Bulldogs nip Cards in key D-SC wrestling dual
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SPRING VALLEY — For the past decade, only Boyceville and Spring Valley/Elmwood have held the title of Dunn-St. Croix wrestling champion.
While the Cardinals have had the upper hand, winning eight conference crowns during that 10-year span to the Bulldogs’ three (the two shared the title in 2013), Boyceville had captured back-to-back-championships in 2018 and 2019 until Spring Valley/Elmwood won back the title in 2020 with a 45-30 win last January in Boyceville.
The Bulldogs were looking for a measure of redemption and revenge when they traveled to Spring Valley last Tuesday, December 15 for an early season showdown with their nemesis.
And they got it!
Boyceville put itself in the driver’s seat for its 20th D-SC championship as it rallied from an early 23-3 deficit to win six of the final seven matches including a decisive pin by junior heavyweight Keegan Plemon in the final bout of the dual that gave the Bulldogs a thrilling 33-29 win over the host Cardinals.
“It was a great dual again, not a whole lot different than the last ten or so years,” said veteran Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson, who has engineered 11 of the Bulldogs’ 19 conference titles.
“I drew 106, so it was like the old days, it came down to the big boys! I miss that, I wish we started at 106 all the time,” admitted Olson. “It was truly a team effort from start to finish.”
But things did not look very rosy when the match begin.
Spring Valley/Elmwood won five of the first six contested matches for a 23-3 advantage, the only saving grace during that span was Josiah Berg’s return to the line-up for a hard fought 9-3 win at 132 pounds.
The Caseys kicked off the Cardinals quick start as Haeli Casey beat the Bulldogs’ Noah Evenson 9-4 in the opening match at 106 pounds. Kaleb Casey followed with a forfeit win at 113 pounds to put Spring Valley/Elmwood in front 12-0.
The Cardinals then added a pair of consecutive major decisions to their tally for a 17-0 lead. Aiden O’Meara bested Boyceville’s Brady Mast 12-2 at 120 pounds and Tylor LaCroix followed it with a 13-4 victory over the Bulldogs’ Emma Gruenhagen.
Josiah Berg made his first appearance for Boyceville since competing in last year’s D3, 120-pound state championship. The junior built an early 4-2 advantage over the Cardinals’ Tristan Neisinger at 138 pounds and then added a three-point near fall and a takedown to extend his lead to 9-3 after two periods. A scoreless final stanza gave Berg the six-point decision, his first win of the season, and the Bulldogs’ first points of the dual.
“It was great to have our state runner-up, Josiah Berg back in the line-up,” said a relieved and happy Olson following the contest.
But the Cardinals would tack another six points on to their team score to make it 23-3 when Cole Steinhorst received a forfeit at 138.
Both teams forfeited at 145 pounds.
“Going down 23-3 with seven matches left, it wasn’t looking good!” admitted Olson.
But Olson’s Bulldogs would fight back with some bite.
The entire dual turned around in those final seven matches, of which, Boyceville won six with many of its wrestlers competing up a weight class or two.
The rally and comeback gained traction behind junior Ira Bialzik’s 6-2 triumph at 152 pounds. A four-to-zip, first period propelled Bialzik to the win over Max Schmitt.
Nate Stuart and Tyler Dormanen followed with first period pins at 160 and 170 pounds respectively to slice the Bulldogs’ deficit to only five points – 18-23. Stuart stuck Joel Anderson in a minute and ten second while Dormanen scored the fall over Brayden Wolf at 2:55.
Kyle Lipke inched the Bulldogs closer when he nipped the Cards’ Doug Robertson 6-5 in the 182-pound bout.
“Ira Bialzik started the comeback with a big win over Max Schmitt,” Olson said.
“Nate Stuart followed with a big pin, but the two matches of the night were the next two,” stated Olson. “Tyler Dormanen pinned Brayden Wolf and Kyle Lipke pulled out a hard-fought 6-5 win over Doug Robertson. Those two matches were huge.”
With only momentum on their side, the Bulldogs sent senior and two-time defending state champion Trett Joles to the mat for the match at 195 pounds. Joles’ 24 second pin of Paul Schwebach gave Boyceville six points and its first lead of the match at 27-23.
But Spring Valley/Elmwood took it back the very next match.
Nate Fesenmaier put Bulldogs’ newcomer John Klefstad to the mat in 1:15 of their 220-pound match to give the Cardinals a 29-27 advantage heading into final match of the evening – a showdown at 285 pounds that would determine the outcome.
It took Boyceville’s Keegan Plemon just 1:18 to dispose of Trace Anderson via pin and complete the Bulldogs’ improbable 33-29 come-from-behind victory.
“Getting four pins in the last seven matches was the difference along with not giving up pins in the lower weights with Noah Evenson, Brady Mast, and Emma Gruenhagen,” concluded Olson.
Boyceville looked to improve to 2-0 in conference action when it hosted rival Glenwood City last evening, Tuesday, December 22. The Hilltoppers also started off the conference season with a win, beating an undermanned Mondovi team 48-24 last week.
After the Christmas break, the Bulldogs will return to action next Tuesday, December 29 when it hosts Phillips in a non-conference dual starting at 5 p.m. in the gymatorium.
Boyceville 33, Spring Valley/Elmwood 29
106-Haeli Casey (SVE) dec. Noah Evenson (BV), 9-4; 113-Kaleb Casey (SVE) received a forfeit; 120-Aiden O`Meara (SVE) majored Brady Mast (BV), 12-2; 126-Tylor LaCroix (SVE) majored Emma Gruenhagen (BV), 13-4; 132-Josiah Berg (BV) dec. Tristan Neisinger (SVE), 9-3; 138-Cole Steinmeyer (SVE) received a forfeit; 145-Double Forfeit; 152-Ira Bialzik (BV) dec. Max Schmitt (SVE), 6-2; 160-Nate Stuart (BV) pinned Joel Anderson (SVE), 1:03; 170-Tyler Dormanen (BV) pinned Brayden Wolf (SVE), 2:55; 182-Kyle Lipke (BV) dec. Doug Robertson (SVE), 6-5; 195-Trett Joles (BV) pinned Paul Schwebach (SVE), 0:24; 220-Nate Fesenmaier (SVE) pinned John Klefstad (BV), 1:15; 285-Keegan Plemon (BV) pinned Trace Anderson (SVE), 1:18.