Chris Caporale sports@wolfrivermedia.com
With four wrestlers competing in their respective championship matches at the Shawano Holiday Classic, Bonduel head coach Chris Rank hoped the team could walk away with multiple titles.
That was not the outcome, with senior Garrett Siolka tallying a 1-0 victory to secure the Bears’ lone title Saturday at Shawano Community High School.
“This is a tough tournament,” Rank said. “But this was a good showing for Bonduel.”
Jordan Boldt, Jacob Banker and Bennett Gunderson all fell in the championship match as the Bears placed seventh in the 11-team tournament.
Coleman and Wittenberg-Birnamwood dominated the tournament, combining for titles in eight of the 14 weight classes to run away with the top two places of the team competition.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood senior August Peplinski, who finished second at state a season ago, took home the award for most outstanding wrestler after winning all five of his matches on the day by pins in a total of 3 minutes and 5 seconds.
The team results were not the same for the host school, which only had four wrestlers compete in the meet.
“I think they wrestled hard,” Shawano head coach Mike Homan said. “We still have some things that need to be fixed.”
Wyatt Welch and Doman Braatz both placed fourth for Shawano in the 30th year of hosting the event, while freshman Crede Timm took seventh, and Austin Oreskovic finished in eighth.
The Holiday Classic allowed the Hawks to compete against some of the best wrestlers in the area in preparation for the second half of the season.
“It’s awesome,” Homan said of the competition they faced. “There’s a lot of state qualifiers in this field.”
Team scores: Coleman, 429; Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 378; Rhinelander, 278; New London, 212; Peshtigo, 181; Antigo, 169; Bonduel 158; Oconto, 140; Wausau East, 82; Clintonville/Marion, 75; Shawano, 47.
Top 4 finishers
106: 2, Garrett Kersten, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; 4, Ben Cotherman, Clintonville/Marion.
113: 4, Wyatt Welch, Shawano.
120: 2, Jordan Boldt, Bonduel.
132: 1, Garrett Siolka, Bonduel; 2, Gavin Czerwonka, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
138: 2, Stetson Potrykus, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
145: 2, Zach Urquhart, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; 4, Andrew Robinson, Clintonville/Marion.
152: 3, Dylan Sprague, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
160: 1, Griffin Magee, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
170: 1, Alex Peplinski, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; 2, Jacob Banker, Bonduel.
182: 4, Kyle Premeau, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
195: 1, August Peplinski, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
220: 3, Mitch Amundson, Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
285: 2, Bennett Gunderson, Bonduel; 4, Damon Braatz, Shawano.