Hawks qualify 7 wrestlers for state
Seven Prairie du Chien High School wrestlers qualified for the Division 2 Individual State Wrestling Tournament to be held in Adams-Friendship on Saturday, Feb. 13. Prairie du Chien also qualified for the State Team Wrestling Tournament in Adams-Friendship on Feb. 20. The seven individual qualifiers are, front row: Maddox Cejka, Rhett Koenig, Ryder Koenig and Bradyn Saint. Back row: Luke Kramer, Matt Rogge and Mason Baumgartner.
Sophomore Kurt Wall uses a leg cradle in his sectional match.
Senior Matt Rogge picks his opponents ankle while riding in his semifinal match. Rogge would win this match and also qualify for his fourth consecutive state appearance.
Senior Bradyn Saint looks to run through his opponent in the finals on his way to a two-point takedown. Saint would win, and qualify for his third consecutive state appearance.
The PDC Blackhawk wrestling team is advancing seven individuals to the state tournament. Richland Center was the host of a WIAA Division 2 Sectional on Saturday, Feb. 6. This sectional was represented by wrestlers from 25 teams from four regionals.
The quest this year was two fold. One, for an individual, finish as the champion or runner up at your weight class and you qualify for the state tournament this weekend. Two, as a team, score more points than 24 other teams and you qualify for team state the following weekend. PDC was represented by 10 individuals, all of whom advanced from last Saturday’s regional tournament.
At 106#, Mason Baumgartner opened his day with a quick 30 second pin over Merz (Jefferson) to set the tone for the Hawks. In the semifinals, Baumgartner would win a big match over highly ranked Katzenmeyer (Evansville) by a 5-3 decision to advance to the finals. In the finals, Baumgartner would match up with conference foe Meudt (Dodgeville) for the third time this season. Meudt would win 4-1, although the second place finish qualified Baumgartner for state.
At 113#, Rhett Koenig would start his day with a first period fall over Kaether (Evansville). In the semifinals, Koenig would secure another first period fall, this time over Van Dinter (Wisconsin Dells). In the finals, Koenig would battle with a familiar foe, Heintz (Lodi), who finished fourth in the state last year and come out on top with a 5-2 win to advance to state for the second consecutive year.
At 120#, Ryder Koenig opened up with an 11-3 major decision over Thielmann (Richland Center). In the semifinals, he would win a 3-2 decision over Mau (Sugar River). In the finals, Koenig would win again, this time with a 5-2 decision over Staver (Evansville) to advance to state.
At 132#, Maddox Cejka opened the day with two-time state qualifier, Quaglia (Sugar River) and come away with a 3-2 win. In the semifinals, Cejka would win 6-2 over Schmidt (Lakeside Lutheran). In the finals, Cejka would punch his ticket to state with a second period fall over Dobbs (Viroqua). At 138#, Kurt Wall drew a tough first round opponent Donovan (Richland Center) who is a returning state qualifier. Wall would be pinned in period two. On the backside, Wall would win by injury default over Tenfel (Pardeeville) before losing to another returning state qualifier, Jennings (River Valley) by a 9-5 decision. In the 5th place match, Wall pinned Barmore (Evansville) in the third period.
At 145#, Luke Kramer would score a quick first period fall over Owen (Jefferson) in the opening round. In the semifinals, Kramer would be beat by major decision 10-0 by Licht (Lodi). On the backside, Kramer would go to work, beating Radtke (River Valley) 5-2, and then win by major decision 12-3 over Deporter (Whitewater) to get himself into the true second wrestleback match, where he would pin returning state qualifier Scofield (Evansville) in the first period to qualify for state for the second consecutive year.
At 152#, Matt Rogge would open up with a 14-1 major decision over Cushman (Whitewater). In the semifinals, Rogge would beat Kjos (River Valley) by decision 7-4. In the finals, Rogge would also meet a familiar foe in Anderson (Viroqua), a four-time state qualifier and three-time place winner. Rogge would lose by major decision 12-4. Rogge advances to state for the fourth consecutive year.
At 160#, Chase Fisher would lose his first round match to Wiseman (Adams-Friendship) by fall in the second period. On the backside, Fisher would then pin Moore (Watertown Luther Prep) in the second period, before losing to Dobbs (Viroqua) 11-7. In the 5th place match, Fisher would win by pin in the third period over Dolata (Mauston).
At 170#, Bradyn Saint would open up with a 15-0 technical fall over Goelzer (Columbus). In the semifinals, Saint would deck his opponent Hoehn (Mauston) with a first period fall. In the finals, Saint would advance to state for the third consecutive year with a 10-2 major decision over Ries (Turner).
At 195#, Chad Achenbach would be pinned by Kujawa (Adams-Friendship) in the first period. On the backside, Achenbach was pinned by Streuly (Brodhead-Juda) in the second period.
Unlike a normal year, this year’s state tournament will be held at three different locations (one for each division) and also be wrestled in one day due to Covid protocols. WIAA Division 2 State will be held at Adams-Friendship on Saturday with wrestling starting at 10 a.m.
First round pairings for the PDC wrestlers are as follows:
106#: Mason Baumgartner, 14-4 Fr. (PDC) vs. Easton Worachek, 17-0 So. (Luxemburg-Casco)
113#: Rhett Koenig, 16-1 So. (PDC) vs. Mason Sternard, 16-2 Jr. (Winneconne)
120#: Ryder Koenig, 16-1 So. (PDC) vs. Ostin Blanchard, 17-2 So. (Campbellsport)
132#: Maddox Cejka, 13-3 So. (PDC) vs. Markus Brown, 14-1 Sr. (Northwestern)
145#: Luke Kramer, 14-5 So. (PDC) vs. Matty Bianchi, 9-0 Sr. (Two Rivers)
152#: Matt Rogge, 15-2 Sr. (PDC) vs. Bailey Thelen, 13-0 Sr. (Two Rivers)
170#: Bradyn Saint, 15-0 Sr. (PDC) vs. Jon Mathieu, 8-3 Sr. (Sheboygan Falls)
Hawks to Team State
The PDC Blackhawk wrestling team has qualified for the team state dual tournament for the second consecutive year via their sectional win on Saturday.
Traditionally, after the Hawks won their regional they would have advanced to team sectionals with an opportunity to win two duals to advance to team state. However, due to Covid protocols, this year was different. In order to qualify for team state, a team would need to win their sectional.
The Blackhawk wrestlers would do just that, with the efforts of 10 wrestlers sending the grapplers to team state. After the dust settled, PDC would be on top with 166.5 points to Evansville’s second place 136.0 points. Throughout the day, the Hawks were looking to advance for themselves, but also looking for bonus points and placing to help get the team to state.
The four teams that won their sectionals were: PDC, Amery, Kiel, and Winneconne. It will be determined next week who will get what seed. Wrestling will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Adams-Friendship.
