Boyceville crowns three sectional champs, sends six to state

OSSSEO — “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” -Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Boyceville’s coaches and its seven sectional wrestlers set their sights on perfection last Saturday in Osseo. And while they did not achieve it, a day of excellence was the result.

“It was a great day for us,” said Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson.

“Seven champs was our goal! Seven is what we talked about all week,” said Olson.

“(But) when you think it about it could be tough to get more than four,” Olson admitted.

That did not, however, keep the Bulldogs from striving for perfection.

In the process, Boyceville landed three championships to match last year’s tally, and had six of its seven sectional competitors earn state tournament berths at the 2016 WIAA Division 3 Individual Wrestling Sectional hosted by Independence at Osseo-Fairchild High School February 20.

Junior Micah Johnson, sophomore Garrett Joles and freshman Brock Schlough swept to sectional championships and will be joined at the 2016 WIAA State Wrestling Tournament, set for this Thursday, February 25 through Saturday, February 27 at the Kohl Center in Madison, by junior James Palmer and sophomores Dyllon Johnson and Cody Frederick. The Bulldogs’ seventh and final wrestler, Justin Malean, just missed the cut finishing fourth in his weight class. The top three place winners in all 14 weight classes earn state tournament berths.

Micah Johnson, now 20-2, scored a thrilling 3-2 win over Spring Valley/Elmwood’s Jed Schlegel in the 170-pound championship Saturday in Osseo to claim his third consecutive sectional championship and avenge a loss to Schlegel in last week’s regional title match.

Garrett Joles, ranked second in the state’s Division 3, 182-pound field, improved to an impressive 42-3 on the season as he knocked off a pair of state-ranked wrestlers en route to claiming his second straight sectional title.

Brock Schlough, 39-4, won his first sectional championship taking the title at 138 pounds with a pin, technical fall and major decision. The Boyceville freshman is currently seated second among the state’s Division 3, 138 pounders.

James Palmer, who won a sectional title as a freshman, was a runner-up for a second straight year after taking the silver at 132 pounds. Cody Frederick rebounded from a heartbreaking 3-1 overtime loss in the semifinals to finish second at 145 pounds and Dyllon Johnson will join his older brother Micah on the Madison mats after a third-place finish at 120 pounds.

Boyceville actually scored 13.5 more team points than it did a year ago when it finished atop the standings of the individual sectional but finished second in this year’s meet to Spring Valley/Elmwood. The Cardinals amassed 182 points as it sent ten wrestlers to the state meet. Boyceville tallied 115.5, Cumberland place third for a second straight year with 88.5 points, Clear Lake posted 68 points for fourth and St. Croix Falls grabbed fifth with 52. Cumberland and Clear Lake each had three individuals earn state berths.

Despite getting six out of seven sectional wrestlers through to state, Olson still lamented the end of Justin Malean’s season.

“I feel for Justin, but he wrestled his butt off in a tough weight so he can’t hang his head,” said Olson. “I think he is feeling okay about how he wrestled. He lost to a tough senior who had beaten him twice earlier in the year.”

Still the Bulldogs’ six state qualifiers was the second most Boyceville has earned in any one year, just missing the high water mark of seven reached in 2002 and 2003.

It is the kind of day that has to put a smile on a veteran coach’s face when he sees his wrestlers well rewarded for their hard work and dedication.

While all seven earned the fruits of their labors, it was the Bulldogs’ three titlist that enjoyed the sweetest rewards.

Micah Johnson has had to battle injuries and off field issues throughout the season but was not going to be denied a third sectional championship.

After losing to Jed Schlegel 8-6 in the regional the previous Saturday and slipping to third in the state rankings at 170 pounds, Micah Johnson was more determined than ever to get back to the top of the awards podium in Osseo.

Johnson did just that with a narrow 3-2 win over the second-ranked Schlegel in Saturday’s 170-pound sectional final. To get to that spot, Johnson met up with a pair of solid wrestlers. He opened with a 14-3 major decision over Phillip’s senior Hunter Anderson and followed it with a 9-2 semifinal’s win over Josh Nitek of Blair-Taylor.

“Micah Johnson wrestled really well today,” Olson stated. “I thought he looked good for not being on the mat as much as we wanted him to be. Then getting beat by that kid (Schlegel) last week, it was a nice turnaround for Micah.”

There was no turnaround needed for either of the Bulldogs’ other two champions.

Garrett Joles and Brock Schlough continued their season-long dominance of opponents.

Joles, carrying the team’s best record at 42-3 and the number two state ranking, marched through the 182-pound sectional field to claim his second straight sectional gold. A year ago, Joles dominated the 170-pound bracket.

The quiet but self-assured sophomore was all business as usual once the tournament began.

Joles needed just 1:18 to score the pin fall against Aaron Benson, a senior from Arcadia. In the semifinals, he dominated third-ranked Rowdy Kochevar, a Flambeau senior. Joles took Kochevar to the mat several times before emerging with a 13-4 major decision.

The championship match provided Joles with a familiar foe. For the third time in as many weeks and fourth time this season, Spring Valley/Elmwood’s Quinton Elliott dualed. And as in their previous three pairings, Joles won handily taking the title at 182 pounds on a 8-3 decision.

Joles also beat Elliot in the previous week’s regional championship, in the semifinal’s of the Big Rivers/Dunn-St. Croix Wrestling Challenge and a dual back on January 14 but each match has gotten closer.

“Garrett wrestled really well today,” said Olson. “He has wrestled Elliott over and over and over and the kid is tough and gets a little bit closer (each time). Garrett tried some moves we worked on but he is one of those (types) that likes to get after it and go for it; sometimes you have to slow him down a little because he (Elliott) is dangerous.”

Dangerous would also aptly describe Boyceville freshman Brock Schlough. Another suitable adjective would be explosive.

Schlough was both in his run to the 138-pound title.

He scored pins in his first two sectional matches, sticking Bob Bontekoe of Shell Lake at the 2:20 mark of their quarterfinal match and Durand’s MaKenze Schuh at 1:07 of the semifinals.

Schlough rolled through the finals as he continued his dominance of Glenwood City’s Marcus Ullom. Schlough scored a 15-0 shut out against Ullom, his fourth win this season over the Toppers’ junior. He pinned Ullom in the regional finals, won 14-0 in the February 9th dual and had another pin in the BR/DSC Wrestling Challenge.

“Brock Schlough continues to be Brock Schlough,” Olson quipped. “He is all business and is so fun to watch, quite a freshman. It will be interesting to see how he can do down there (Madison). He just goes out and gets after it.”

Boyceville other four were after titles and state berths of their own.

James Palmer, ranked sixth, was nipped 2-1 in the finals at 132 pounds by Logan Newton of Spring Valley/Elmwood. Palmer had won their previous two meetings – a 4-2 victory in the January 14th dual and a 9-2 decision in the regional championship.

But last Saturday, Newton made a reversal stand up for the win, denying Palmer, who was second at 120 pounds last year, his second sectional title.

“Overall, I would like to have one match back and that would be James’ final match,” admitted Olson. “Newton is tough though. They have wrestled three or four times and that was the first time Newton won. It is hard to beat a guy that is that tough that many times. James has had a great season and he’ll go down and wrestle at Madison tough no matter if he was the first-place or second-place guy so I am not worried about him.”

Palmer barely broke a sweat reaching the championship he match. He beat Austin Fedie of Mondovi by a 13-0 count in the quarterfinals and pinned Chequamegon’s Hunter Schienebeck 1:33 into their semifinal’s match.

Cody Frederick, 38-5, beat James LaPointe of Bayfield/Washburn 3-0 nothing to open his sectional tournament at 145 pounds. But Frederick lost a 3-1 overtime decision to eventual champion Clay Carney of St. Croix Falls. He worked his way through the consolation bracket beating Austin Bown via a fall at 3:37 and was a 5-1 victor in the third-place match against Dominic Hopke of Shell Lake.

When Carney prevailed 8-5 against Independence/Gilmanton’s Josh Conrad, Frederick earned a shot at second. He made the most of his opportunity, scoring the pin at 1:26 over Conrad to take second place.

“Cody Frederick had a tough weight class today,” Olson said. “He won a close match and then lost in overtime and to recover from that to beat two good kids was a great day.”

Dyllon Johnson and Justin Malean found themselves at the mercy of other wrestlers after they both lost their quarterfinal matches. Fortunately, the pair was given reprieves when the wrestlers they lost to won their respective semifinal matches.

Once back on the mat, Dyllon Johnson made sure that a state berth would not elude his grasp. The younger Johnson brother scored a 53 second fall against Jasper Bushman of Phillips and won 21-13 over Unity’s Adrian Bearhart in the 120-pound, third-place match. Because Cumberland’s Reid Olson (the nephew of Coach Olson and second place finisher) had beaten Dyllon Johnson in the quarterfinals, there was no wrestleback.

“Dyllon Johnson came through, he had a tough match right away and we knew that,” said Olson. “But he came back and wrestled strong.

Justin Malean had a tough quarterfinal’s draw at 160 pounds. Malean was pinned in 3:22 by Luke Clark of St. Croix Falls, who went on to take the crown. After Clark beat Dawson Weik of Chequamegon in the semifinals, Malean got the opportunity to wrestle Weik in the consolation bracket. The Boyceville sophomore won by pin in just 35 seconds but fell 9-5 in the third-place match to Devon Johnson of Spring Valley/Elmwood to finish fourth.

As sectional champions, Schlough, Micah Johnson and Joles have byes and do not wrestle until Friday’s state quarterfinals.

Dyllon Johnson, James Palmer and Cody Frederick, however, will be competing in Thursday evening’s preliminaries. Dyllon Johnson will face Horicon sophomore Bill Condon (37-9), Palmer has drawn Cal Hansen (41-3), a junior from Deerfield, and Frederick will wrestle Jordan Blanchard of Coleman, who is 38-7. The winner of the Frederick-Blanchard match will face two-time state champion Wilder Wichman, currently 83-0 that past two seasons, in the 145-pound quarters on Friday.

“You would like to see them all place,” said Olson of his six state participants. “I think we have the opportunity to have some kids that can do real well and place high. State championships are what we want to bring home.”

“The goal should be to go down and compete and wrestle hard and whatever happens, happens,” added Olson. “But you can’t be happy with just being there, you have to now go down and set some more goals. Maybe its being in the top three or four or maybe it is being a state champion. They need to keep going and not be satisfied.”