Pirates sail to Glacier Trails wrestling title

With three high school wrestling teams heading into Saturday’s Glacier Trails Conference Tournament with one loss each, the league race was in question.

Port Washington answered it definitively, with four conference champions and by scoring 244 points, well ahead of second-place Kewaskum’s 216, and the Pirates did it in front of their home crowd.

“That was pretty cool, especially at home,” coach Angelo LaRosa said of the conference title.

“We wrestled very well. We lost a couple of close ones early on and got better as the tournament went on.”

Senior defending Division 1 state champion Garett Kawczynski (27-0) remained undefeated this season in rolling to his fourth straight league title. After winning three in the North Shore Conference, Kawczynski pinned his way to the 285-pound crown, one weight class up from his normal 215.

He pinned West Bend East’s Jacob Kufeldt (13-15) in 45 seconds and in the final pinned Kettle Moraine Lutheran’s Mason Gundrum (16-6) in 48 seconds.

“He did his thing. He’s just been crusin’ lately,” LaRosa said. “This is the best I’ve ever seen him wrestle, and that’s saying something.”

Carter Melichar at 165 pounds pinned KML’s Grady Martin (5-17) in 32 seconds and in the finals beat 2025 state qualifier Kage Weseman (29-11) of Kewaskum in a 15-5 major decision to win his second straight conference title.

“That guy’s tough,” LaRosa said of Weseman. “He’s got a goofy style to wrestle.”

Graysen Koepke (30-4) at 120 pounds pinned Kewaskum’s Ryan Perales (15-14) in 2 minutes, 49 seconds, and in the final pinned KML’s Jack Beadle (24-7) in 2:36 to win a title.

“He’s been rolling all year,” LaRosa said.

Jackson Hatfield at 215 pounds won a 12-0 decision over Jaxson Hernandez (21-20) and in the finals pinned Eli Ogi (18-9) of Kewaskum in 3:14.

“That was an exclamation point for the evening. Everyone was really fired up for that one,” LaRosa said.

It was the second time in three weeks Hatfield beat Ogi, the Indians’ quarterback. He won a 13-9 decision on Jan. 15.

LaRosa moved every wrestler up a weight starting at 144 pounds to try to score more points, and it worked.

Four Pirates took second, including Chase Barber, who returned from an injury sustained at the Duffy Tournament in Port on Jan. 9.

Barber (16-9) pinned Isaac Collyard (22-10) of KML and lost a 13-0 major decision in the final to Brayden Loehr (37-5) of Kewaskum at 150 pounds. LaRosa said the match was closer than the score indicated since Barber lost seven points on essentially one move.

Austin Knapp (17-12) at 157 pounds pinned Kevin Allison of KML in 1:58 and in the finals was pinned by state runner-up Bryston Scoles (32-0) of Kewaskum.

Ashton Steinert (18-15) at 190 pounds won a 22-3 technical fall over Kewaskum’s Tyler Rabuck (14-12) and in the finals was pinned by Sawyer Dailey (40-0) of Plymouth in a minute. Dailey took third at state last year and trains with Steinert.

Connor Zinuticz (9-18) pinned Aidean Froland (9-8) of KML in 2:58 and in the finals was pinned by August Lubinski (33-6) of West Bend East.

Port got four thirds: Jaxon Prom at 106 pounds, Sam Green at 132, Elias Manutes at 138 and Grant Melichar at 175.

Kewaskum also had four champions and four second-place finishers, but only two thirds and didn’t fill one of the weights. Port had a full lineup.

Port hosts a Division 2 sectional on Saturday, where Grafton will also compete. The top two finishers qualify for state in Madison on Feb. 26 to 28. A regional meet before the sectional was eliminated by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The top six scoring teams from the sectional advance to the team sectional. Port hosts that on Saturday, Feb. 28. The winning team advances to team state in La Crosse on March 6 and 7, and one second-place team from the seven sectionals is selected to fill out the eight-team field.

Port might have to get by Kewaskum to advance to team state. The Indians beat the Pirates, 50-24, in a dual meet in January.

Stewart takes a league title in 20 ticks

Port’s Cora Stewart (35-4), one of three girls competing in the GTC Meet, won the title at 120 pounds by pinning Sheboygan South’s Annabelle Gerrits (19-12) in 20 seconds.

Aubrey Rickard got second at 235 pounds and Ava Knitt got third at 145.

“They’ve been working hard. Their work is starting to pay off,” LaRosa said. “I’m excited for them. We’re trying to build that girls’ program.”

Second Grafton girl reaches milestone

Grafton’s Audrey Hanson reached 100 career victories earlier this season, and at the North Shore Conference Tournament  in Whitefish Bay, Ellie Federl joined her.

Both earned a league title.

Federl (30-11) pinned Alessandra Bartelme of Cedarburg  (3-14) in 33 seconds and in the finals pinned Maya Kirchner (19-9) of Hartford.

Hanson (38-4) only needed one match, pinning Anna Stefan (13-10) of Hartford in 1:46 for her second straight NSC title.

“They started pretty much four years ago as freshmen. They were kind of our trailblazers, the first girls there,” coach Mike Dodge said.

“They’re just amazing to coach. They come into the room, they’re hard workers. There’s positive energy there. They are seeking out the practice partners who are going to help them improve. It’s been really cool and awesome to get to coach them and watch them develop the last few years.”

This season, a separate schedule was made for the girl wrestlers.

“When we decided to give these girls that schedule, that’s when they really took off,” Dodge said.

The pair’s goal is to qualify for state. Both have been there before.

The top two finishers in Friday’s regional at Port go to the Feb. 20 sectional in Beaver Dam. There, the top two finishers qualify for state.

Grafton boys peaking

Grafton’s boys didn’t have a conference champion, but Dodge is thrilled with the team’s progress.

Freshman Ryan Gartman (39-9) was second at 106 pounds. He won an 8-1 decision over Austin Tyner (16-14) of Hartford and was pinned in the final by Riley Longdin (39-2) of Slinger in 5:29.

Caleb Ernst (25-11) at 215 pounds pinned Kaden Kelly (12-15) of Whitefish Bay in 1:28, and in the finals was pinned by Jacob Pekrul (37-5) of Hartford in 41 seconds.

“Both of those guys, you can tell they wanted more. I’m proud of the way they wrestled and the way they fought,” Dodge said.

Grafton got five thirds: Eli Parker at 113 pounds, Nolan Murray at 126, Parker Swenson at 150, Bohdan Gartman at 157 and Tom Schumacher at 165.

Grafton, which went 4-2 in dual meets in the NSC, scored 127 points and finished third. Slinger won with 220, followed by Hartford’s 207. Whitefish Bay was fourth with 93.5.

“We did amazing. These guys came out great. A lot won first-round matches to get into the semifinals,” Dodge said.