State Wrestling Update: Quarterfinals and consolation semis
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MADISON – Four of the seven area wrestlers competing in today’s Quarterfinals’ matches at the WIAA State wrestling tournament have punched their tickets to this evening’s semifinals round in the Kohl Center here in Madison.
Boyceville’s Walker Retz, Brock Schlough and Garrett Joles and Glenwood City’s Jacob Nadeau all won their quarterfinal bouts to advance to the semifinals to be held this evening, February 23, That session will be at 7:00 p.m.
The Bulldogs’ Noah Novotney and Trent Joles along with the Toppers’ Carson Strong fell in their quarterfinal matches.
Retz was the first to advance.
The Boyceville freshman continued to impress, posting a 13-4 major decision against The Hilltoppers’ senior Jacob Nadeau was the next to wrestle on the Kohl Center floor. The three-time state qualifier and fourth-place finisher at 120 pounds a year ago, scored an early takedown and led Cain Fischer, a Weyauwega-Fremont junior, 2-1 after the first period. Nadeau brought the match to an end just 27 tick into the middle period, pinning Fischer to earn a berth in tonight’s D3 120-pound semifinals.
Two-time defending state titlis Brock Schlough makes his wrestler performance appear effortless at time.
And Schlough’s opening match of the 2018 state tournament, his third in as many years, looked that way.
Schlough broke through the defense of his 152-pound quarterfinal opponent, Clayton Kite, a senior from Iowa-Grant/Highland, for a takedown only 23 second into the match and then tacked on a pair of near fall points to lead 4-0.
Schlough piled up the points in the second period, starting with a reversal that turned into a three-point near fall for a 9-0 advantage. Two more near falls – a three- and two-point – upped the Boyceville juniors advantage to 14-0.
Schlough brought the match to an end 14 seconds into the third and final period with another takedown to secure the 16-0 technical fall at the 4:14 mark.
Taking the mat just a few minutes following his younger brother Trett’s loss in a 182-pound quarterfinals match, Garrett Joles delivered a dominating opening performance in defense of his 195-pound state championship. The Boyceville senior took Aiden Hoffman, a fellow senior from Stratford, to his back for a 5-0 lead just eight second into the pair’s quarterfinals match.
Joles gave Hoffman and escape with 1:01 remaining in the opening period only to take Hoffman back down to the mat just 13 seconds later for a 7-1 lead. Joles would again give up the escape in exchange for a another takedown and a 9-2 lead. Hoffman scored a third escape at the end of the period to make it 9-3 heading into the middle period.
In that frame, Joles, who started in the down position, broke free in just three seconds and a minute later added his fourth takedown of the match for a 12-3 lead. A fifth and final takedown for Joles in the third period made the final 14-4 as the Bulldog rode out his opponent for the victory.
Glenwood City senior Carson Strong had arguably one of the toughest opening round matches facing defending state champion A.J. Schoenfuss, a 44-4 senior from Stratford, in a 126-pound quarterfinal match Friday noon.
Schoenfuss, ranked first for much of the season until he was beaten in the sectional final last Saturday by Bonduel senior Jordan Boldt who took over the top ranking.
Strong, ranked third behind the Boldt and Schoenfuss, battle the Stratford wrestler to a scoreless deadlock through the first period of action. Strong, currently 32-4, nearly had a takedown on the edge of the circle but the referee ruled the GC wrestler had stepped with one of his feet.
In the second, Schoenfuss chose to go down to start the period. With just 19 second elapsed from the clock, the Stratford senior scored a reversal on Strong and in short order added a pin to defeat the GC grappler with just five seconds left on the period clock.
Strong, rebounded in the consolation semifinals later Friday afternoon with an impressive 55-second pinfall Chandon juniors Jakob Hoyt to qualify for Saturday’s consolation finals and a shot at third place.
Boyceville freshman Trent Joles will also be competing in the consolation finals tomorrow for an opportunity at 182-pound bronze.
Joles suffered only his second defeat of the season when he was a victim of a surprisingly quick pin call from the referee in his quarterfinal match against Troy Klein, a junior from Lancaster, at the 1:37 mark of the match. Trett Joles was leading 4-2 prior to the pin call.
To his credit, the first-time state participant recovered to deliver an 8-5 decision Royall senior Noah Friedl in the consolation semifinal.