The Manawa Wolves wrestling team traveled to Clintonville, Jan. 18 for the Trucker Invite.
The Wolves left with a disappointing seventh place finish.
Remington Reeck was the Wolf of choice at the 126 pound class. Reeck went 2-3 on the day and recorded two pins.
“The rise has been insane for this kid and we are so proud of him. He is teachable and methodical at the same time. It’s fun to watch this kid,” said Head Coach Brad Johnson.
The Wolves Dominic Schuelke occupied the 132 pound class and went 3-2 with two pins.
“Dominic was disappointed in himself today but he has to remember he is only 14 matches into this season and many of his opponents are pushing 30 matches. Our goal is Madison and today didn’t disrupt that,” said Coach Dan Kundinger.
Daryn Claussen had a bright day recording pins in his first two matches but was forced to injury default the rest of the day after injuring his neck in a 4-1 loss in the 138 pound bracket.
“I truly believe Daryn wins that match if he isn’t banged up. He was in on so many deep shots but couldn’t finish partly due to his injury. We just want him healed up for the stretch run, Madison isn’t decided today or even tomorrow,” said Coach Mitch Patri.
Justin Wentworth occupied the 145 pound class for the Wolves and had a day to forget. He went 1-4, but in his lone win showed the technique and skill development he has been searching for before recording a pin in the second period.
“Justin has a few areas that he is weak in and his opponents have been exposing them lately. He needs to keep his head held high and continue to improve in those areas because the potential is there,” stated a confident Coach Shae Coyle.
Michael Gray secured his first varsity win as an unattached 145 pound competitor. After having a rough day up to his last match he pinned his opponent in 2:49.
“MJ is a kid that tells us we have to be doing something right. He rarely misses practice and just continues to listen and get better. Pretty good feeling shaking his hand after that first win,” said Johnson.
Ben Beyer controlled the 152 pound weight class while truly weighing 145 pounds and ended the day disappointed with a 1-4 record.
“Ben puts it on the line every day. He is the kid that gets bumped around for the team which makes the season tough but he hasn’t shown that yet. We know he was disappointed in himself but he has done everything he has been asked and needs to keep that in mind,” said Kundinger.
Garret Griffin owned the 170 pound class and went 4-1 on the day while beginning to show his old form. He recorded 3 pins and a 4-1 decision
“Griffin looked good in all his wins. That lone match can’t be stuck in his head, he was out of his realm for about 10 minutes and knows it. This will only make him stronger as the season really hits its stride and his goal comes closer,” said Kundinger.
Andy Bristow went 0-5 on the day.
“Andy is weighing in around 150 plus pounds. We are quick to inform him that after being in great position so many times that he is not much more than a backpack to many of the kids he is wrestling meaning chances for the lack of success decrease. We wish he could bulk up but it just can’t happen. We are just proud of what he has done for this team as a senior and hope the future is fruitful for him,” said Patri.
Jake ‘The Snake’ Kaczorowski continued his upward rise in the 195 pound class. He went 2-3 on the day but was really only out of one match against Clintonville’s state ranked, Jake Reiter.
“Jake had an ok day on his standards. He and I truly believe he should have went 4-1 today, but two mistakes cost him W’s each time. That’s the nature of the beast though. He is a first year wrestler but maintains a 9-10 record, that’s impressive. If you would have told me nearly 20 matches into his career he would be just shy of .500 I would have left. That is an attribute to his work ethic and his ability to pick up on the little things,” said Johnson.
In the 220 pound class the Wolves Casey Johnson was crowned champion after going 5-0 on the day with four pins and a 15-4 decision.
“Once again, we come to expect this performance. The one thing we are really starting to see more is Casey moving away from the methodical high crotch and cradle finish which is really exciting. He just needs to continue to work hard and open up and understand that when he is aggressive he is a force that very few will be able to stop. God knows I can’t stop him,” said Coyle.
Cole Thompson worked his way to a 4-1 day recording 4 pins in the 285 weight class.
“I know Cole really wishes he had that match back because the kid who won the tournament has fallen to Cole twice already this year. He just needs to continue getting better and putting the pressure on his opponents by doing things right and making them uncomfortable. Then his journey will end where he wants it too,” said Patri.
Damien Kitowski was also able to compete unattached at 285 and found himself his first career varsity win. He went 1-4 on the day but nothing was able to shadow the big takedown and pin in his third match.
“That was awesome. The smile on that kid’s face was absolutely priceless. It’s about time he gets a piece of victory. We are so happy for that kid and what he is beginning to accomplish,” said Kundinger.
Wolves can’t soar with Eagles
MENOMINEE – Manawa walked into Menominee, Thursday, Jan. 16 with high hopes and were sent home with what looked like a beating.
Thompson battled hard and secured a solid 10-2 win over his Menominee opponent in the 285 pound class.
Reeck was in a nerve wrenching match and was able to secure three points in the third period to send it to overtime in the 126 pound class. In overtime Reeck took his first shot of the night and made it count downing his opponent 8-6 in overtime.
Schuelke trotted out at the 132 pound class versus Menominee’s best wrestler, Kyle Winkler. This was a classic show down for three periods but Schuelke couldn’t make up for two early mistakes and was downed 8-6.
Claussen manned the 138 pound class and recorded four takedowns in the first period before pinning his opponent in 1:12.
Wentworth ran into a familiar nemesis in the 145 pound class and was disposed of after an early bright spot in the match.
Gray saw his first varsity line-up in his short career at 152 pounds. Gray battled hard and had one opportunity but the near miss sent him home winless.
At the 160 pound class Manawa trotted out the significantly under-sized Beyer. Beyer put it on the line for the Wolves none-the-less but found the size and inexperience too much against his opponent.
Griffin continued his return to action and looked good taking care of business, recording a pin in 36 seconds in the 170 pound weight class.
At the 182 pound class the Wolves trotted out the extremely watered down Bristow. Before the meet Bristow had to drink excessive amounts of water to make his weight which is practically unheard of. After seeing early hope in the match Bristow’s luck quickly changed as the weight difference proved unbearable.
Kaczorowski owned the 195 pound class for the Wolves but found opponent James Pecore too much. After starting aggressively the inexperience of Kaz left him in a troubled position that he was unable to recover from.
In the 220 pound class Casey Johnson battled Keenan Richmond and saw an offensive explosion, tech falling Keenan early in the third period.
In JV action Hakeem Benhamadi had a 1-1 record on the night, losing 4-3 in his first match, and rebounded to win 19-7 in his second.