Want top quality wrestling? Our area has it

Posted on January 26, 2012 by westwisport

Western Wisconsin doesn’t get the state-wide attention it deserves as a hotbed for top wrestling teams and individuals.
A look at the current Wisconsin Wrestling Online state rankings shows just how good the wrestling is in our area.
We’ll focus mainly on the three area conferences: the Big Rivers, Middle Border and Dunn-St. Croix Conferences. Among those three conferences, eight wrestlers are ranked #1 in the state in their weight class. The talent runs deeper than that. There are three area wrestlers ranked #2 in their state weight bracket and six more who are ranked #3 in their state brackets.
Here is a compilation, by weight class, of some the premier wrestlers in western Wisconsin.

106 Pounds
The competition here begins with Glenwood City’s Riley Knops, the defending Division 3 103-pound state champion. He’s ranked number one in his class again this year. Osceola’s John Olson has made big strides this year and it’s recognized by his being ranked third among Division 2 106-pounders. Drew Wheeler of St. Croix Falls and David Walker of Spring Valley are ranked 10th in Division 2 and Division 3, respectively.

113 Pounds
Our area has a #1, #2 and #3 ranked wrestler at 113 pounds and this still isn’t the strongest weight class among the lightweights.
The #1 ranking goes to Ellsworth’s Jens Lantz, who won the Division 2 state title at 103 pounds last year with a 40-2 record. Lantz is one of the best pure wrestlers in the state, regardless of weight class.
Chippewa Falls has Quinn Miracle ranked #2 in Division 1. Prescott’s Josh Farr is ranked #3 in Division 3. There are several more wrestlers from the area who are ranked or are given honorable mention status.

120 Pounds
The highest achieving weight class in the area? How about the two top-ranked wrestlers at 120 pounds as a worthy choice. Chippewa Falls dynamo Izzy Balsiger, the defending 112-champion, certainly deserves that status. So does Spring Valley’s Brady Webb, who lost the state championship in double overtime last year and doesn’t look like he’ll let that happen again this year.
New Richmond’s Shane Blackman and Ellsworth’s Brad Cain are also ranked 120-pounders.

126 Pounds
The Middle Border and Dunn-St. Croix both have strong classes here. The MBC has three ranked wrestlers, Amery’s Connor Friese (D2-sixth), Somerset’s Bobby LeRoy (D2-seventh) and Ellsworth’s Brent Stockwell (D2-12th). In the DSC it’s a Glenwood City-Boyceville clash, with Bulldog Bryor Hellman ranked seventh and Hilltopper Alex Holmquist ranked eighth in Division 3.

132 Pounds
A defending state champion and another state placewinner make the 132-pound class special. Ellsworth’s Roarke Langer is ranked #1 in Division 2 after winning the 125-pound state title last year. Glenwood City’s Adam Holmquist currently is ranked third in Division 3 after placing fifth at state last year.

138 Pounds
There are four top-five wrestlers in the area here, including a defending state champion. Glenwood City’s Austin Moe was the D3 state champion at 130 pounds last year and he’s the top-ranked D3 wrestler in the state this year. Durand’s Andrew Hartman, who is currently out with a knee injury, is ranked third in Division 2. Somerset’s Gabe Flandrick is ranked right behind him. Clear Lake’s Erik Ullrich is ranked fifth in Division 3.

145 Pounds
A couple fast-rising younger wrestlers have moved near the top of the 145-pound rankings. Baldwin-Woodville’s Tyler Weyer, who placed third in the 140-pound bracket at state in Division 2 last year, is ranked second this year. Boyceville’s Josh Cormican has moved up to third in Division 3. Amery’s Eduardo Benitez, a quality wrestler for several years, is ranked ninth in Division 2.

152 Pounds
Hudson’s Kolya Hawksford and St. Croix Central’s Carl Moll are both ranked fifth in their classes, Hawksford in D1 and Moll in D2. Hawksford starts a string of four straight classes where Hudson wrestlers are ranked and Moll does the same thing for Central.

160 Pounds
Hudson’s Tanner Owens has been beating tough competition all season and that’s earned him the #4 spot in the Division 1 rankings. Amery’s Gabe Paulson is another wrestler who looks like he’s on a mission, earning the #5 spot in Division 2. He’ll have plenty of competition, because Somerset’s Austin Bushinger (#8) and St. Croix Central’s Cody Nyhagen (#9) are also major threats in Division 2. There’s another Boyceville-Glenwood City connection in Division 3, with Boyceville’s Danny Hayes (#8) just ahead of Hilltopper Isaac Tuttle (#9).

170 Pounds
Division 2 is primed for a showdown somewhere along the tournament trail. Bloomer’s Levi Nayes is ranked #4, St. Croix Central’s Matt Smith is ranked #6 and St. Croix Falls’ Jake Rademacher is ranked #8. Any of the three could come out as a sectional champion.

182 Pounds
Somerset’s Haydon Dvorak finished second at state last year and he’s been unbeatable since he moved down to 182 pounds this season. He’s ranked #1 in Division 2 for that reason. Joe Rademacher of St. Croix Falls (D2) and Brett Blaser of Boyceville (D3) are both ranked seventh and both have all the tools to earn a ticket to state.

195 Pounds
Ellsworth’s Parker Hines finished second at state last year in the Division 2 189-pound bracket. He has very little margin for error, because Neillsville’s Dan Schoen finished third in the same bracket. They are currently the top two ranked wrestlers in Division 2. Eau Claire Memorial’s Alistair Keys has been putting up some impressive wins, earning him the #3 ranking in Division 1.

220 Pounds
Undefeated Marcus Malecek of St. Croix Central is looking to improve on his fourth place finish at state last year. He’s dedicated himself to keep advancing his skills, which has him ranked second in Division 2. The only person ranked in front of Malecek is defending state champion Riley Delzer of Oconto Falls.
There’s an interesting possibility in the Division 1 tournament trail, with Superior’s Ben Regner ranked ninth and River Falls’ Tyson Bystrom ranked 10th.

285 Pounds
All the ranked wrestlers in the area are out of Division 2. Hayward’s Ray Quagon (#5), Unity’s Alex Lennartson (#6) and St. Croix Central’s Lauden Wood (#9) all have differing wrestling styles, so any tournament matchups should be interesting.

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Ensign, Montpetit get national TV time

Posted on January 17, 2012 by westwisport

Kyle Ensign of New Richmond and Brock Montpetit of Somerset got significant time on national TV last Friday night.
Ensign and Montpetit skate for the University of Nebraska-Omaha men’s hockey team, which was playing Minnesota-Duluth, the top-ranked team in the country. The game was chosen for the Friday night national college hockey broadcast on the NBC Sports Network, formerly Versus.
UNO gave UMD all it could handle for two periods. The teams entered the third period tied 2-2, but UMD scored four unanswered goals in the third period to win 6-2.
UNO came close to an upset on Friday, but they did get it done on Saturday. The Mavericks upset UMD, ending the Bulldogs’ 17-game unbeaten string, 3-1.
In Friday’s game, I thought Montpetit was UNO’s best forward. He scored the team’s first goal and created several more scoring chances with attacking moves to the net. He also scored the Mavericks’ first goal in Saturday’s victory over UMD. Montpetit was dinged up for several weeks with an injury, but now he’s back at full strength. He’s skating on the Mavericks’ first line, injecting some badly needed fire into the offense. He’s also UNO’s best faceoff man.
Ensign is a goalie’s best friend as a savvy, stay-at-home defenseman. He made several key defensive plays in the first period of Friday’s game, when penalties had the Mavericks scrambling. Ensign broke up several plays in front of the net that easily could have turned into goals that would have buried UNO.

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Proximity not the only key ingredient in a rivalry

Posted on January 12, 2012 by westwisport

Any schools in close proximity to each other are likely to have some sort of rivalry. It’s as natural as sibling rivalry, but proximity is not a necessary catalyst in some of the best rivalries.
There are a number of western Wisconsin rivalries that are worth watching, whether they are playing chess or football. You put Hudson against River Falls, New Richmond against Somerset, Ellsworth against Prescott, Glenwood City against Boyceville, etc., and you’ll get a heated, festering competition based on history as much as it is on geography. Young athletes in those rivalries have grown up seeing the venom and passion that goes into battling their neighbors and they can’t wait for their chance to prove that their town is better.
It borders on entertaining just to see how these rivalries start at a young age. When youth teams from these neighboring towns compete, there is already a heightened sense of dislike. The little athletes don’t know why their opponent is the enemy, they just know that they are.
Proximity isn’t the only reason for a great rivalry. Look at professional sports for proof of that. The most historic rivalry in the NBA is between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. There are some great local rivalries in the NFL, but some of the historic rivalries like that between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys have reached legendary status.
When proximity isn’t the main factor, competitiveness is. That goes for pro sports and runs just as true in college and high school sports.
Teams that are perennially successful are magnets for rivalries, especially when you get more than one long-standing power in a conference. Menomonie is a clear example of that in Big Rivers Conference football. Every BRC team probably thinks they have a rivalry, but it’s the teams that can give the Mustangs a battle every year, like Chippewa Falls, that deserve rivalry status.
The same can be said for Somerset in football or New Richmond in boys basketball. Every team likes to make a run at the kingpins in their conference, but until they can do it every year, it’s hard to see them earning rivalry status. Durand and Baldwin-Woodville are the teams that have probably been the most steady competition for Somerset football in its streak of Middle Border Conference titles, and Baldwin-Woodville has also probably been the best rival for New Richmond during its four-year basketball reign in the MBC.

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Northern Badger 2011 packed with wrestling excitement

Posted on December 30, 2011 by westwisport

Defending state champions, state placewinners and wrestlers with great chances of earning those titles this year packed the 2011 Northern Badger Wrestling Invitational at River Falls High School on Wednesday and Thursday.
This year’s Northern Badger, more than any in recent memory, seemed to have at least one blue chip wrestler in every weight class. And oftentimes, there were several top wrestlers in each class.
Wrestling fans had to be chomping at the bit to see if some of the possible final draws would end up meeting and in many cases they did, and the finals matches lived up to the hype.
One of the classes I was most interested to see was at 138 pounds, where four wrestlers with state tournament experience were included and all four reached the semifinals. They included defending D3 state champion Austin Moe of Glenwood City, D2 third place finisher Gabe Flandrick of Somerset and state qualifiers Andrew Hartmann of Durand and Tyler Hudack of Ashland.
Hartmann knocked off Moe in the semifinals, while Flandrick took care of Hudack. In the finals Flandrick and Hartmann (who could face each other again in a Jan. 19 dual match) battled through regulation tied at 1-1. In overtime Flandrick tried a shot, but Hartmann was able to counter to get the 3-1 win.
In the 132-pound finals defending D3 state champion Adam Holmquist of Glenwood City faced Nathaniel Behnke of Bruce, who took third at 119 pounds in D3 a year ago. Holmquist kept his record pristine with a 6-2 win.
The 160-pound finals featured two undefeated wrestlers, Amery’s Gabe Paulson and St. Croix Central’s Cody Nyhagen. These are two fierce, physical wrestlers who look ready to make a charge at state. Paulson was able to come out with the win on Thursday, 3-0.
Two former state finalists met up in the 120-pound finals, with Spring Valley’s Brady Webb versus Ashland’s Jack Pierce. This was another of the tactical battles you see in big matches, with Webb getting the title with a 2-1 win.
The 182-pound finals was a classic rematch. Somerset’s Haydon Dvorak took second place in the D2 171 pound bracket last year. Rademacher is one of the finest upper weight sophomores in the state, coming into Thursday’s finals undefeated. Dvorak’s experience won out on Thursday, scoring a 5-2 victory, his 15th straight win this season.
There were several more champions who looked prepared for runs at the state podium. Damien Luchterhand and Dan Schoen of Neillsville-Granton, Marcus Malecek of St. Croix Central and Tyler Weyer of Baldwin-Woodville have all reached the state awards stand before and their Northern Badger titles show they care clearly capable of getting there again.

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Coaches’ time commitment equates to success

Posted on December 15, 2011 by westwisport

Congratulations to St. Croix Central football coach Tony DiSalvo and assistant coach Zach Turpin for being honored as the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Region head coach and assistant coach.
It was almost impossible to do a story on the honor because both coaches were so modest about their awards. They were both straight to the point with their comments, only making sure that the credit go to the entire coaching staff and the dedication of the players.
It’s difficult to argue with that sentiment, especially sharing any success throughout their coaching staff.
That’s one thing that’s been noticeable over the past decade or more in high school sports. There’s plenty of talk about the athletes expected to be year-round athletes. But if you look at the consistently successful teams, regardless of the sport, the most successful teams are those where the coaching staffs commit the most time.
It is not uncommon at all to see coaches begin planning for their seasons within a week or two of their current season ending. Most do that, but not all carry through their contact with the athletes in the off-season. If you want a hint about which programs will be on the upswing during the next school year, spend some time around high schools, hockey rinks, ballfields, tennis courts, etc., during the summer. When you see coaches in contact with their athletes on a nearly daily basis during the summer, those are the programs you can expect to see making improvements during their season.
It’s a harsh reality, but coaching at the high school level has become as competitive as the action taking place on the field. Some coaches don’t want to believe that, but if they are signing on to be a head coach, they are committing to a year-round job. And on many of the most successful teams, it’s not just the head coach that is putting in that sort of time, it is their assistant coaches as well. Coaching is becoming a more and more demanding profession. But if you want to play the game, you can’t just dip your toe in the pool. It’s all-in if you want to win.

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Impromptu anthem says something about kids

Posted on December 7, 2011 by westwisport

Sometimes high school kids do things that make me think that the future is in pretty good hands, after all.
One of them came at the start of the New Richmond-Hudson boys hockey game on Tuesday. Everyone stood for the playing of the national anthem. After an awkward silence of 15 seconds or more, it was announced that the recorded version of the anthem wasn’t working, so the officials should start the game.
The New Richmond student section apparently really wanted an anthem. The first few words came out of the stands like a murmur. By the second line, nearly all of the student section, plus many more fans, were belting out the national anthem. Musically, it might not have been a perfect rendition, but that’s what made it special. This wasn’t choir students, it was a cross section of the student body, of all musical talents. Some were having fun with it, some were taking it seriously. Their voices blended together to fill the New Richmond Sports Center with a sound that was completely unrehearsed and quite special.
This was the second time I’ve been made proud in recent weeks by high school students doing impromptu singing of the National Anthem. The first was at the WIAA state football championships.
Somerset and Wrightstown were getting ready to play the Division 4 state title game and the Wrightstown High School band took the field to perform the anthem.
Standing on the Somerset sidelines, the first sounds that could be heard were from the Wrightstown band. After the first few notes, the Wrightstown band was being drowned out by the Somerset student section, which was quite seriously and solemnly singing the anthem.
Through decades of covering high school sports, I’m guessing that I’ve heard thousands of versions of “The Star Spangled Banner.” There have been some wonderful and memorable renditions. They’ve ranged from string quartets performing in New Richmond to the Somerset volleyball team singing the anthem as a team.
Some of the performances that have impressed me most are when individual students perform in front of their school mates. In groups, a slip of the lyrics or the clanking of a note can be covered by the voices of the other singers. But to be out there alone, that takes heaps of courage. And I will bet that you hear fewer lyrical slip ups from high school singers than you will from high priced entertainers who are getting paid tons of money to perform.
All this leads to a point. I am amazed at the respect shown by current high school students toward the national anthem. It seems that teenagers are grasping the fact that this is a difficult time in United States history and that taking the national anthem seriously is a way they can show their pride in their country.

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What will be the next steps in sports safety?

Posted on November 29, 2011 by westwisport

With all of the precautions being taken toward concussions and head injuries in sports, it seems like a next wave of precautionary actions can’t be too far down the line.
It seems that several sports are due for equipment changes that could make their athletes less likely to receive head injuries.
Soccer is a sport where it seems some sort of headgear has to be coming. There seems to be a high enough rate of head injuries in soccer where this issue needs to be explored. After seeing players strike heads, getting knees or elbows to the head, and seeing the compression on the skull when players strike the ball with their heads, there certainly are possible dangers to athletes’ skulls.
Hockey has taken steps to improve player safety, but there’s still room for improvement. When seeing the helmets hockey players use, compared to football helmets, leaves questions on why hockey helmets aren’t as elaborate. Seeing chin strips that don’t hold the hockey helmets tightly in place seems to be one place to start. If the helmets aren’t secured tightly, they are offering very little true protection.
Weight loss in wrestling is another issue begging for closer guidelines. There have been major steps taken to monitor wrestlers’ weight loss during the season, which is an admirable step. Just as concerning, but seemingly overlooked, is the weight loss by wrestlers before their seasons start.
It’s not uncommon to see a wrestler playing football or another fall sport, only to shed incredible amounts of weight between seasons. This is often done in a short span of time. If wrestling wants to truly consider the health of its athletes, it should monitor the weights of wrestlers year-round, not just in season. By watching the weight of wrestlers all year, unhealthy weight gains, and then weight losses, could be prevented.

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Somerset carries the torch for western Wisconsin football teams

Posted on November 15, 2011 by westwisport

And then there was one.
Somerset will be the only western Wisconsin team playing in the WIAA State Football Championships this Thursday and Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Somerset earned its spot in the Division 4 state championship game by beating Bloomer last Friday, 18-13 in the state semifinals.
Menomonie, Clayton and Eau Claire Regis were area teams that had a shot to reach the state finals, but they were all defeated in the semifinals.
Other than Somerset, the closest team is Greenwood-Granton, which is located between Eau Claire and Marshfield. The Greenwood-Granton team beat Clayton on Saturday, 34-26.
Menomonie lost a gut-wrenching Division 2 battle to two-time defending state champion Waunakee by a 21-19 score. Menomonie was hurt severely by an excessive celebration penalty after a 95-yard touchdown. Watch for that call to be the center of discussions in WIAA rules interpretations meetings in the off-season. It seemed evident that game officials were trying to be noticed in some of the playoff games. Somerset’s bench was called for a penalty on Friday when an assistant coach entered the coaching box to yell out instructions between plays. This is supposed to be allowable, but the sideline official clearly didn’t want his authority questioned. The Spartans elected to not argue, moving everyone back several yards on the sideline.
Regis, after barely squeezing past Hurley two weeks earlier, ran out of magic against Shiocton. Regis lost the game 28-0. Shiocton now faces a massive assignment in the Division 6 title game, facing a potent opponent in undefeated St. Mary’s Springs of Fond du Lac.
That leaves Somerset to carry the pride of western Wisconsin to the state championships. That our area is so far away from Madison may weigh in the Spartans’ favor.
Somerset will face Wrightstown in the Division 4 state championship game at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Wrightstown is undefeated and has been ranked among the top teams in Division 4 all season.
Wrightstown is from the Green Bay area and their team has received considerable publicity all around the state, while Somerset has barely been a blip on the state football radar this season. With all the attention that Wrightstown has received, you have to wonder if their players aren’t feeling a little confident in their chances on Thursday.
Wrightstown is a power offense team. The Tigers frequently run out of a two-tight end formation and try to blast their way through opponents. No team has been able to blast through Somerset’s defense with any extended success. Somerset carries a high level of confidence that its complicated defense can stop any opponent. Since their one-game debacle early in the season against Prescott, no opponent has scored more than 15 points against the Spartans.
The wild card in this game may be Somerset’s offense. Wrightstown’s defense has given up more than 20 points five times this season. If the Spartans can pick up yardage between the tackles consistently, it would set up the big plays the Spartans have been creating on the perimeter.
Wrightstown has relied on being able to outscore any opponent this season. The Tigers may not have met a defense as good as Somerset’s, so this is looking like a matchup that could do right down to the final seconds, just like Somerset’s win on Friday against Bloomer.

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If NBA doesn’t play, would anyone notice (or care)?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by westwisport

The absolute greed shown in the National Basketball Association lockout, and the apathy shown by fans across the country, begs for a question to be asked.
If the NBA doesn’t play, would anyone notice (or care)?
There are no winners in the NBA lockout, but the fans are the ones who are going to come out as the biggest losers. Both the owners and players don’t want to budge off of their negotiating stances. It has become a repetitive ploy of each side thumping their chests like warring gorillas. And it has left fans banging their heads against the wall.
The amount of money the NBA players are fighting for is obscene. Especially for a product that has grown more and more unwatchable over the past 20 years. Ever since Michael Jordan retired (the first time), the NBA has been sliding down hill. It’s become a bloated product featuring egomaniacs who want to show off their offensive skills. Defense has ceased to exist in most NBA games. The maturity level of many players could be matched, or surpassed, in a visit to any elementary school classroom.
To NBA players it’s all about “me, me, me” and “money, money, money.”
It is just a matter of time before one side in the lockout caves in, simply because there is too much money on the table to allow this to go on forever. But wouldn’t this be the perfect time for NBA fans to send a message to the league.
Here’s the message: Don’t buy tickets. Spend the money by going to a high school game or a college game. Tell the NBA owners and players that they need the fans more than the fans need them. The fans have been pawns in this battle, and it’s time for a fan uprising.
If there was any justice in this dispute, the owners and players wouldn’t be arguing over a 50-50 split. They’d be making the split 45-45. Then they’d take the remaining 10 percent and knock that off the price of their obscenely priced tickets. We know that will never happen. But with many NBA teams struggling to sell tickets before the lockout, it’s going to be many times more difficult to sell tickets once the lockout is ended.

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Several area teams still alive in WIAA football playoffs

Posted on November 1, 2011 by westwisport

Several area teams are still alive in the WIAA playoffs. This weekend’s games will be highlighted by a pair of cross-county games.
Two St. Croix County teams will clash in Division 4, when Somerset hosts St. Croix Central at 7 p.m. on Friday. There’s a cross-Polk County collision scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, when Frederic and Clayton meet in a Division 7 game in Frederic.
Among the other area teams competing this weekend are Menomonie and Spring Valley.
Friday’s game between Somerset and St. Croix Central should be a dandy. Central hasn’t lost in 11 games this season, while Somerset is currently 10-1. Somerset has a long history of handling Central, but both coaches will be quick to tell you that this year’s Central team is the most advanced team Central’s put on the field in the past decade or longer.
Central has speed to burn, quite literally. Quarterback Carl Moll, halfback Korey Jacobson and receiver Cody Nyhagen all have competed at the state track meet.
Central averages 32 points per game. Opponents don’t try to stop them, they’re just happy to slow them down.
Somerset’s offense isn’t based solely on speed, but it has been just as unstoppable as Central. The Spartans are averaging 36 points per game. The Spartans take what the opposing defense gives them. And they usually club them into submission with it. Somerset has scored 34 points or more in seven of its games this season.
Saturday’s game between Clayton and Frederic should be a classic. Even though they’re small schools, they play football at a high level. Frederic has an enrollment of 165, compared to Clayton’s 122.
Clayton is undefeated, averaging a mountainous 42 points per game, while giving up 12.5 points per game. Frederic has just one loss, it came in a non-conference game against Lake Country Lutheran, a private school from the Milwaukee area that’s still alive in the playoffs.
Menomonie is well…Menomonie. The newly-named Mustangs are one of the stone cold locks when it comes to making the playoffs and being a threat to reach state. The Mustangs didn’t look the sharpest in their playoff opener against New Richmond, but they did on Friday, when they massacred Marshfield 44-14.
The Mustangs play at Tomah this Friday. Tomah received the top seed in the regional bracket, but it would be hard to bet against this year’s Menomonie team. Menomonie has a multi-faceted offense that can score from anywhere on the field. Drew Otto is one of the best game-breaking running backs in the area and Neiko Stokke is a deadly accurate quarterback.
One of the teams that has been putting up jaw-dropping numbers in the playoffs is Spring Valley. The loss to St. Croix Central in the final round of regular season play seems to have energized the Cardinals. In the opening round of the Division 6 playoffs the Cards ripped Northwoods 39-0 and they followed that up with a 42-6 thrashing of Marathon on Saturday.
Spring Valley faces one of the toughest challenges in Division 6 in the state this week. The Cards face Eau Claire Regis at 7 p.m. on Friday at Eau Claire’s Carson Park. The Ramblers averted disaster on when they won at Hurley 21-20 on Saturday. Spring Valley should be an even stronger challenger.
The winner of this weekend’s games will advance to the state semifinals, which will be played the following weekend at neutral sites around the state.

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