tyler Quartullo (Muskego) Beats Nick Becker (Hartford) 3-0.

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Matt Freeman, Kenosha Tremper, pins Justice Parker, Bradley Tech in 1:07.

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Olson Shouldered to Sideline

If you want to see what type of impact Muskego senior Derek Olson has had during his four-year career, just listen to a few coaches who were saddened to hear that he would not be able to complete his final season due to a sever shoulder injury. He was competing at 152 pounds this year after finishing second at that weight a year ago.

“I feel really bad for the kid,” said Franklin coach Louis Brown. “I was rooting for him this season. That’s what makes this sport so tough. No matter how good you are, you never know when you are going to get injured. That’s why you want to win a state title whenever you get the chance.”
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Photo by Patrick Granger

Jake Sueflohn defeats Jesse Thielke in the 2009 Sectionals (7-6)