Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School sophomore Jacob Banker, top, tries to maintain position on Gillett/Suring’s Alex Zeitler in the title match of the 160-pound weight class at Saturday’s sectional at Shawano Community High School. Banker won the match, and both wrestlers advanced to the state meet.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School sophomore Jordan Boldt wrestles against Shiocton’s Sawyer Theobald in the WIAA Division 3 title match at 120 pounds Saturday in Shawano. Boldt lost the match, 4-2, by the ultimate tiebreaker.
In the first round at the WIAA Division 3 wrestling sectional Saturday, Bonduel High School sophomore Jordan Boldt set the tone for an exciting day for the Bears at Shawano Community High School.
Wrestling at 120 pounds, Boldt (39-7) defeated last year’s Division 3 106-pound state champion, Stratford’s A.J. Schoenfuss (45-3), in a 5-3 sudden victory and went on to qualify for the state meet, which begins Thursday, along with three teammates.
“That just set the tone for us today,” Bonduel head coach Chris Rank said. “Four of these guys, they came to wrestle. They wanted to end their year down in Madison.”
Boldt ultimately finished second, falling to Shiocton’s Sawyer Theobald (37-8) in an ultimate tiebreaker, 4-2.
Senior heavyweight Bennett Gunderson (40-9) also scored a huge victory when he pinned Coleman junior Donovan Salewski (36-7), who had defeated him four times this season, to guarantee himself at least a third-place finish and a return trip to state.
After battling evenly with Salewski in the scoreless first period, Gunderson took over in the second with an escape, takedown and near fall. Gunderson then went out and pinned Salewski in the third period.
“This match was pretty much my back against the wall. It was pretty much do or die,” Gunderson said. “My career would have been over if I lost, so I felt the need to bring the absolute best I could.”
Gunderson heeded the advice of his coach to not worry about what had happened in previous matchups.
“Last night, I told these men, ‘It doesn’t matter if you got beat by someone you are going up against. It all comes down to who wants it the most today.’ These four young men wanted it more than the guys they were competing against,” Rank said.
Senior Garrett Siolka (31-2) also came up big on Saturday for the Bears. He defeated Oconto’s Elton Kelsey (33-7), 5-4, in the title match of the 132-pound weight class, making Siolka the first wrestler in program history to qualify for the state tournament in each of his four seasons.
Kelsey had beaten Siolka in their previous four matchups.
There was another familiar matchup in the 160-pound weight class championship match as Bonduel sophomore Jacob Banker (38-8) defeated Gillett/Suring senior Alex Zeiter (35-8), 2-1.
Zeitler had won the first four meetings between the wrestlers, but Banker changed the tide in the regional tourney on Feb. 13.
“Those two guys, in my opinion, were the two best 160-pounders here, and they’ve been going at each other and know each other very well,” Rank said.
Rank can’t help but enjoy the excitement after what he called a down season for the team.
“It’s going to be a fun week,” he said.