Erickson leads loaded CG-Belgium

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School wrestling room is loaded this season, and they’ve got one of the top weapons in the state.

The Rockets return nearly 10 starters from last season, including two of four state qualifiers. One of those two stood atop the Division 3 podium at 145 pounds.

Cael Erickson went 17-0 last season, likely more than 20 wins fewer than he would have had due to a Covid-19 shortened campaign, and he knocked off previously undefeated Karson Casper (16-1) in the Division 3 state final, 5-0.

Erickson, as well as a few others, kept wrestling all year and came in more polished.

“He did a lot of offseason work again this year,” coach Trevor Peterson said.

The young wrestlers, he said, like to see Erickson in action up close.

“They know to practice with him. It’s making all the other guys that much better, too,” Peterson said.

Diego Morales at heavyweight is the other Rocket who made the trip to state last season.

Other returners for the Rockets include Deven Soerens, Justin Anzia, Owen Race, Mason Hoopman, Jesse Burg and Gavin Davies.

Two state qualifiers, Dylan Teunissen and Markus Ramirez, graduated.

Peterson said he has about 25 wrestlers ­— “pretty good numbers.”

The team again has its eye on the Big East Conference prize, trying to wrestle it away from Random Lake, which has dominated the league.

“It should be another interesting year. We’re not overlooking any teams. Oostburg has pretty good numbers this year. Reedsville is always tough,” Peterson said.

“And, of course, Random.”

This year the Rockets are in a regional with Reedsville instead of the Rams. They won’t see Random Lake until the sectional finals ­— if they both advance that far.

The team added a new coach this season, Jake Maechtle, who wrestled at Lakeland University and Port Washington High School. That will allow the young wrestlers to work on their own while the veterans fine tune their skills, Peterson said.

The Rockets on Saturday went 5-0 in the Lomira Duals. They beat Chilton/Hilbert, 51-30; Menomonee Falls, 48-26; Ripon, 63-6; West Allis Hale, 72-12; and Lomira, 40-35.

In that final dual, Peterson warned his wrestlers that the Lions weren’t going to go down easily, despite the fact that Lomira already lost to a couple of teams the Rockets handily beat.

“I told the guys be ready for them. They’re coming at us,” he said.

“It came down to the last match with Cole Anzia. I was putting some faith into a freshman. It was intense, came right down to the end.”

Anzia came through in the clutch in his only match of the day. He beat Devin Justman, 8-5, at 160 pounds to seal the Rockets’ victory.

Erickson, Jesse Burg, Diego Morales and Winston Reichle each went 5-0 on the day.

Erickson pinned two foes, won an 11-0 major decision and won two matches by forfeit, switching between 145 and 152 pounds.

Burg at 113 and 120 pinned four opponents and won one forfeit.

Morales at 285 pounds pinned three opponents, won a decision and a forfeit.

Reichle at 152/160 pinned four foes and won one forfeit.

Owen Race at 126/132, Mason Hoopman at 138/145 and Owen Morgan at 170 each went 4-1.

The Rockets last Thursday split a pair of dual matches at Homestead, beating the hosts, 58-18, and losing to Port Washington, 48-36.

Against Port, Morales, Burg, Hoopman, Erickson and Reichle earned pins.

“We got pinned in matches where we shouldn’t have gotten pinned,” Peterson said, adding some of the pins came with a couple of seconds left in the period or match.

 “Port has a good team. I wish we didn’t have to wrestle them first that night. I would have rather have done Homestead just with the aspect of getting back into it.”

Against the Highlanders, Morales, Burg, Jack Skorik, Race and Erickson each pinned their opponents.

The Rockets wrestle Saturday at Wabeno and host Oostburg at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16.