Krause leads Grafton wrestlers at Fond du Lac

Grafton High School wrestler Nathan Krause pinned his way to the finals at 220 pounds before he lost a tight match at the Dave Cohen Classic in Fond du Lac on Saturday.

Krause (18-6) pinned his foes in 1 minute, 29 seconds, 43 seconds, 2:36 and 1:54 before Sean Hesse (18-4) of Xavier won a 7-5 decision.

Krause got called for a slam and then got caught in a head throw, coach Andrew Wagner said.

“He fought back and at the end came really close,” he said.

Grafton’s Ben Birch (10-11) was fifth at 182 pounds, and Louis Berns (5-5) at 170 pounds finished fifth after recently winning the wrestle off to earn a starting spot.

“Ever since then he’s had some tough competition and he has really proven himself,” Wagner said.

Three Black Hawks finished sixth: John Olmr (13-9) at 195 pounds, Ethan Timothy (1-8) at 106 and James Volkmann (4-9) at 132.

Irtaza Manzoor (3-9) was seventh at 160, and Alex Vincent (5-8) was eighth at 138.

Grafton scored 106 points and finished eighth. Appleton West and Hartford tied for the title with 210 points each.

Last Thursday, the Hawks lost, 42-36, to Whitefish Bay/University School of Milwaukee. It came down to the final match.

Grafton hosts Hartford on Thursday, competes in an invite at Valders on Saturday and at Port Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 19.