Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School junior Jordan Boldt, right, reached 100 wins last week in a dual meet at home, and teammate Jacob Banker reached the same mark one night later. The two are aiming for Ben Tauchen’s school record of 168 wins.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School junior Jordan Boldt, left, reached 100 wins last week in a dual meet at home, and teammate Jacob Banker reached the same mark one night later. The two are aiming for Ben Tauchen’s school record of 168 wins.
One hundred sixty-eight wins.
It’s the Bonduel High School record held by Ben Tauchen for the most wrestling victories, but juniors Jordan Boldt and Jacob Banker have it in their sights.
The two juniors each reached 100 career victories last week.
Boldt, the 25th wrestler in Bonduel history to reach triple figures, reached the milestone on Jan. 12 in a home dual meet with Rosholt. Banker recorded his 100th the following night by winning all three of his matches at a multi-dual in Bonduel. Boldt, meanwhile, also posted three more wins to raise his total to 103.
“I knew from Day 1 when they walked into our wrestling room as freshmen that they were going to be impact wrestlers for us,” Bonduel head coach Chris Rank said. “I’m not surprised that they’ve got 100 wins midway through their junior year.”
Banker convinced Boldt to join the wrestling program in second grade, and the two have pushed each other to be the best ever since.
Boldt (21-7) had the upper hand early, but Banker, who is 22-3 this year, is closing in as they enter the final stretch of their junior season.
“I was like six ahead of him, and then I lost a couple and then he won a couple, and then he ended up catching up, and now I can’t lose anymore,” Boldt said.
They don’t wrestle each other, as Banker weighs about 52 pounds more than Boldt, but they are not shy about yelling across the wrestling room to push each other to work harder, be stronger, get better.
“When he does really good somewhere, I want to do really good somewhere, and we keep it rolling, and we never want to see each other lose, so we’re always pushing each other,” Banker said.
Boldt is working to become the school’s second four-time state qualifier, following in the footsteps of Garrett Siolka, who accomplished the feat last season. He did not place at state as a freshman and finished fourth last year at 120 pounds.
Banker, who finished in third place at 160 pounds last February at the state meet in Madison, and Boldt would both like to stand atop the podium on the same day.
“It’d be huge,” Banker said. “It’d be awesome. It’d probably be one of the coolest things we’ve both ever done.”
Rank is going to enjoy watching the two compete with the best in the state.
“That’s the dream for a coach and for a program. If we can get one guy at the state level, you’re very happy about that,” Rank said. “They know it’s in their reach, they know it’s something that is attainable and they are going to shoot for it.”
They’re also not forgetting Tauchen’s school record.
“If they both stay healthy, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be knocking on the door with Ben Tauchen as far as most career wins in Bonduel’s high school career,” Rank said. “That’s what we’re hoping for. That’s what records are made for — to be broken, and hopefully one of these guys or both of them will break that in a year and a half.”