State Wrestling Update: Joles is state runner-up
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MADISON – “Everything we threw at him, he stopped!”
Those words by Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson succinctly summed up Garrett Joles Division 3, state championship match at 170 pounds.
Joles, just a freshman, lost 18-2 to Edgar senior Devin Lemanski in the title match Saturday evening, February 28 during the WIAA State Wrestling Championships in the Kohl Center.
“He was really strong,” said Joles of Lemanski, who finished the season a perfect 41-0 and with his second individual state title.
“I got in a couple of positions where I could have capitalized,” said Joles. “I got him out of position but didn’t go my way, he just kind of muscled me out.”
Despite the loss, Joles was jubilant to make the finals and leave with a silver medal.
“I am delight! This is great,” Joles said summing up the experience.
Lemanski scored the first points of the championship on a takedown 18 seconds after the opening whistle. The Edgar wrestler stayed on top of Joles throughout the rest of the first period and added a two-point near fall at the buzzer for a 4-0 lead.
Lemanski would continue to rack up points in the second period scoring another two-point near fall.
Joles was able to work a reversal with 41 second left in the middle period to cut his opponents lead to 6-2. Unfortunately, those would be the Boyceville freshman’s only points of the match.
Lemanski would return the favor with a reversal and his third, two-point near fall in the final nine seconds of the middle period to up his advantage to 10-2.
Lemanski, starting the final period in the down position, reversal Joles quickly and then scored three more back points with 33 seconds remaining in the match to take the 15-2 victory.
Joles finished 31-5 in his first year of varsity wrestling.
His goal for the next three year are simple, “Be the best I can be and work as hard as I can.”