Spring Valley/Elmwood pins another loss on Boyceville wrestlers

BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville High School gymnasium filled quickly in anticipation of last Thursday’s annual showdown between the Dunn-St. Croix conference’s wrestling heavyweights.

The fourth-ranked Spring Valley/Elmwood Cardinals, three-time defending conference and 2015 WIAA Division 3 state champions, came to town to defend their title against the fifth-ranked Boyceville Bulldogs in what was, for all intents and purposes, the championship dual for the conference’s 2015-16 crown.

The Cardinals got off to a quick start as it scored an unexpected pin in the dual’s opening match at 285 pounds. That helped spring board Spring Valley to an early 21-5 advantage. Boyceville rallied to within a point only to watch as the Cardinals won the next four matches including three via falls to put the match out of the Bulldogs’ reach.

Spring Valley/Elmwood used six pins, double that registered by Bulldogs, to claim a 42-30 win for its fourth consecutive dual meet victory over Boyceville.

The entire complexion of the contest changed quickly when the Cardinals’ Ethan Hofacker pinned the Bulldogs’ Brandon Windsor just 1:15 into the dual and heavyweight match.

Spring Valley/Elmwood gambled and moved it’s top-ranked 220 pounder up a weight class to face Windsor, rated second in the most recent 285-pound poll by Wisconsin Wrestling online.

The move paid immediate dividends for the Cardinals.

The two Northern Badger champions went right after one another and quickly locked up. Hofacker was able to trip the Boyceville heavyweight. Windsor fell to his back and Hofacker came down on top for the quick pin.

“We were hoping that they would do that,” said Boyceville head coach Jamie Olson. “Brandon had wrestled Hofacker a couple of times this past summer and had beaten him both times.”

“That was the matchup we wanted because we were confident that Noah (Novotney) would pin their 220 pounder.”

“I just wish we could have hopped one way or the other and made that a reverse of positioning,” Olson said of the Windsor match. “But we were still okay.”

“Unfortunately, we gave up some pins that we were hoping not to and Spring Valley did a nice job of fighting pins,” continued Olson. “And we lost an overtime match and then a barn burner at 170 (pounds) and that was the difference.”

“If I had realized that Jed Schlegel (Spring Valley’s 170 pounder) was going to be out, I would have had a different strategy up top,” said Olson. “ I had heard he was going to be out because he was really sick but I thought he would wrestle, I really did. He didn’t even weigh in and if I had known that, I would have done some different things.”

The Cardinals were also without Andrew Webb. The 120-pound senior standout suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a practice session just before Christmas. Boyceville had to rework its line-up too as 170-pound junior Micah Johnson was not available for a second consecutive week.

That 170-pound match turned out to be a crucial swing match in the dual.

Spring Valley’s Devon Johnson scored a late reversal to beat the Bulldogs’ Justin Malean 8-7 to give the Cardinals a 16-point lead with just three matches remaining.

In the very next match at 182 pounds, Boyceville’s Jordan Morse surrendered a 3-0 lead and pin that locked up a Cardinals’ victory.

“They did a better job of staying off their backs and not giving up bonus points,” added Olson. “It’s tough to recover from those pins. What did they have, five pins, I think at least?”

Especially from that first one but the Bulldogs tried.

Bulldog freshman Nick Goodell tried to get a quick equalizer at 106 pounds. Goodell dominated Luke Deppa of Spring Valley/Elmwood and racked up the points but Deppa would not give up the pin. Instead,  Goodell scored a 17-0 technical fall shut out and five team points.

Dyan Bune lived up to his state honorable mention moniker at 113 pounds. The Cardinals’ junior built an 8-0 advantage before he scored the fall over Boyceville’s Braxton  Ludke at 3:30.

Dyllon Johnson and Valley’s Seth Schlegel, rated fourth at 126 pounds, wrestled to a 1-1 tie after six minutes of regulation at 120 pounds. The score remained unchanged following the first 1-minute overtime period. In the second overtime, Schlegel was able to score and escape following 30 seconds of time. Johnson was given the same opportunity but Schlegel was able to maintain control for a 2-1 win by sudden victory.

Like Schlegel, senior Ryan Berg, ranked at 132 pounds, dropped down a weight class to take on Boyceville’s  Jason Swanepoel at 126 pounds. Berg registered the pin in just 1:15 to give the Cardinals a 21-5 lead.

The Bulldogs got themselves right back in the dual with victories in the next three matches, two of which came via pins.

James Palmer, Brock Schlough and Cody Frederick, all state-ranked wrestlers, dropped a weight class to get Boyceville back on track.

Palmer battled the Cardinals’ Logan Newton at 132 pounds even though both are ranked in the 138-pound weight class.

Palmer scored a late takedown in the first period to go in front 2-0. The Boyceville junior added an escape in the second to lead 3-0. But just a few seconds later, Newton countered with a takedown of his own to close the deficit to one point. Palmer was able work an escape before the middle period ended and then rode out the third period in the top position to preserve a 4-2 win.

Freshman Brock Schlough took a 2-0 lead over the Valley’s Cooper Stevens with a first-period takedown at 135 pounds. Schlough scored an escape and takedown in the second frame for a 5-0 lead before sticking Stevens at 2:20.

Cody Frederick would do the same at 145 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Frederick scored the reversal and pin over Collin Huebel of Spring Valley/Elmwood in 3:24.

The Frederick and Schlough pins pulled Boyceville to within a single point at 21-20.

Spring Valley responded with back-to-back pins.

The Cardinals’ Carter Merth pinned Boyceville’s Sam Retz at the 2:31 mark of the 152-pound match.

Top-ranked Cruze Hurlburt bumped up to 160 pounds to face Boyceville’s Tyler Krueger. Cruze, a Northern Badger Champ, built a 12-3 lead before he scored the fall at 3:37 to give Spring Valley/Elmwood a 33-20 lead.

Boyceville was in desperate straits and needed a win when Justin Malean took the mat for his bout at 170 pounds.

Devon Johnson struck for the early lead on a takedown. Malean was given a pair of escapes – one in the first period and the other to start the second period – which tied the match at two all. Johnson scored a second takedown and again let Malean off the mat and followed it with his third takedown.

But Malean scored a reversal and two-point near fall before the second period ended to take a 7-6 lead.

Malean kept Johnson on the mat for three-quarters of the final period but with 340 second left in the match, Johnson scored the reversal and held on for the 8-7 win that gave the Cardinals a 36-20 advantage.

Boyceville needed pins in the final three matches if it was going to overtake Spring Valley for the win.

Instead, the Cardinals came up with victory-sealing pin at 182 pounds.

Boyceville’s Jordan Morse was in front 3-0 when he got caught in a head throw and was put on the mat and pinned by Ryan Asher at the 3:50 mark. Asher’s pin gave the Cardinals its final six points of the dual and secured the victory.

Garrett Joles, ranked number two at 182 pounds, was bumped up to 195 pounds where he majored Quinton Elliott 10 to 2.

Noah Novotney capped the gut-wrenching dual for Boyceville with a second-period reversal and pin over Nick Hofacker at 220 pounds.

“It’s frustrating when I could have done a few thing differently,” said Olson. “We lost some close matches again this year. There were big matches throughout and we just didn’t come up with that big win.”

“Our kids that won matches, wrestled very well,” noted Olson.

“Spring Valley’s kids are savvy, tough and gritty, they have been to the state tournament the past three years and know how to win,” Olson stated.

Boyceville will wrestle in Mondovi this Thursday and has a tournament at St. Croix Falls on Saturday, January 23.

285 – Ethan Hofacker (SVE) over Brandon Windsor (BV), fall 0:45; 106 – Nick Goodell (BV) over Luke Deppa (SVE), technical fall 17-0 (5:45); 113 – Dylan Bune (SVE) over Braxton Ludke (BV), fall 3:30; 120 – Seth Schlegel (SVE) over Dyllon Johnson (BV), sudden victory 2-1; 126 – Ryan Berg (SVE) over Jason Swanepoel (BV),fall 1:15; 132 – James Palmer (BV) over Logan Newton (SVE), dec. 4-2; 138 – Brock Schlough (BV) over Cooper Stevens (SVE), fall 2:20; 145 – Cody Frederick (BV) over Collin Huebel (SVE), fall 3:24; 152 – Carter Merth (SVE) over Sam Retz (BV), fall 2:31; 160 – Cruze Hurlburt (SVE) over Tyler Krueger (BV), fall 3:37; 170 – Devon Johnson (SVE) over Justin Malean (BV), dec. 8-7; 182 – Ryan Asher (SVE) over Jordan Morse (BV), fall 3:50; 195 – Garrett Joles (BV) over Quinton Elliott (SVE), major dec. 10-2; 220 – Noah Novotney (BV) over Nick Hofacker (SVE), fall 2:20.