Three Appleton North wrestlers, one from Fox Valley Lutheran to participate at WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament this weekend
AppletonSportsPage.com
MADISON – The 81st annual WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Kohl Center.
Ticket prices are $11 per session, plus online fees, and are available online at wiaawi.org or at the Kohl Center ticket office during the tournament.
The championship matches on Saturday will be televised on WAOW-TV channel 9.2 of Wausau and on waow.com, with programming beginning at 5 p.m. All pre-finals matches and consolation bracket matches on Saturday will be streamed live at wiaa.tv with a subscription to the NFHS Network.
Appleton North will have three athletes participating in Division 1, including undefeated Jake Stoffel at 175 pounds. He won the 152-pound title last year. Joining him will be teammates Brock Arndt at 285 and Blake Miller at 215.
Fox Valley Lutheran’s Austin Kufner will compete at 150 pounds in the Division 2 field. All four will wrestle their first matches on Thursday afternoon.
Tournament notebook is courtesy of the WIAA:
DIVISION 1 RETURNING CHAMPS: The Division 1 field features 10 former champions on a quest for another crown. Among them is senior Connor Mirasola of West Bend West, who is attempting to join an elite group of wrestlers that have won four state titles. He won the championship at the 195-pound weight class last season after winning at 182 in 2022 and at 170 as a freshman in 2021. He qualifies at 190 this year sporting a 47-0 record, which gives him a 213-7 career mark to this point. In addition, three other qualifiers in the division are attempting to win their third state championship. Senior Cole Mirasola of West Bend West, Connor’s brother, seeks his third state championship after he won the 285 crown last season and the 195 title in 2022. He placed fifth at 182 in 2021. He’s back at 285 this year with a 47-1 record. Senior Aeoden Sinclair of Milton leaped two weights last season to win the 220-pound bracket after earning the championship at 170 in 2022, and placing fifth at 152 in 2021. He qualifies at 215 this season with a 33-0 tally heading into the state tournament, giving him a 122-1 record spanning the last three seasons. Senior Wyatt Duchateau of Hartland Arrowhead qualifies at 150 with a 42-2 mark this season and seeking his third championship. He won the 145 title last year and the 132 championship in 2022. Senior Brayten Casey of Menomonie qualifies at 113 for the second straight season after winning the 106 title in 2022. He placed runner-up last season and enters action this week with a 47-6 record. Junior Liam Neitzel of Hudson improved on his fourth-place at 106 in 2022 to capture the gold at that weight last season. He moves up to 120 this season with a 51-2 record. A pair of former champions appear to be on a collision course to dual in the final if they can navigate their path through the competition at 132. Senior Lucas Peters of Kaukauna possesses a 44-3 record this season after earning the title at 126 last season, which came on the heels of a runner-up finish at 120 in 2022. Sophomore Kellen Wolbert of Oconomowoc moves up to 132 after winning the 120-pound weight class a year ago. He begins the state tournament with a 40-2 mark this year and an 87-2 career record. Senior Charlie Millard of Mequon Homestead has placed in the top four in each of his first three seasons, including the 160 championship last year. He also finished runner-up at 152 in 2022 and fourth at 138 in 2021. He has qualified at 157 this season with a 48-0 record to give him a 100-2 mark the last two seasons. Senior Jake Stoffel of Appleton North moves up to 175 after winning the 152 crown last year and placing third at 132 in 2022. He enters the tourney with a 38-0 mark and an 82-1 record the last two seasons.
DIVISION 2 RETURNING CHAMPS: The Division 2 field has 10 former champions, including one that is pursuing his fourth championship and three seeking their third title. Senior Koy Hopke of Amery is attempting to win his fourth state gold medal, winning the 220-pound title the past three seasons. He moves up to 285 this season with a 35-2 record, which gives him an impressive 164-2 mark to this point in his career. Senior Charlie Meudt of Dodgeville will move up a class to 120 after earning the championship at 113 last year and at 106 in 2022, which improved upon his sixth-place finish in 2021. He has amassed a 44-0 record this year and a 133-3 mark the last three seasons. Senior Reid Spurley of Dodgeville was the champion at 120 in 2023 and at 113 in 2022. He bumps up a weight class to vie for the 126 title this season with his 6-0 record in limited matches this season. Since the start of his sophomore season, he has compiled a 100-1 record. A pair of former champions may contend for the crown at the 150-pound weight class. Junior Danny Heiser of Evansville captured gold at 132 last season and at 120 as a freshman. He jumps three weights to 150 with sights of a third title with his 50-1 record this year and 154-8 mark the last three seasons. Senior Max Ronsman of Luxemburg-Casco was runner-up last year at 145 after he won the 138 title in 2022 and finished runner-up at 126 in 2021. He has moved up to 150 to post a 40-5 record this year. Senior Brody Hart of Winneconne is three years removed from winning the 120-pound bracket in 2021. Since that time, he has placed sixth at 132 in 2022 and runner-up at 138 last season. He is among the contenders for the 157 title with a 19-0 record this season. Another pair of former champions may meet in the 190 championship match if both advance that far. Senior Wyatt Ingram of Amery qualifies with a 31-1 record this year after claiming the 182 crown last season and placing fourth at 152 in 2022. Senior Silas Dailey of Plymouth has medaled in each of his first three seasons. He was the champion at 170 last year and was third in 2022 to go with a third-place finish at 145 in 2021. Dailey enters competition this week with a 47-3 record. Senior Ian Smith of Northwestern qualifies at 215 with a 16-0 record. He has advanced to the championship final in each of his first three seasons. Smith won the 195 championship last season and finished runner-up at 182 in 2022 and 2021.
DIVISION 3 RETURNING CHAMPS: The Division 3 field has eight former champions looking to add another gold medal to their collection, including senior Dawson Johnson of Cumberland, who is attempting to win his fourth championship. He moves up to 138 after winning the 126 title last year, the 120 championship in 2022 and the 106 crown in 2021. Johnson has compiled a 53-0 record this season to give him a four-year tally of 173-3 heading into the individual and team tournaments. Junior Co’ Ji Campbell of Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic won the 120-pound weight class last year and the 113 title in 2022. He returns to defend his title at 120 with a 35-1 mark. In his first three seasons, he’s compiled a 112-1 record. A pair of champions highlight the 113 bracket. Senior Jake Fitzpatrick of La Crosse Aquinas returns to the weight class, after a third-place finish last year, with a 40-0 record. He won the 106-pound weight class in 2022 after finishing fourth at the same weight in 2021. Senior Drew Dolphin of Kenosha Christian Life is a four-time qualifier and three-year medalist. He won the 106 title last season after finishing fourth at the weight in 2022 and sixth in 2021. Dolphin moves up to 113 this season with a 39-1 record. At 157, junior Tristan Steldt of Fennimore earned gold at 160 a year ago after placing third at 138 in 2022. He possesses a 38-4 record leading up to action this week. At 175, senior David Malin of Aquinas seeks his second title after winning at 170 in 2023. The three-time medalist also finished third at 170 in 2022 and fourth at 160 in 2021. He enters the tournament with a 39-2 record this season. Senior Jackson Shramek of Blair-Taylor moves up to 215 after winning the 182-pound weight class a year ago. He has wrestled to a 39-3 record this year. Senior Evan Gratz of Fennimore returns to the 285-pound weight class with sights on back-to-back titles. His pursuit of another title begins this week with a 36-5 record.
BOYS UNDEFEATED QUALIFIERS: There are 24 undefeated boys wrestlers that have qualified for the State individual championship. In addition to the 11 former champions that enter the tournament without a loss, the other 13 undefeated wrestlers by division, beginning with Division 3, are junior Wyatt Unser of Glenwood City (49-0) at 126, senior Elliott Biba of Iowa-Grant/Highland (33-0) at 138 and junior William Becker of Pardeeville (53-0) at 175. In addition to undefeated former champions in Division 2, wrestlers without a loss include freshman Max Gonzalez of East Troy (49-0) at 126, junior Owen Seffrood of Darlington/Black Hawk (46-0) at 144, senior Owen Wasley of St. Croix Central (53-0) at 165 and senior Chase Matthias of Two Rivers (37-0) at 215. In Division 1, the undefeated wrestlers without a previous championship are junior Jacob Herm of Neenah (43-0) at 144, sophomore Sam Zanton of Middleton (42-0) at 150, junior Caleb Dennee of Marshfield (50-0) and sophomore Liam Crook of Kaukauna (35-0) at 165, senior Cayden Brandenburg of Janesville Parker (48-0) at 175 and senior Jesus Gonzalez of Reedsburg (30-0) at 215.
GIRLS TOURNAMENT NOTES: There are eight individuals returning after winning State titles last year. Three wrestlers will be pursuing a third State title in the third year of a championship tournament for girls. Junior Brooke Corrigan of De Pere is back to defend the titles she won at the 100-pound weight class in 2023 and 2022. She is 9-0 in a limited number of matches this season to give her a 25-0 career record. Junior Hailie Krueger of New London moves up to 152 after winning titles at 145 the past two years. She enters matches this week with a 38-0 record this year and a 79-2 mark in the last three seasons. Junior Cyriana Reinwald of Horicon is the returning two-time champion in the 165 bracket. She enters action this week with a 20-0 record and a 44-1 tally in three years. Sophomore Taylor Whiting of Lena returns to the 107-pound weight class with an 8-0 record after winning the championship last season. Sophomore Carley Ceshker of Badger moves up to 138 this season after claiming the 126 championship in 2023. She has compiled an 18-0 record this year. At 145, junior Madalyn Sokolski of Bonduel has a 7-0 record this season. She has advanced to the championship final in each of the past two tournaments, winning the title at 138 in 2023 and finishing runner-up at 132 in 2022. Senior Ella Creighton of Badger returns at 185 to defend the title she won at that weight last year. She has compiled a 39-3 mark heading into this week’s action. Junior Madison Burns of Ashland is back to defend the title she won at 235 after placing fifth in the weight class in 2022. She embarks on her quest for the title with a 32-1 record.
GIRLS UNDEFEATED QUALIFIERS: There are several qualifiers with undefeated records entering the tournament. Apart from the aforementioned returning champions, those not having dropped a match this year are sophomore Ava Peters of Pulaski (15-0) at 107; sophomore Angie Bianchi of Two Rivers (26-0); junior Mackenzie Usher of Milton (11-0) and senior Sophia Wagner of Princeton/Green Lake (21-0) at 114; senior Mya Delleree of Ozaukee (11-0) at 120; sophomore Madi Peach of Milton (19-0) at 126; sophomore Lillie Banks of Menasha (43-0) at 132; senior Sophia Bassino of Sun Prairie East/West (33-0) and senior Rachel Schauer of Fennimore (21-0) at 165; and freshman Brooke Huffman of Wittenberg-Birnamwood (37-0) at 185.
2024 WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament
Feb. 22-24, at Kohl Center, Madison
Thursday, Feb. 22
Girls and Division 1 boys preliminaries, 3 p.m.
Division 1 boys quarterfinals, approximately 5:15 p.m.
Girls quarterfinals, and Division 2 & 3 boys preliminaries, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23
Girls and Division 1 boys consolations, 10 a.m.
Division 2 & 3 boys quarterfinals, approximately 11 a.m.
Girls and Division 1 boys consolation quarterfinals, approximately 1:15 p.m.
Division 2 & 3 boys consolation quarterfinals, approximately 2 p.m.
All boys and girls semifinals, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24
All boys and girls consolation semifinals, 10 a.m.
All boys and girls fifth-place and third-place matches immediately following
All boys and girls championship matches, 5:30 p.m.
Local Participants
Thursday, Feb. 22
Division 1 Preliminaries
175: Jake Stoffel (38-0), Appleton North, vs. Jaxon Lawrence (26-16) Waukesha West
215: Blake Miller (10-3), Appleton North, vs. Garett Kawczynski (41-2) Port Washington
285: Brock Arndt (27-1), Appleton North, vs. Oscar Latendresse (17-12) D.C. Everest
Division 2 Preliminaries
150: Austin Kufner (34-7), Fox Valley Lutheran, vs. Taden Holldorf (37-10) Baldwin-Woodville