Mat control: Grafton knocks off rival

PORT WASHINGTON’S J.D. BRAHM pinned Grafton’s Nikita Eksler Dec. 16 in Grafton. Photo by Mitch Maersch
It wasn’t the typical electric atmosphere when Grafton hosted the Port Washington High School wrestling team on Dec. 16, but that didn’t stop the Pirates from dominating a young Black Hawk squad.
Port won all six matches wrestled, three by pin, in a 46-18 victory over its rival. Each team won three matches via forfeit, and two weights had double forfeits.
“We both had guys out. I thought we wrestled pretty well,” Port coach Angelo LaRosa said.
“We have a young team. We had some good efforts, but to put it quite blunt, they were a better team and we just have some stuff we have to get better at,” Grafton coach Mike Dodge said.
Sophomore Kaiden Schumacher at 126 pounds quickly scored a takedown on freshman Jacob Rappa before pinning him in 70 seconds.
Sophomore Brandon Grabowski made just as quick work of junior Daniel Fandler at 145 pounds, pinning him in the same amount of time.
Grabowski has pinned his first two opponents this season. LaRosa said the wait for the sophomore to start reaching his potential is over.
“He’s really good right now. He’s not going to be good — he is good,” he said.
Junior J.D. Brahm at 182 pounds pinned senior Nikita Eksler in 3 minutes, 15 seconds. Brahm took a 2-0 lead in the first period and scored another three points in the second before putting Eksler on his back.
“I took him down and basically rode him out. That’s what I’m good at,” Brahm said.
“He’s working really hard and he looks good,” LaRosa said of Brahm, also complimenting his healthy head of hair.
“He looks good, he’s wrestling good,” he said.
The closest match of the night came at 195 pounds, where Port senior Shem Castillo edged Grafton sophomore Nate Krause, 9-8.
Castillo scored a take down but Krause answered with a reversal to knot the score at 2 early on. With a minute to go in the first period, the match was stopped for Castillo to get treated for a cramp in one of his calves.
He was able to return, and in the final few seconds of the period, Castillo scored an escape and a take down to take a 5-2 lead.
Starting the second period in the neutral position, Krause scored two take downs and Castillo scored two escapes to hold a 7-6 lead.
Krause chose down to start the third period, and Castillo allowed him to escape before the clock started. He scored a take down, after which Krause got an escape, and held on for the victory.
At 138 pounds, Port junior Aiden Drotzur came back to beat Grafton junior Ira Schlottke, 12-6.
Schlottke held a 4-1 lead after the first period. Drotzur chose the down position to start the second, scored an escape and ended up taking a 6-4 lead into the final period.
Wrestlers were in the neutral position to start the final two minutes of the match. Drotzur scored two take downs followed by two Schlottke escapes to make the final tally 12-6.
LaRosa credited Drotzur for coming back after falling behind.
At 132 pounds, Port freshman Brady Krueger won a 12-1 major decision over Grafton sophomore Alex Vincent.
Krueger scored a take down and nearfall to take a 5-0 lead in the first period, and did the same in the second. Vincent scored an escape, and it was 10-1 heading into the third period where the wrestlers started in neutral positions. Krueger scored another take down for the final points of the match.
Dodge said his team will continue to develop. This was the team’s first match of the season after Whitefish Bay canceled due to the virus.
“I like our guys. Our guys are tough. They come to the room and work hard. We’ve just got several guys who are learning and we have to figure stuff out,” he said.
Matches alternated between two mats during the match as each was disinfected in between bouts to slow the spread of germs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Exhibition matches were held before and after the ones that counted toward the final score to give wrestlers a chance to compete, which is especially important since weekend tournaments are canceled this year.
Only 40 fans attended as tickets were limited to two per wrestler.
“It’s super weird. Really awkward. Very strange,” LaRosa said, adding,
“I’d rather have it be weird than not have any wrestling at all.”
“It’s just different,” Dodge said.
Wrestlers wore masks the entire time.
“It sucks. It’s hard to breathe but we condition with them on every single day. That’s why we are able to do it,” Brahm said.
In exhibition matches, Port’s Diego Armendariz won twice, Drotzur, Lucas Schumacher and Nick Bensen won once, and Grafton’s Fandler won a match.
Port, 1-1, was scheduled to wrestle at Homestead on Wednesday and at Cedarburg on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Grafton was to wrestle at Hartford on Wednesday and to host defending NSC champion Slinger on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
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