GC FINISHES 2ND IN D-SC: Topper wrestlers win Durand quad to end regular season on a high note
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.
THE TOPPERS’ Noah Brite worked to turn Durand’s Ethan Weiss to his back during a match at 170 pounds in las Thursday quad meet in Durand. Brite scored the pin for his only win of the evening. Glenwood City went on to defeat Durand, Osceola and Prescott to the win the meet. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
DURAND — In a glimpse of what may be bright seasons to come, the Glenwood City wrestling team capped the COVID-tainted, 2020-21 regular season with a trio of victories to win last Thursday’s Durand quadrangular behind several outstanding individual performances.
Nine of the Hilltoppers 13 wrestlers posted winning records in the January 21 meet including four that ended the evening unbeaten. In all, Glenwood City wrestlers finished a collective 24-11 in matches.
“This has been a challenging year in high school sports with our limited opportunities and new guidelines to follow both in practice and competition,” said Glenwood City head coach Shane Strong in a Facebook post on the Glenwood City Wrestling page the morning following the Durand competition.
“I can’t praise our kids enough how they have handled this challenging time. We have a very young team,” added Strong of his crew that includes no seniors just one junior and 13 sophomores and freshmen.
Despite several challenges due to the pandemic such as, the loss of junior varsity tournaments, limited quality opponents and a greatly reduced competition schedule, Strong believes his charges have maintained a great attitude throughout the season.
It showed at last Thursday evening’s competition in Durand.
Highlighted by four wrestlers that went a perfect 3-0, Glenwood City demolished host Durand 66-18 in the opening round then bested a pair of Middle Border conference members, edging out Osceola 40-30, and clipping the wings of the Prescott Cardinals 48-30, to win the four-team meet.
With those three victories, Glenwood City finished 6-3 on the regular season with the lopsided Durand win giving it sole possession of second place in the final Dunn-St. Croix standings with a 3-1 mark.
Going unbeaten in Durand were junior Thomas Moede and sophomores Ian Radintz, James Knight, and Gabe Knops.
Knops and Radintz both improved to 9-0 with their most recent wins while Knight enters the WIAA tournament series, which gets underway this Saturday with regionals, with a 7-2 record.
Knops, who placed fourth in sectional a year ago just missing a state berth by one place, registered pins in all three of his wins in Durand two of which were wrestled a weight class above his 132-pound slot.
Like his classmate Knops, Ian Radintz, who just missed out on the state tournament in 2020, is on a mission this season. The 106-pound sophomore, who scored a pin and two forfeits in Durand, is ranked number 2 in the state’s coaches poll in his weight class and had an impressive tournament in the Dells over the recent holidays. There he took second in a tournament that featured a bracket filled with state-ranked wrestlers in all divisions including Minnesota.
Team captain Thomas Moede propelled his season record above .500, to 5-4, with his three victories in Durand, two of which came via pins. He competed at 152 and 160 pounds last Thursday but will likely be at 145 for regionals.
The Toppers’ final wrestler to finish perfect in Durand is James Knight. He had a pin and major among his three wins as he improved to 7-2 this season after going 8-11 a year ago.
GLENWOOD CITY heavyweight Trenton McNamara lifted the leg of his Osceola opponent and attempted to trip him during middle-round action in the Durand quad last Thursday, January 21. McNamara lost the match on a second-period fall. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Sophomores Arron Brigham (195 and 220) and Trenton McNamara (285), and freshmen Savanna Millermon (106), Jonas Draxler (126), and Connor Gross(170 and 182) each compiled 2-1 records in Durand.
Freshman Elijah Nerby went 1-1 at 138 pounds while yet another freshman, Will Standaert (152 and 160), along with sophomore Noah Brite (170 and 182) finished 1-2. Xavier Gill lost all three of his bouts at 145 pounds.
As previously mentioned, the WIAA tournament series begins this Saturday, January 30 with the Division 3 regional competition back at Durand High School. The other regional teams will include host Durand, Boyceville, Clear Lake, Mondovi, and Spring Valley/Elmwood. Wrestling begins at 10:30 a.m.
The top two place winners at each weight will advance to the individual sectional meet to be held the following Saturday, February 6, at St. Croix Falls High School.
Unlike previous years, there will not be a team sectional this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the team that finishes with the most points in the individual sectional tournament will earn a berth in the team state meet to be held Saturday, February 20 at Wausau East High School.
The Division 3 state individual championships will be held Saturday, February 13 at Wausau East High School. Only the top two individual sectional finishers will move on to state this year.
Pummel Panthers
Glenwood City opened the Durand quad in a big way, pummeling the host Panthers by a score of 66-18.
The Hilltoppers took a quick 30-0 advantage on an opening-match forfeit to Savanna Millermon at 106 pounds followed by pins from Ian Radintz, James Knight, Jonas Draxler and Gab Knops.
After Durand scored falls at 138 and 145 pounds, Glenwood City reeled in another five straight victories all via a pair of forfeits to Will Standaert and Thomas Moede, and pins by Noah Brite, Connor Gross, and Aaron Brigham.
Trenton McNamara received a forfeit at 285 pounds to cap Glenwood City’s 48-point victory.
Glenwood City 66, Durand 18
106-Savanna Millermon (GC) received a forfeit; 113-Ian Radintz (GC) pinned Michael Strasser (D), 0:33; 120-James Knight (GC) pinned Lance Lange (D), 1:47; 126-Jonas Draxler (GC) pinned Lucas Traun (D), 4:34; 132-Gabe Knops (GC) pinned Roy Cooper (D), 1:12; 138-Dawson Hartung (D) pinned Eli Nerby (GC), 1:07; 145-Brett Baker (D) pinned Xavier Gill (GC), 0:21; 152-Will Standaert (GC) received a forfeit; 160-Thomas Moede (GC) received a forfeit; 170-Noah Brite (GC) pinned Ethan J Weiss (D), 4:24; 182-Connor Gross (GC) pinned Connor Voth (D), 1:56; 195-Aaron Brigham (GC) pinned Andrew Fedie (D), 0:30; 220-Ethan Brunner (D) received a forfeit; 285-Trenton McNamara (GC) received a forfeit.
Edge Osceola
Winning five straight matches to open the dual against Osceola and six of the first seven allowed Glenwood City a comfortable 34-6 advantage in the middle round of action at the Durand quad January 21.
But the Chieftains went on a five-match win streak, from 160 to 285 pounds, to knot the dual at 34 a side. But a forfeit to the Toppers’ Savanna Millermon in the final match at 106 pounds gave the Hilltoppers the 40 to 34 win.
Ian Radintz earned a forfeit in the opening match at 113 pounds. Then, teammates James Knight scored a 12-2 major decision at 120 pounds, Jonas Draxler (126) and Eli Nerby (132) received forfeits, and Gabe Knops (138) and Thomas Moede (152) added pin falls to stake Glenwood City to the early 28-point lead.
Glenwood City 40, Osceola 34
113-Ian Radintz (GC) received a forfeit; 120-James Knight (GC) majored Reid Church (O), 12-2; 126-Jonas Draxler (GC) received a forfeit; 132-Eli Nerby (GC) received a forfeit; 138-Gabe Knops (GC) pinned Kaleb Woodley (O), 2:41; 145-Addison Udin (O) pinned Xavier Gill (GC), 0:10; 152-Thomas Moede (GC) pinned Grant Gronquist (O), 1:43; 160-Tanner Viebrock (O) pinned Will Standaert (GC), 1:05; 170-Isaac Campeau (O) pinned Connor Gross (GC), 0:53; 182-Errol Hansen (O) majored Noah Brite (GC), 12-1; 195-Double Forfeit; 220-Nick Carlson (O) pinned Aaron Brigham (GC), 0:58; 285-Tyler Johnson (O) pinned Trenton McNamara (GC), 2:30; 106-Savanna Millermon (GC) received a forfeit.
Get Past Prescott
The dual against Prescott, which featured nothing but pins and forfeits, went back-and-forth in the early going.
After three lead changes through the first eight matches, Glenwood City and Prescott found themselves tied up at 24 all.
But the Hilltoppers won four of the final five bouts – all by forfeits – to claim a 48-30 win in a dual that had seven pin falls and six forfeits. There was a double forfeit at 220.
In fact, all but two of the Toppers’ victories – pins by Gabe Knops at 138 pounds and Thomas Moede at 160 pounds – came by way of forfeits, six in all.
Glenwood City 48, Prescott 30
120-James Knight (GC) received a forfeit; 126-Alex Iberg (P) pinned Jonas Draxler (GC), 3:49; 132-Eli Nerby (GC) received a forfeit; 138-Gabe Knops (GC) pinned Brody Linder (P); 1:29; 145-Nolan Thomley (P) pinned Xavier Gill (GC), 0:43; 152-Sam Murphy (P) pinned Will Standaert (GC), 1:21; 160-Thomas Moede (GC) pinned Shane Butler (P), 2:31; 170-Alex Holt (P) pinned Noah Brite (GC), 1:14; 182-Connor Gross (GC) received a forfeit; 195-Aaron Brigham (GC) received a forfeit; 220-Double Forfeit; 285-Trenton McNamara (GC) received a forfeit; 106-Benny Olson (P) pinned Savanna Millermon (GC), 0:44; 113-Ian Radintz (GC) received a forfeit.