CG-Belgium wrestlers win regional in tight race

By MITCH MAERSCH

Ozaukee Press staff

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School’s wrestling team won a 13-team Division 3 regional on Saturday, but it was closer than expected between the Rockets and longtime rival Random Lake.

The Rockets scored 251 points to the host Rams’ 237.

“They made a few adjustments adding a couple of guys to their lineup, but we were hoping it wasn’t that close,” Cedar Grove-Belgium coach Trevor Peterson said.

The Rockets this season beat the Rams and everyone else in the Big East Conference for their first league title since 2000 and are likely going to have to beat Random Lake again to advance to team state for the first time since 1997. Both teams were expected to win their sectional semifinal matches on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and face off in the final at Random Lake later that night.

At the regional, 11 Rockets — possibly a school record, Peterson said — advanced to a sectional at Dodgeland on Saturday, including three champions — Jesse Burg (39-25) at 126 pounds, Mason Hoopman (40-4) at 145 and Diego Morales (39-3) at 285.

Burg pinned Brendan Shurpit (22-13) of Princeton/Green Lake in 1 minute, 4 seconds, and in the finals won a 9-3 decision over Chase Powell (37-7) of Markesan.

Hoopman pinned Cole Keller (18-22) of Random Lake in 3:25 and in the finals won a 17-4 major decision over Markesan’s Gavin Campnell.

Morales pinned Alex Regalado (1-7) of St. Lawrence Seminary in 33 seconds, Cameron McManis (19-8) of Pardeeville and in the finals pinned Ty Monfries (43-7) of Westfield Area in overtime, 6:24.

Four Rockets finished second.

Owen Race (30-14) at 132 pounds pinned Memphis Castillo (11-33) of Markesan in 2:50, William Frieden (24-12) of Poynette in 4:34, lost a 5-4 decision to Kingston Galetka (32-9) of Pardeeville and lost the second-place match via medical forfeit to Elijah McChain (21-13) of Random Lake.

Joe Schoeder (35-9) at 182 pounds won a 7-2 decision over Random Lake’s Elijah Fassbender (18-22), a 10-4 decision over Terry Guell (30-6) of Winnebago Lutheran Academy and was pinned by Jaden Walker (46-3) of Markesan.

Jordan Platner (21-12) at 195 pounds pinned Christopher Lor of St. Lawrence Seminary in 1:18, beat Ozaukee’s Skyler Mills (28-16) in a 4-2 decision and was pinned by Holten Golke (8-2) of Random Lake in 5:23.

Deven Soerens (19-5) beat Lincoln Laabs (32-21) of Oakfield by a 9-1 major decision, beat Jackson Geitner (37-9) of Poynette in a 6-4 decision and was pinned by Michael Upson (30-6) of Random Lake in overtime, 6:45.

Three Rockets finished third. Carsen Voskuil (29-10) went 1-1 at 106 pounds, No. 5-seed Winston Reichle (31-14) went 2-2 at 152 pounds and Owen Morgan (34-12) at 170 went 2-2.

“Winston had to wrestle, that’s for sure. It was a tough day and he made it through,” Peterson said.

Morgan, he said, was moved to a different weight for his best chance to advance to state.

Seth Race (19-15) at 113 pounds went 2-2 and moved on by finishing fourth.

Random Lake had five regional champs, one second-place finisher, three who took third and one who was fourth.

The Rockets compete in a sectional at Dodgeland on Saturday. The top three finishers advance to state. Morales is looking for his fourth trip, Hoopman his third and Burg his second.

Ozaukee sends 4 of 6 to sectional

No Ozaukee wrestler won a regional title, but four are moving on to the sectional.

“All the guys I thought were all wrestling some of the best that they have all season, really all career,” coach Cole Large said.

Michael Higginbotham (22-19) at 138 pounds was the Warriors’ highlight. He  never beat Rocket Gavin Davies (22-17), but in the fourth-place match Higginbotham came out on top, 17-12.

“We had been talking about it for a few weeks that that match was coming. Michael got the job done. It was awesome,” Large said.

Earlier in the day, Higginbotham lost a 10-2 major decision to Logan Young (26-7) of Pardeeville, pinned Cristian Cruz (6-9) of St. Lawrence Seminary in 3:19 and beat Random Lake’s Seth Smallis (9-6) in a 7-5 decision by scoring a takedown in the match’s final 20 seconds.

Skyler Mills (28-16) at 195 pounds “had one of his best days wrestling” in finishing third, Large said. Mills pinned Ashton Nindorf (9-11) of Poynette in one minute, lost a 4-2 decision to Platner and pinned Alec Obert (14-10) of Winnebago Lutheran Academy in four minutes.

Charlie Steinert (33-18) at 120 pounds finished second. He pinned Caden Ruetten (24-14) of Markesan in 32 seconds, beat Brycen Lindvall (18-10) of Winnebago Lutheran in a 17-10 decision, was pinned by Dylan Brody (22-12) of Random Lake in 5:24 and pinned Isaiah Gauer (28-11) of Poynette in 35 seconds.

Jovan Lopez (33-21) at 285 pounds was fourth. He was pinned by Diego Brandt (23-9) of Random Lake in 3:33, pinned Keagan Kurowski (22-25) of Markesan in 20 seconds, Oscar Blohm (24-7) of Winnebago Lutheran Academy in 1:12 and Cameran McManis (19-8) of Pardeeville in 34 seconds.

The Warriors finished ninth with 77 points.

In addition to the four qualifying for the Dodgeland sectional on Saturday, Ozaukee gets Mya Delleree back. She is wrestling in the girls’ sectional. The girls didn’t have a regional because there weren’t enough wrestlers.

“She didn’t like taking a week off from wrestling,” Large said.