Boyceville wrestling trio finishes season at state championship in Kohl Center
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CRADLED — Boyceville senior Ira Bialzik has Dylan Herb of Shiocton in a cradle during a Division 3, preliminary round match at 160 pounds last Thursday evening in the Kohl Center. Competing in his third state wrestling tournament, Bialzik defeated Herb 12-6 to advance to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Bialzik lost his next to matches and did not place in the 2022 WIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
MADISON – For three members of Boyceville’s state wrestling quartet, there would be neither medals nor a podium stand at the end of this tournament.
Seniors Ira Bialzik and John Klefstad along with junior Sebastian “Bash” Nielson were not able to place at the 2022 WIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships which returned to a spectator-filled Kohl Center after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
But, the disappointment and heartbreak should be tempered by the fact that all three finished their respective seasons on Wisconsin prep wrestling’s biggest stage as part of this year’s very best in the state.
First-time state qualifiers Nielson (195) and Klefstad (220) were both eliminated with losses in Thursday evening’s preliminary round while Bialzik (160), who was making his third state appearance, won his February 24 prelim bout only to come away empty handed once more after a pair of losses in Friday’s quarterfinal and consolation rounds.
After missing last year’s state cut when just the top two sectional place winners advanced because of COVID protocols, Bialzik qualified for his third tip to state with a second-place showing in the St. Croix Falls sectional meet.
BOYCEVILLE’S Bash Nielson looked to gain control over Auburndale’s Brice Thiel during a Division 3, 195-pound state preliminary match Thursday night in the Kohl Center. Nielson lost the match 4-2 in overtime. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Competing in the 160-pound weight class, Bialzik opened this year’s state tournament with a preliminary-round match against Dylan Herb, a junior from Shiocton. After surrendering a takedown with the first 20 seconds of the match to the tenth-ranked Herb, Bialzik settled in. The Bulldog senior, who himself came in to the state championships ranked seventh, worked a quick reversal and followed it with a pair of back points to take a 4-2 lead.
Although Herb got an escape before the first period ended to make it a 4-3 match, Bialzik never trailed again.
After Bialzik won the flip and deferred, Herb chose the down position to open the middle period and would quickly regret the decision when Bialzik turned him to his back for three near fall points and a 7-3 advantage.
Herb got a reversal midway through the period to cut his deficit to two at 5-7 heading into the third period.
But the final stanza belonged to Bialzik. After being given the escape at the start of the period which made it 8-5 in Bialzik’s favor, the Boyceville senior scored a takedown and another two-point near fall and went on for the 12-5 victory.
That win propelled Bialzik into Friday’s high noon, quarterfinals’ showdown against fellow senior and number two Cash Stewart of Poynette. Stewart, who was 40-1 at the time, took control of the match early with a takedown and an accompanying two-point near fall for a 4-0 lead. Midway through the second frame, Stewart added two more back points to increase his advantage to 6-0.
A reversal with 30 seconds left in the match gave the Poynette senior an 8-0 cushion. Bialzik finally score an escape with 16 ticks left on the match clock for his only point in the 8-1 set back.
Stewart would go on to finish second to four-time state champion Kole Marko of St. Croix Falls.
FIRST-TIME STATE wrestling qualifier and senior John Klefstad of Boyceville tried to escpae the grasp of his opponent Marshell Self of Ithaca/Weston in a Division 3, 220-pound preliminary match February 24 at the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships in the Kohl Center. Klefstad lost on a first-period pin in his only state match. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
About an hour later, Bialzik would take the mat once again for a 160-pound consolation quarterfinals match with junior Tyson Bogacz (43-9) of Bonduel. Bogacz scored a takedown with just three seconds left in the opening period for a 2-0 advantage. In the second frame, the Bonduel Bear grappler added an escape, another takedown and a two-point near fall to increase his lead to 7-0.
Bialzik chose to start the final period in the neutral position but soon surrendered a third takedown and found himself down 9-0. The score remained unchanged until Bialzik finally got on the scoreboard with a reversal with 27 second left but it was too little much too late as the Boyceville senior saw his career come to an end with the 9-2 defeat. Bogacz wound up sixth.
Ira Bialzik finished his final mat season with a 24-7 record.
“160 was probably the toughest weight class that I have seen in long time,” stated Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson. “It was loaded from top to bottom including a four-time state champ (Marko) so there was very little room for error. It was the best weight class in Division 3.”
“Ira had to wrestle the state runner-up in the quarterfinals and a really good kid who ended up placing. Ira did the best he could and had a great career. He turned it on at the end (of the season), Ira has always been kind of a February wrestler and shined in February and he did again this year and I am proud of him,” said Olson.
John Klefstad and Bash Nielson wrestled almost simultaneously on adjacent mats in Thursday’s preliminaries.
Klefstad’s match didn’t last a full period while Nielson’s went into overtime. Unfortunately, both lost.
Taking on fifth-ranked junior Marshell Self of Ithaca/Weston in a 220-pound prelim, Klefstad, who broke into the rankings at number ten heading into the state tournament, found himself trailing 4-0 just 15 seconds into the match after surrendering a takedown and a two-point near fall. The Boyceville senior was then called for an illegal hold giving his opponent a 5-0 cushion.
With 42 second still left in the opening period, Klefstad worked free to get the escape and a point. But only moments later, Self took Klefstad to the mat and scored the pin fall with 25 seconds left.
“There are two reasons why John Klefstad got down to the state tournament,” stated Olson. “He’s a gritty tough kid and his work ethic is just top notch. He is a tireless worker.”
“John has probably wrestled 50 matches, not sure of the exact number, in his entire life and to get down to the state tournament with these guys that have wrestled 400 or 500 matches,” continued Olson. “To make it to state with very little experience tells you what kind of kid he is. He is just a tough kid that’s very coachable with a great work ethic and you added that formula together and you are going to have some success.”
“I wish I had him for another year and I think Johnny wishes he had another year,” concluded Olson.
Klefstad finished his senior campaign with a 28-16 mark.
Bash Nielson’s fantastic junior season, in which he compiled a 40-9 record, came to a conclusion with a heartbreaking overtime defeat to Brice Thiel, a 28-14 senior from Auburndale.
Following a scoreless first period, Nielson scored an escape to open the middle frame. A second stall call against Thiel upped Nielson’s advantage to 2-0 after two periods.
Thiel would start the third period with an escape for his first point of the match. The Auburndale wrestler would then get the equalizer when Nielson was whistled for stalling with just 25 seconds left. Regulation ended with the pair knotted at two.
In the one-minute overtime period, Thiel scored a takedown with just five second left to claim a 4-2 sudden victory over Nielson.
“Bash Nielson lost an overtime match to a tough kid (in prelims) and the kid that he lost to in a heartbreaking match in the sectionals (Grant Rydlund of Ladysmith) last week made it to the state finals, so Bash is right there,” said Coach Olson.
Unlike Bialzik and Klefstad, Nielson has one more year to achieve greater heights.
“He didn’t wrestle last year and that might have hurt him a little bit for this year but Bash really turned it on this year,” concluded Olson. “He had a great season. I’m excited for Bash next year and expecting big things out of him.”