State Wrestling Quarterfinals Update: Three Bulldogs advance
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MADISON – Three Boyceville wrestlers remained in contention for the gold following the conclusion of the WIAA Division 3 State Wrestling quarterfinals here Friday afternoon (February 28) at the Kohl Center.
Boyceville’s Austin Wolfe (106), Micah Johnson (138) and Bryor Hellmann (160) each picked up wins in their quarterfinal’s matches to advance to this evening’s semifinal round.
The area’s other four remaining wrestlers were not as fortunate. Boyceville freshman James Palmer lost his first match of the tournament while all three of Glenwood City’s wrestlers, Isaac Tuttle, Donovan Fornal, and Brennan Kessler fell by decisions in their quarterfinal matches.
Wolfe kicked off this morning’s quarterfinal’s round with a first-period pin, his second in as many state matches. Wolfe, now 45-3, put Auburndale’s Dylan Altmann to the mat in just one minute and 24 seconds. He will wrestle Riley Lull of Riverdale in the semifinals which get underway at 7 p.m. Lull decisioned Mondovi’s Austin Fedie 6-3 to advance.
Freshman Mich Johnson had little trouble in taking care of business in his 138-pound quarterfinal’s bout. He scored a 9-1 major decision against Weston Cracraft, a junior from Mishicot and improved his season record to 43-1. Johnson will face another junior in tonight’s semifinal round where he will take on Westby’s Ross Withington.
Senior Bryor Hellmann’s outstanding run in this year’s post season continued as he scored a fall in his opening match of the state tournament. Hellmann broke open his 160-pound match in the third period. Deadlocked at two all, Hellmann scored the takedown and then continued to applied unrelenting pressure to pin fellow senior Garret Griffin of Manawa at the 5:43 mark. He will be paired with Myles Connor of New Lisbon in the semifinal. Hellmann is 41-6 wile Connor is 40-6.
Unfortunately, there will be no gold for any of the Glenwood City wrestlers this year as its three remaining wrestlers lost in the quarterfinals.
Isaac Tuttle took an early 2-0 lead against Reedsville’s Grant Wedepohl with a takedown just 28 seconds into their 170-pound quarterfinal’s match. But Tuttle would not score again. Wedepohl escaped a few seconds after Tuttle’s takedown and then rode Tuttle out in the second period. Trailing 2-1, Wedepohl knotted the match when Tuttle gave him the escape to start the final period. The match remained deadlocked until Wedephol scored the winning takedown with just 17 seconds left in the match to take a 4-2 victory.
Wrestling simultaneously on neighboring mats, Donovan Fornal and Brennan Kessler fell behind early in their respective matches and could not recover.
Fornal was blanked 7-0 by Casey Johnson of Manawa at 220 pounds; Kessler fell 7-3 in his heavyweight match with T.J. Fischer of Boscobel.
All three Hilltoppers along with the Bulldogs’ James Palmer moved to the consolation side of their brackets and are set to wrestle again this afternoon.