State Wrestling Update: Schlough and Joles to wrestle for state titles
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MADISON – Two out of three ain’t bad.
Boyceville’s Garrett Joles and Brock Schlough were victorious their respective Division 3 state semifinal matches in the Kohl Center earning each the opportunity to wrestle for individual state championships this evening.
This will be Joles’ second straight finals and the first for Schlough.
Boyceville’s third semifinalist, Micah Johnson, lost his bid to return to the title match.
While Joles and Schlough will both be vying for their first state titles in tonight’s 2016 WIAA State Wrestling finals, both took different paths to reach the pinnacle match.
Schlough dominated his semifinal opponent en route to a 14-2 major decision. Conversely, Joles rallied with six unanswered points in the final 2:30 to win his match 7-5.
In a match-up of outstanding freshmen, Schlough took early control against Dodgeland’s Ryan Neu in the pair’s 138-pound semifinal tilt.
Schlough scored the opening points with a takedown just nine seconds into the match and continued to roll adding a pair of three-point near falls and a two-pointer for a 12-0 lead heading into the third period. Schlough scored a reversal in that last frame for his finals pointsof the match. Neu’s points came via a pair of stall calls.
Schlough will face Fennimore junior Justin Tollefson, 35-7, in the finals.
Joles, who finished as the state runner-up at 170 pound in last year’s tournament, found himself trailing 5-1 to New Lisbon senior Kyle Woodward through nearly two-periods of his 182-pound semifinal match.
Woodward was the first to score when he broke through Joles’ defense for a takedowns its 32 second remaining in the opening period. It took Joles just 10 second, however, to work an escape and make it 2-1.
With 30 seconds gone in the middle period, wrestling came to halt when Joles took Woodward off his feet and put him down hard on the mat. The move was deemed an illegal slam by the mat official and gave Woodward a point and a 3-1 lead. A few minutes later, Woodward took to his feet and the match continued. The New Lisbon wrestler eventually scored a reversal for a 5-1 lead.
That’s when Joles kicked his effort into high gear.
With under 30 second left in the middle period, the Boyceville sophomore worked an escape. Joles then took Woodward to the mat with just 14 ticks left and closed the gap to a single point at 5-4.
Joles took the down position to start the third and final period. In no time, he broke free to knot the match at five. Then with 1:14 remaining, Joles scored the decisive and match-winning takedown for a 7-5 lead, his first of the match, and held on for the victory.
Joles moves on to the championship match where he will take on defending state champion Kamren Bornbach of Stratford for the 182-pound title. Bornbach, a senior, is 47-2.
Joles’ thrilling come-from-behind victory came on the heels of Micah Johnson’s stunning defeat in his 170-pound semifinal.
Freshman Drew Hennessey of Iowa-Grant/Highland, who had entered the state meet as a third-place sectional finisher and a 29-10 record, got Johnson on his back and scored the pin just 40 second into the match.
The loss denied Johnson a shot at his second state title. He won the 138-pound state title in 2014 and finished third at 152 in last year’s state meet.
