Marshfield sending school record nine to state tournament after impressive day at WIAA Division 1 individual wrestling sectional

MENOMONIE – Last year, Marshfield tied a school record by sending five athletes to the individual state tournament.

On Saturday, this year’s group of Tigers set a new record that may never be duplicated.

Marshfield had five champions and four runner-ups at the WIAA Division 1 individual wrestling sectional on Saturday at Menomonie High School and will have 10 athletes compete at next week’s state tournament.

The 2019 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament will be held Feb. 21-23 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

All five of last year’s state qualifiers for the Tigers will be returning as sophomore Gabe Pugh (126 pounds), and seniors Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (182) and Sam Mitchell (195) won sectional titles, and seniors Tanner Kanable (138) and Nolan Hertel (152) both finished second.

Joining them will be sectional champions Ryan Dolezal (132) and Caden Pearce (145), and runner-up finishers Keagan Cliver (113) and Shane Westerhausen (120).

Cliver (30-11), a freshman, lost the 113-pound championship match to Karter Stuttgen of Stevens Point, 8-4, and survived a second-place wrestleback by beating James Hampton of River Falls, 9-6, to qualify for state.

Westerhausen (26-12), a junior, lost the 120-pound final to Corbin Trotzer of D.C. Everest, 10-3, to advance.

Pugh, a sophomore, improved to 36-4 and advanced to his second-straight state tournament by beating Wisconsin Valley Conference rival Cale Benitz of Wisconsin Rapids, 5-3, in the 126-pound championship match.

Dolezal (28-7), another Marshfield freshman, made it two sectional champions in a row for the Tigers, topping Max Schierl of Stevens Point 13-7 to win the 132-pound title.

Kanable (38-7), a senior, lost to Logan Hatch of Hudson, 14-10, in the 138-pound final, then had to win a second-place wrestleback to make it to his second-straight state tournament. He did, beating Demitrio Covarrubias of D.C. Everest, 8-2.

Pearce (39-6), another Tigers’ senior, will move on to his first state meet after beating Wyler Lubeck of Wisconsin Rapids 3-1 in a sudden-victory period to take the 145-pound title.

Hertel will be making his fourth-straight trip to state. He suffered just his second loss of the season, falling 6-4 to Nathan Fuller of River Falls in the 152-pound championship, but came back to win a second-place wrestleback over Walker Hartman of Rhinelander by technical fall, 18-2.

Schwanebeck-Ostermann and Mitchell both improved to 42-1 this season with impressive wins in the finals.

Schwanebeck-Ostermann beat Sam Skillings of Menomonie, 13-6, at 182 pounds, handing Skillings just his second loss of the season, while Mitchell pinned Jake Laventure of New Richmond in the 195-pound final in 1:54.

Marshfield nearly had a 10th wrestler move on to state, but senior Sam Haessly came up just short.

Haessly (15-6) finished third at 285 pounds, pinned Zach Iribarren of Merrill in 4:24, and got a chance at a wrestleback for second, but was pinned by Andrew Fenton of Menomonie in 5:57.

2019 WIAA Division 1 Individual Wrestling Sectional
Team scores: 1. Marshfield 190.5; 2. Wisconsin Rapids 133.5; 3. Stevens Point 84.5; 4. D.C. Everest 77; 5. Menomonie 75; 6. Hudson 55; 7. River Falls 51.5; 8. New Richmond 36; 9. Eau Claire Memorial and Rhinelander 24; 11. Eau Claire North 21; 12. Merrill 15; 13. Wausau West 8; 14. Chippewa Falls 7; 15. Superior 0.
Top two in each weight class qualify for WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament in Madison, Feb. 21-23
106 pounds
Championship – Justin Groshek (SP) won by technical fall over Preston Spray (WR), 16-0.
Third place – Tim Fox (RH) def. Josie Bartishofski (RF), 7-0.
Second-place wrestleback – Spray (WR) def. Fox (RH), 7-6.
113 pounds
Championship – Karter Stuttgen (SP) def. Keagan Cliver (MAR), 8-4.
Third place – James Hampton (RF) def. Noah Henning (NR), 10-6.
Second-place wrestleback – Cliver (MAR) def. Hampton (RF), 9-6.
120 pounds
Championship – Corbin Trotzer (DC) def. Shane Westerhausen (MAR), 10-3.
Third place – Damien Bennett (WR) def. Tanner Depies (MER), 4-2.
126 pounds
Championship – Gabe Pugh (MAR) def. Cale Benitz (WR), 5-3.
Third place – Joe Pecore (SP) def. Leo Draveling (HUD), 8-6.
Second-place wrestleback – Benitz (WR) def. Pecore (SP), 8-4.
132 pounds
Championship – Ryan Dolezal (MAR) def. Max Schierl (SP), 13-7.
Third place – Brandon Dennis (NR) def. Ryan Sering (WR), 3-2.
138 pounds
Championship – Logan Hatch (HUD) def. Tanner Kanable (MAR), 14-10.
Third place – Demitrio Covarrubias (DC) def. Zac Hamel (WR), 12-8.
Second-place wrestleback – Kanable (MAR) def. Covarrubias (DC), 8-2.
145 pounds
Championship – Caden Pearce (MAR) def. Wyler Lubeck (WR), 3-1, SV-1.
Third place – Payton Vaughn (DC) pinned Ethan Schermitzler (ECM), 1:25.
152 pounds
Championship – Nathan Fuller (RF) def. Nolan Hertel (MAR), 6-4.
Third place – Walker Hartman (RH) pinned Gabe Carter (DC), 5:13.
Second-place wrestleback – Hertel (MAR) won by technical fall over Hartman (RH), 18-2.
160 pounds
Championship – Carter Duerkop (ECN) def. Peter Hansen (HUD), 13-7.
Third place – Carson Trotzer (DC) pinned Ross Kaz (CF), 1:39.
170 pounds
Championship – Jake Boyette (MEN) pinned Levi Smith (ECM), 3:34.
Third place – Garrett Borth (RF) pinned Isaac Diaz (WR), 5:09.
Second-place wrestleback – Smith (ECM) def. Borth (RF), 8-3.
182 pounds
Championship – Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (MAR) def. Sam Skillings (MEN), 13-6.
Third place – Hanke Gierke (HUD) pinned Andrew Schutz (WR), 3:43.
Second-place wrestleback – Skillings (MEN) pinned Gierke (HUD), 1:48.
195 pounds
Championship – Sam Mitchell (MAR) pinned Jake Laventure (NR), 1:54.
Third place – Orion Boe (DC) pinned Peter Rucker (WR), 0:58.
Second-place wrestleback – Laventure (NR) pinned Boe (DC), 2:27.
220 pounds
Championship – Layne Kalata (WR) def. Jaren Rohde (SP), 5-2.
Third place – Girard Jones (MEN) pinned Justin Bonke (WW), 1:32.
285 pounds
Championship – Mike Iverson (WR) def. Andrew Fenton (MEN), 5-3.
Third place – Sam Haessly (MAR) pinned Zach Iribarren (MER), 4:24.
Second-place wrestleback – Fenton (MEN) pinned Haessly (MAR), 5:57.