Three Bulldogs crowned champs at Bluejay Wrestling Challenge
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TITLIST TRIO — Boyceville had three champions crowned in last Saturday’s Bluejay Challenge in Merrill. From left to right are: Joasiah Berg, 113-pound champion; Trett Joles, 182-pound champion; and Brock Schlough, 152-pound champion and the tournament’s “Outstanding Wrestler”. —photo submitted
The first month of the wrestling season has seen the Boyceville team make significant and dramatic strides especially from its freshman class.
That progress continued into the new year as the Bulldogs posted an impressive fifth-place finish in last Saturday’s Bluejay Challenge hosted by Merrill High School.
For a second straight year, Boyceville had three individual champions crowned in the January 5th tournament. In addition, all ten of the Bulldogs’ competing wrestlers placed and scored points including half of them placing fifth or higher.
“I was happy with the results,” stated Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson. “We are getting better every day and that continues to be the mind set.”
“It was nice seeing different competition from all divisions,” added the Bulldogs’ coach.
Senior Brock Schlough and sophomore Trett Joles repeated as individual champions Saturday and were joined by freshman Josiah Berg atop the awards podium as all three went 5-0 in the tournament.
Joles claimed a second straight 182-pound title while Schlough took the gold at 152 pounds after winning the top prize at 160 pounds last year.
Berg, who improved to an impressive 24-3 overall mark in his first month of varsity wrestling, moved up a weight class to 113 pounds and proved more than equal to the challenge as he won the gold-medal match on a technical fall, his third of the tournament.
Those winning results coupled with the other Bulldog finishes allowed Boyceville to accumulate 298.5 points in the 19-team tournament.
Tomahawk took the team title with 426 followed by Wausau West in second with 412, Prairie du Chien was third with 396.5 and fourth went to host Merrill after they collected a score of 324.
Boyceville was the highest area finisher which also included Barron (10th), Chippewa Falls (11th) and St. Croix Central (14th).
Top ranked senior Brock Schlough stayed perfect on the season as he improved to 26-0 with five more wins to take first place at 152 pounds in Merrill. His efforts did not go unnoticed as Schlough was named the Challenge’s “Outstanding Wrestler” thanks to three pins including a 54 second fall over Rhinelander’s Walker Hartman in the finals. Brock also won on a technical fall and a major decision.
Joles upped his season mark to an unblemished 26-0 in his run to a second straight title at 182 pounds.
After an opening-round bye, Joles registered four straight match pins including three in the first periods. Joles needed just 52 seconds to stick his championship-match opponent Brock Handrick of Edgar. Joles’ other pins came in 1:23, 2:16 and 1:09.
Josiah Berg, yet another in a long line of freshmen phenoms for the Bulldogs, showed that he is going to be a force to reckon with this season and beyond.
Berg jumped to 113 pounds from 106 to get some better competition but, judging by the results, was clearly the best wrestler at the higher weight class. He scored a pin and three technical falls including a 17-2 victory over a 19-4 Piersson Czaplinksi of Three Lakes/Phelps in the semifinals and a 19-4 win against Jacob Pease, a Wausau West grappler with a 14-4 record, in the title match.
“Berg, Schlough and Joles continue to wrestle tough and score big points,” said Olson. “Berg and Joles beat some good kids and were fun to watch dominate on their feet.”
Nate Stuart moved his record to 19-8 after finishing 4-1 and earning a third place at 126 pounds in Merrill last Saturday.
Stuart opened with a bye, a pin and a close 3-0 quarterfinals win before falling 10-1 in the semifinals. Stuart, however, rebounded to win third place on a 12-6 decision over Tim Burnett of Lakeland/Mercer.
“Nate Stuart had a great tournament taking third after losing to the champion,” said Olson. “Nate continues to wrestle at a high pace and is really coming with positioning and mat presence.”
Freshman Ira Bialzik also finished the day 4-1 to take fifth at 132 pounds and had a pair of pins among his wins including a 4:33 fall in the fifth-place match against Sun Prairie’s Richard Quintana.
Senior Nick Goodell finished seventh at 145, Keegan Plemon (220) and Tyler Dormanen (138) placed ninth and Bryce Evenson (106) and Nick Hillman (160) came in 14th.
“These guys all wrestled well and contributed with some big points in the wrestle backs,” Olson commented.
Greg Moore also went 3-0 to finish first in the JV heavyweight bracket while Tanner Anderson and Peyton Ponath finished second and third respectively.