By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
The 2016–17 season continues to be a seminal year for the Brookwood wrestling team, as the Falcons are headed to the team sectional for the second time in school history after winning Saturday’s regional at Royall.
Brookwood scored 186 team points in Saturday’s regional, enough to withstand a push by second-place Ithaca/Weston (157.5) and third-place Hillsboro (152). New Lisbon scored 150 points. Royall finished fifth (87); and Necedah, sixth (39). The regional champion Falcons competed at the team sectional at Parkview on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Brookwood was set to face Darlington/Black Hawk in the first round. Fennimore wrestled Westby in the first round on the other side of the bracket.
To qualify for the individual sectional meet in Mineral Point this weekend, five wrestlers won their regional bracket and two finished as runners-up.
James Gjefle, Ben DeWitt, and Joey Perrigo each won a second title in as many weeks. Gjefle (22–12) defeated Hillsboro’s Dylan Hill 9–1 in his only match of the day at 126. DeWitt (35–4), at 145, also only had a single match at regionals, and won with a pin against Ithaca/Weston’s Riley Astle. Perrigo (31–7) defeated Ithaca/Weston’s Brennan Durst by fall and then edged New Lisbon’s Gunnar Pedersen 7–6 in the title bout at 152.
Garrett Atteln (25–9) pinned Royall’s Laredo Benson and Hillsboro’s Tristan Vesbach to capture the 170 crown. Jaden Havlik pinned Necedah’s Tanner Hutchins before doing the same to Ithaca/Weston’s Cade Netteshiem in a little more than a minute. Havlik improves to 26–10 with the wins.
Trey Kaiser lost to Royall’s Matt Preuss by fall, but pinned New Lisbon’s Ryan Briner to take second. Though Dylan DeWitt pinned Hillsboro’s Braden Voltz in the semifinal, he lost the championship to Weston/Ithaca’s Carson McCauley by fall.
Also, Cameron Zimmerman at 160 and Robert Cale at 195 both had third-place finishes, and Colton Brueggeman was fourth at 138.
Royall sends pair to sectionals
Noah Friedl and Matt Preuss both won their brackets at Saturday’s regional and will advance to sectionals at Mineral Point this weekend.
Friedl (34–2) won his lone match of the day with a first-period pin against Hillsboro’s Jacob Urban. Matt Preuss (22–9) claimed a win-by-pin over New Lisbon’s Ryan Briner in the semifinals, and then avenged a semifinal loss at the conference meet after defeating Brookwood’s Trey Kaiser by fall in the championship.
Harley Leverenz finished third, as did Luke Wohlrab, at 106 and 145, respectively. Malakai Roman was fourth at 132, and Laredo Benson was fourth at 170.