Hellendrung rings up sectional championship and third straight state berth, Romero second

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LADYSMITH — A year ago, Zach Hellendrung was Boyceville’s lone representative at the state high school wrestling championships.

When Hellendrung returns to Madison later this week, he will have company!

After finishing second in the past two sectional meets, junior Zach Hellendrung finally struck gold at Ladysmith High School last Saturday, February 22 when he mounted and finished an improbable comeback to win the 285-pound championship at the 2025 WIAA Division 3 Individual Sectional tournament.

Hellendrung, who found himself trailing 7-0 just seconds into his championship bout, eventually turned the tables on his title-match opponent, Willy Graham of Stanley-Boyd, and scored a pin in the third period to win not only the heavyweight championship, but his third consecutive trip to the WIAA Individual State Championships that will get underway this Thursday, February 27 at the Kohl Center in Madison and run through Saturday, March 1.

“What a great match for the fans!” stated veteran Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson.

“Most of your heavyweight matches are fairly boring to watch, but that was not the case with this championship match,” continued Olson. “Being down 7-0 and fighting off his back in a tight headlock to getting a pin in the third period was a crazy turn of events and emotions.”

Joining Hellendrung in Madison will be sophomore teammate Isaiah Romero. In first sectional competition, Romero placed second at 215 pounds to earn a silver medal and his first state berth.

The other member of the Bulldogs sectional trio, sophomore Liam Moore, came up short in his first attempt to qualify for state when he did not place in the 175-pound weight class.

Only the top three place finishers in each of the boys’ 14 weight classes qualify for the state meet.

Hellendrung, ranked seventh in the latest Division 3, 285-pound state poll, opened last Saturday’s sectional tournament by sticking Shell Lake sophomore Jameson Buckridge (24-18) just a 1:13 into their quarterfinal match.

Waiting in the semifinals was a familiar foe, Glenwood City senior Blake Fayerweather, who came into the tournament with a heavyweight class ranking of 13th. While the pair has tangled often the past three years, Hellendrung has held the upper hand. The Bulldog wrestler did again in Ladysmith, winning a 13-3 major decision over Fayerweather to punch his championship ticket.

For the second straight Saturday, Hellendrung met up with Stanley-Boyd junior Willy Graham in the championship match. In the previous week’s regional showdown, Graham, ranked third in the state’s small school heavyweight bracket, scored a takedown in overtime to win first place. And it appeared Graham was on his way to another gold-medal finish when he caught Hellendrung in a tight headlock just seconds into their championship match and put him on the mat, a 7-point move, and it appeared as though Hellendrung’s proverbial goose was cooked.

But, some how, some way, Hellendrung not only got off his back but was able to score a reversal to make it a 7-2. Graham escaped to take an 8-2 lead into the second period.

Over the next period, Hellendrung rallied to knot the match. Then, in the third stanza, Hellendrung was finally able to roll Graham to his back and score the pin fall at 5:18.

The win sends Hellendrung to Madison with a 39-7 record.

“He’s not your typical heavy weight,” Olson said of Zach Hellendrung. “The athleticism he brings at that weight is pretty special and we look forward to this weekend.

“He’s peaking at the right time, and is starting to get his lungs back after being sick. He’s had a great year and our goal is to finish strong and have the ‘Let er Fly” mentality,” stated Olson.

It’s a mentality that could also aptly apply to the Bulldogs’ other state qualifier Isaiah Romero.

To earn a trip to state, Romero had to prevail against wrestlers that had beaten him this year and he accomplished that in both the regional and sectional tournaments.

Romero opened with an impressive 15-8 win over Unity’s Carlos Pouliot in a 215-pound quarterfinal. That win vaulted him into the semifinals against state-ranked junior Jack Steinmeyer of Spring Valley/Elmwood.   When Steinmeyer had to withdraw due to an injury, Romero earned the win and a spot in the championship match. The Boyceville wrestler threw an early scare into Taydyn Angell, a sophomore from Cornell/Gilman/Lake Holcombe who is ranked second in the state’s D3, 215-pound poll.  But, Angell held fast and eventually worked the score to 18-3 for a technical fall victory over Romero, who was still thrilled with the silver medal and his first-ever state tournament berth.

“Isaiah Romero continues to gain confidence with each match,” Olson stated. “He beat five straight opponents to get into the championship match that had beaten us earlier in the season -three in the regional  and two Saturday. For him to get to Madison this year is an awesome accomplishment.”

Romero improved to 33-14 for the season.

Fellow second-year Bulldog wrestler Liam Moore (21-16) had a tough draw in his 175-pound bracket as he ended up wrestling the eventual winner and third-place finishers at that weight. He surrendered a first-period pin in the quarterfinals to Ladysmith’s Carter Soltis who went on to claim the 175-pound crown. Moore was also pinned in his consolation-round bout against Carter Grassl of Auburndale. Grassl, who also lost to Soltis, finished third.

“Liam had a great season, and we as a staff are excited about his success this year and the future he has going forward,” stated Olson.

“It was a great day for us all around,” concluded Olson.