Boyceville wins key matches and dual over Glenwood City
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
BOYCEVILLE’S Brice Evenson (right) shot in for a takedown against Glenwood City’s James Knight during the 126-pound match. Evenson went on to score the pin and helped the Bulldogs defeat the Hilltoppers 54-30 in a D-SC wrestling dual in Boyceville December 22. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
BOYCEVILLE — A pair of early match victories coupled with seven straight wins to close out the competition proved not only key but decisive for Boyceville as it bested neighbor and rival Glenwood City, 54-30, in an important Dunn-St. Croix wrestling dual held last Tuesday, December 22 in the Bulldogs’ gymatorium.
Both squads had entered the evening with 1-0 records in the five-team conference standings.
A pair of pins by the Evensons – Noah at 103 and Brice at 126 – kept Boyceville even with Glenwood City in the early going. And, although the Hilltoppers forged to a 30-12 advantage behind three straight wins – a Jonas Draxler pin at 132 pounds and forfeits to Gabe Knops (138) and Peyton Rassbach (145), the Bulldogs took control of the dual in the middle and upper weight winning every match from 152 pounds to heavyweight (285) via four pins and a trio of forfeits to secure their second conference victory of the young season.
“Our kids wrestled really well….the Evenson boys set the tone early with two big pins,” stated Jamie Olson, Boyceville’s head coach. “Brice’s (Evenson) being a comeback pin was huge for us. Being a little short handed in the dual I knew pins were going to be critical.”
And they were as well as forfeits. In all, Boyceville, who received an honorable mention ranking in the first WiWrestling.com’s poll, collected six falls to go with their three forfeits while Glenwood City had pins by Andy Grant and Jonas Draxler and three forfeit wins, too.
“Getting 6 pins and 3 forfeits made for a great night,” added Olson.
The varsity dual, which lasted just 30 minutes, opened at the 106 weight class.
It was there that freshman Noah Evenson gave the Bulldogs a quick 6-0 lead when he registered a second-period pin against fellow freshman Savanna Millermon. Evenson led 5-0 heading in to the middle stanza when he caught and pinned Millermon at the 2:45 mark.
GLENWOOD CITY senior Andy Grant pins Boyceville’s Brady Mast at 120 pounds during a dual held last Tuesday, December 22 in Boyceville. Grant’s pin fall came just 24 seconds into the match. The Bulldodgs, however, won the dual 54-30. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
The Hilltoppers evened the team score at sixes when top-ranked (at 106) sophomore Ian Radintz received a forfeit at 113 pounds. Senior Andy Grant, an honorable mention at 120, stuck Bulldogs’ freshman Brady Mast just 24 seconds into their 120-pound match to put Glenwood City in front 12-6.
Junior Brice Evenson pulled the Bulldogs back to even at 12 all with a third-period pin after trailing Toppers’ sophomore James Knight 8-4 heading into the final frame at 126 pounds.
Freshman Jonas Draxler registered his second fall in as many matches and began a three-match Glenwood City win streak with a 3:11 pins of the Bulldogs Emma Gruenhagen at 126. Sophomore Gabe Knops and freshman Peyton Rassbach received forfeits at 138 and 145 respectively to increase the visiting Toppers’ advantage to 30-12.
But, Glenwood City would not score again in the dual.
Instead, Boyceville took control of the competition and marched to victories in the final seven matches to claim the team win.
Ira Bialzik and Peyton Ponath opened the Bulldogs’ run with first-period pins. Bialzik, ranked 11th, took the Toppers’ Thomas Moede to the mat at the 1:18 mark of the 152-pound bout. Ponath followed suit at 160 pounds, needing just 1:20 to put GC freshman Will Standaert to his back.
Kyle Lipke (170), Tyler Dormanen (182) and two-time state champion and top-ranked senior Trett Joles (195) all received forfeits from Glenwood City as Boyceville took a 42-30 lead.
The Bulldogs then put the contest out of the Toppers’ reach with pins in the final two matches of the evening. Newcomer John Klefstad scored a 26 second fall over the Toppers’ Aaron Brigham at 220 pounds before Boyceville heavyweight Keegan Plemon capped the dual and 54-20 win with a 4:22 pin of Glenwood City’s Trenton McNamara.
“Glenwood is tough down low and I knew we needed to weather the storm in the first seven weights and we did that,” commented Olson. “Ira Bialzik, Peyton Ponath, John Klefstad and Keegan Plemon all stepped up and got big pins down the stretch.”
Boyceville was without state runner-up Josiah Berg, two-time state qualifier Nate Stuart and Bash Nielson for the dual.
ADDING POINTS — Boyceville junior Ira Bialzik scored back points on his Glenwood City opponent Thomas Moede during a dual meet in Boyceville last Tuesday, December 22. Bialzik went on to win the 152-pound match on a fall at 1:18. Boyceville also won the dual by a score of 54-30.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
“We always preach team and it’s so important to have numbers,” noted Olson. “I wish we had more, but the guys like Kyle Lipke, Brady Mast, and Emma Gruenhagen are huge contributors to our success right now.”
The squads also wrestled several exhibition matches following the conclusion of the varsity competition, one which included a Trett Joles versus Trenton McNamara bout that Coach Olson was quite appreciative of.
“It was nice to see Trett get a chance to wrestle, and I give a lot of credit to Trenton McNamara for stepping up and giving our senior one of his last chances to get on the mat in our home gym,” stated Olson.
Glenwood City hosted Northwestern in a dual yesterday afternoon (December 29) and will welcome Spring Valley/Elmwood next Thursday, January 7.
Boyceville was also set to host a dual yesterday but the match against Phillips was cancelled. The Bulldogs will take on Arcadia next Tuesday, January 5 when the Raiders come to Boyceville.
Over the weekend, the WIAA informed member schools that it would begin to allow triangular and quadrangular meets in January. This means team schedules are likely to change quickly and often over the next month, so consult the conference or schools’ websites. The WIAA directive that requires a 6-day span between matches, however, is still in effect.
Boyceville 54, Glenwood City 30
106-Noah Evenson (B) pinned Savanna Millermon (GC), 2:45; 113-Ian Radintz (GC) received a forfeit; 120-Andy Grant (GC) pinned Brady Mast (B), 0:24; 126-Brice Evenson (BOYC) pinned James Knight (GC), 5:07; 132-Jonas Draxler (GC) pinned Emma Gruenhagen (B), 3:11; 138-Gabe Knops (GC) received a forfeit; 145-Peyton Rassbach (GC) received a forfeit; 152-Ira Bialzik (B) pinned Thomas Moede (GC), 1:18; 160-Peyton Ponath (B) pinned Will Standaert (GC), 1:21; 170-Tyler Dormanen (B) received a forfeit; 182- Kyle Lipke (B) received a forfeit; 195-Trett Joles (B) received a forfeit; 220-John Klefstad (B) pinned Aaron Brigham (GC), 0:26; 285-Keegan Plemon (B) pinned Trenton McNamara (GC), 4:28.