FEMALE WRESTLERS DO WELL IN KENTUCKY

The Telegraph 2/23/06

Northside High School wrestlers Crystal Wisecup and Chelsea Cook finished in the top three of their respective weight classes at the USGWA Kentucky Girls State Wrestling Championship on Feb. 18.
Wisecup, a freshman, placed third in the 116-pound weight class. Cook, also a freshman, finished third in the 125-pound weight class.
Both girls now head to Darien on Saturday for the USGWA Georgia Girls State Wrestling Championship.
Both tournaments are open invitationals and not restricted to wrestlers from the respective states.

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City sends 45 wrestlers to state

Lenny Jurado
El Paso Times
Thursday, February 23, 2006

Hanks High School wrestling coach Anthony Carter knows that making it to state is no easy task and that it's even harder to medal.

"When the season starts you have about 3,000 wrestlers then you whittle that down to district, then whittle that even more down to the elite at regionals and now it's the elite 16 in the entire state -- it's tough," he said.

Twenty-two boys and 23 girls from El Paso will vie for a spot on the medals stand Friday and Saturday at the UIL state wrestling championships in Austin.

Carter is optimistic about his girls, a trio that includes 2005 state champion Awbrey Lowe.

"Awbrey, Ashley Rizo and Janie Gonzalez all have a pretty good draw in their brackets," he said. "Awbrey is wrestling very well ... and I predict that she and Cessy Carroll of Eastwood will be in the finals again."

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Franklin head coach Jesse Almodovar is equally optimistic about his four boy qualifiers.

"My senior, Wesley Hall, has a really good chance of placing," he said. "I've also got two juniors, Danny Caraveo and Robert Guzman, who are ranked among the top four in the state and should do really well."

The following boys and girls qualified out of Region 1 to the state championships.

Eastwood: Kenny Koenemann (140); Jonathan Carrillo (160); Justin Rios (171); Sergio Garcia (180); Marco Huerta (189); Eddie Noriega (275); Cessy Carroll (102); Sam Aguirre (185); Tayler Yocum (215).

Franklin: Zach Marrott (103); Wesley Hall (112); Danny Caraveo (125); Robert Guzman (215); Yvette Valenzuela (102); Brenda Mendoza (128).

Chapin: Efren Franco (171); Blue Montoya (95); Alicia Placencio (185).

Hanks: Abel Carrillo (130); Robert Aguilar (135); Jacob Valdez (140); Josh Wilson (145); Adrian Miner (215); Awbrey Lowe (102); Ashley Rizo (119); Janie Gonzalez (165).

Socorro: Isaac Cervantes (145); Gus Zamaro (275); Norma Rueda (128); Crystal Quijas (165); Teresia Carreon (215).

Americas: Kevin Jury (125); Oscar Ruiz (130); Christie Attaguille (138); Gabby De La Parra (185); Deja Borders (215).

Burges: Mark Molina (112); Liliana Vasquez (165).

El Dorado: Oscar Mesa (189).

Coronado: Logan Davis (130).

Irvin: Stephanie Han (128).

Bowie: Adriana Olvera (138); Jazmine Quezada (148).

Montwood: Nicole Silva (95).

Andress: Lorraine Herrera (138).

El Paso: Carmen Pina (110).

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Gripping dilemmaWhen boy wrestles girl, neither feels like a winner

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGHThe Kansas City Star 2/23/06

9 Photo's of Shamaine Danner

No matter what happens, Maurice Baker’s friends are going to enjoy this.
They stand alongside Baker on the edge of the mat, minutes before he risks a life’s worth of pride.
They tell him that the girl he is about to wrestle was the No. 3 girl wrestler in the nation last year. But they also make sure Baker hears their laughter when they watch her warm up.
On this recent Saturday morning, it’s hard to figure out who is delivering the bigger psych job: Baker’s friends or the girl, Shamaine Danner. There she is, on the other side of the mat, slapping her face with both hands. She’s pacing within a 10-foot area, and this being her hometown of Richmond, nobody is invading her space.
This whole high school girl vs. boy thing can bring out myriad emotions for everyone involved. The boy doesn’t want to hurt her, but he also can’t lose. The girl feels constant pressure to validate her very presence on the mat. The boy’s parents and coach just hope he finishes the day without a loss and a long bus ride home. Even the girl’s coach feels awkward.
“I feel bad when she beats a boy,” Richmond coach John Daniels admits.
The girls are gaining ground, too. This last weekend at the Missouri state tournament, St. Clair freshman Randi Beltz finished fifth in Class 2 at 103 pounds, becoming the first girl to medal in state history. Recently Michaela Hutchison of Anchorage Skyview became the first girl ever to win a state title against boys when she won the Alaska state championship at 103 pounds.
Back at Richmond, Baker, a high school wrestler from St. Louis, has never wrestled a girl. He has already had a talk with his coach, Jon Schultz, who told him that the girl was not going to roll over for him, that it’s different wrestling girls because they are more flexible.
Of course, Baker didn’t listen. She’s a girl, he said he thought to himself. There’s a nervous tension in the air, and this is only the beginning for Baker. Even if he wins, he can’t truly win, not against a girl.
Danner, his opponent, has already won. In society’s eyes, she wins every time she takes the mat against a boy.
Schultz is just hoping Baker, one of his better wrestlers, can get back to St. Louis unscathed.
“I’ve seen wrestlers quit over losing to girls,” Schultz says.
Danner had the flu for three days leading up to the recent Richmond tournament. She even missed school Wednesday, but she wrestled Thursday night and she was ready to go again Saturday.
She lost her first match of the day, and she threw up during and after the match. Her sad eyes tell you that she should be lying in bed with a thermometer in her mouth, not on the brink of another tussle with a strong-armed guy.
Danner entered the match with Baker with a 7-7 record. When she started wrestling as a freshman, she never expected to make the varsity at Richmond, last year’s Class 1 team champion.
She only wanted to wrestle because her older brother had wrestled at Richmond, and she wanted to follow in his footsteps. And this season, after three years of wrestling JV, she was holding down a spot on the varsity at 130 pounds.
Danner wears the red “R” on her chest with pride. When she told Daniels she was going to try out for the team her freshman year, he laughed. Danner was just a shy 14-year-old, but what Daniels couldn’t measure was her desire to be different and, not only that, excel at it.
In the small town of Richmond, Danner didn’t try to fit in growing up. Where most of the other girls wanted to be cheerleaders, Danner wanted to wrestle.
“Cheerleaders are so annoying,” Danner says matter of factly.
At first, Danner was wary of having to wear a singlet. Sure, those cheerleaders may enjoy the attention that goes with wearing a tight singlet in front of a crowd, but for Danner, it was incredibly daunting.
“It’s tight on your body,” Danner says. “You know, I have boobs.”
She laughs after that comment, likely because she can’t believe it came out of her mouth. Before she wrestled, she rarely spoke up at all. Former longtime Richmond wrestling coach Ken Simmons and his daughter Ashley, who also wrestled at Richmond, took Danner along with them to the national girls tournament her freshman year.
“We could hardly get her to say a word,” Ken Simmons says.
Three years later, Danner is the school’s student-council president, wrestling team captain and Matwarming Queen.
To become president, she had to give a speech in front of her fellow students. Turns out, she didn’t even need her note cards.
“If I can get into a singlet and wrestle in front of people,” Danner says, “I can do whatever I want. Wrestling made me kind of crazy.”
Danner expects to beat Baker. She can see his arrogance, and it ticks her off. She slaps her face just a little harder.
“He thinks I’m not any good,” she says to herself. “If I wrestle smart, I’ll be fine.”
Smarts. That is what it takes, for a girl to beat a boy. It takes a cunning streak, a Houdiniesque ability to finagle herself out of trouble. Even Danner admits that all boys are stronger than her. She has to beat them mentally.
Danner meets Baker in the middle of the mat. His sculpted upper body against her chicken arms.
Baker feels weird; he doesn’t want to seriously hurt her, and he isn’t sure about where he can touch her. But, to heck with it, he has to win this match.
Baker is tossing her all over the mat, and he quickly tries his signature pin move, the “barbwire.” Normally, this is where Baker’s opponent gives in, but not on this day. Danner spins out of Baker’s hold and takes hold of him.
Baker’s friends and teammates can’t believe it. “Snap!” a teammate says.
All of a sudden, Baker is on his stomach, and Danner is riding him like a bull.
Everyone in the gym is waiting for Baker to toss her off, but a minute passes.
“I have to get out of this,” Baker said he thought to himself. “I can’t lose to a girl.”
Danner clasps Baker with what feels like a death grip, but finally, Baker’s strength prevails, and he shrugs her off and wins the match by decision. But what has he won?
Danner has won respect, even Baker’s. She runs off the mat, exhausted and kneels over a trash can to vomit yet again. Baker passes her, gives her a pat on the back and tells her nice match.
Baker walks over to a table outside the gym and sits down, relieved.
“She was tough, man,” Baker says. “I thought Coach was just saying stuff. She almost pinned me. I could not put her in the ‘barbwire.’
“I want to wrestle her again. Believe it or not, of all the people I’ve wrestled, she’s one of the best.”
Danner has just lost two matches in front of the home crowd, and in the process, she’s tallied more vomiting sessions than points for her team.
If you think that there isn’t pressure on Danner and other girl wrestlers, you’re wrong. It’s just a different kind.
This whole charade can get pretty tiring. She’s the fan favorite wherever she goes, and that’s nice, but she didn’t ask for all of the expectations. Women everywhere look up to her as an inspiration.
That’s a lot of weight to carry for a 17-year-old.
“It does get more stressful,” Danner says, “when everybody knows you’re good.”
Last year at nationals, the pressure reached a boiling point. Danner wanted to win the national championship, and she had been preparing with her brother the entire offseason.
She lost in overtime to the eventual national champion, and afterwards, she lost her cool.
“I had a breakdown,” she admits. “I thought I let everybody down.” She still feels that way when she loses. Ashley Simmons, a former wrestler at Richmond and good friend of Danner’s, came to watch her a few weeks ago and noticed she seemed down.
“She wasn’t as spunky as she usually is,” Ashley Simmons says. “She said, ‘Everybody knows I’m the girl wrestler, and they think I’m automatically going to win.’ I know there’s pressure from the community, they want her to reach the highest she can, but sometimes she worries that she won’t make it.”
There’s another match coming up, Danner’s last chance to win points for the team. Her name is called over the loudspeaker. It’s her time, and soon, everybody is watching the girl wrestler again. After six grueling minutes on the mat, Blake Coyazo of Carrollton can only watch as the referee hoists the girl’s hand into the air as the winner by decision.
Coyazo rushes off of the mat, out of the gym and into the lobby. His friend approaches him, carrying his T-shirt and shorts. He swats them away, onto the floor and continues into a short hallway, alone. He hides behind a row of lockers and leans over with his hands on his knees, panting. He’s living every teenage boy’s nightmare, and the tears start rolling.
This situation right here is why a boy’s parents in Gallatin decided to pull their son out of a match against Danner. The kid was only a sophomore, and he had a lot of wrestling in front of him. They weren’t going to risk him losing and wanting to quit, or the embarrassment around school.
But Coyazo wrestled anyway, and look where it got him. After about five minutes, his friends gather around, but he still isn’t ready to face them. They walk away, smirks on their faces.
“I’d be crying, too,” one of them says.
Coyazo punches one of the lockers, starting a commotion. A Richmond official comes by and asks him not to take his anger out on school property.
Asked for an interview by The Star, Coyazo declined through his coach, who also declined.
All of this because he lost to a wrestler of equal weight and experience.
After defeating Coyazo, Danner sits at a nearby table, her head resting on a sweatshirt. She doesn’t understand why the guy she just beat is acting that way.
“I wanted to talk to him,” Danner says, “and tell him it shouldn’t be that bad. I’d understand more if I pinned him.”
She wishes that boys wouldn’t act like sourpusses when they lose to her. Danner doesn’t regret wrestling against boys, and she never will. Look at where it’s gotten her.
She’s ranked among the top girl wrestlers in the nation. She’s won girls state tournaments in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska. She’s received offers to wrestle in college and has been invited to train with the women’s Olympic team in Michigan.
But for now, Danner just wishes people wouldn’t treat her differently.
“When I started, winning a match against a boy was bigger than it is now,” Danner says. “Some girls flip out when they win. They’re like, ‘I beat a guy!’ It shouldn’t be a bigger deal than if you beat a girl.”

Matgirls
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations participation survey for the 2004-05 school year, there were 4,334 high school girls in 32 states who competed in wrestling. Here are the top 10 states, ranked by number of participants.

State Participants
California 1,230
Texas 1,153
Hawaii 406
Florida 216
Washington 152
Georgia 147
Arizona 139
New Jersey 84
Virginia 76
Massachusetts 74

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WIAA Division 2-3 State Individual Wrestling Preview

Compiled by Dennis Semrau 2/23/06

What: 63rd annual individual state wrestling tournament

When: Today through Saturday

Where: Kohl Center

Schedule:Today - Division 1 preliminaries and quarterfinals, 5 p.m. Friday - Division 2 and 3 preliminaries, 10 a.m.; Division 1 consolations at approximately noon; Division 2 and 3 quarterfinals at approximately 1:30 p.m.; Division 1, 2 and 3 semifinals, 7 p.m. Saturday - Division 1, 2 and 3 consolations, 11 a.m.; Division 1, 2 and 3 championship matches, 6 p.m.

Tickets: $8 for all seats

By the numbers: East Troy has qualified the most wrestlers in Division 2 with seven. Luxemburg-Casco is next with six ... In Division 3, Wrightstown and Iowa-Grant each have nine qualifiers, while Cashton has eight. ... There are 30 wrestlers who enter the state tournament undefeated, including six in Division 2 and 10 in Division 3.

Oh, brother: Dodgeville sophomore Bobby Wunnicke (40-0) moves up a weight class to 112 after winning the Division 2 103 title last year. Unbeaten Oconto Falls sophomore Brad VanKauwenberg (41-0) could meet Wunnicke in the semifinals.

T.J. Wunnicke, Bobby's brother, moved up to 119 this year after finishing sixth at 112 last year. He won the Division 3 state title at 103 pounds as a freshman when he attended Ithaca High School.

Up and down: Lodi junior Jake Madigan (44-2), a three-time Division 2 state qualifier, moves up a weight after placing sixth at 119 last year...Sugar River senior Scott Fahey (33-1) drops to 140 after placing third last year at 145.

Swan song: Tomahawk senior Alyssa Lampe (43-4), who was the first female wrestler to qualify for the individual state tournament in 2004, is making her third and final trip to state at 103 pounds.

Area Division 2 qualifiers:Columbus - Eric Coughlin (160) sr., 27-3; James McCormick (189) sr., 25-8. Dodgeville - Grant Sutter (103) so., 43-3; Bobby Wunnicke (112) so., 40-0; T.J. Wunnicke (119) jr., 44-0; Grant Miller (135) so., 42-5. Edgerton - Ty Thronson (112) so., 35-7; Michael Young (130) sr., 42-1. Evansville/Albany - Brian Smith (103) jr., 30-10; Mark Haakenson (135) jr., 27-7; Mark Cufaude (152) sr., 32-8. Lodi - Jake Madigan (125) jr., 44-2; Bryant Kearney (152) sr., 38-6; Cody Weber (Hwt.) jr., 36-11. Monroe - Kenny Konopacki (145) jr., 35-8; Matt Scott (215) jr., 23-9. Portage - Eric Stanford (Hwt.) sr., 35-9. Sugar River - Kalvin York (125) fr., 42-5;Cole Schmidt (135), so., 40-0; Scott Fahey (140) sr., 33-1; JC Francois (171) so., 38-6.

Area Division 3 qualifiers:Cambridge -Robert Daggett (103), sr., 40-1; Jon Biermeier (119) so., 32-11. Deerfield - Trevor Dyreson (112) so., 34-10. Marshall - Dustin Schimmel (112) so., 38-10; Willie Powell (125) sr., 42-4. Poynette - Tyler Ryce (160) jr., 25-7.

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WIAA wrestling: Tomahawk's Lampe poised to make history

MIKE KEMMETER 2/23/06
wsjsport@madison.com

Alyssa Lampe is used to breaking down barriers by now, but there is one more she's determined to topple.

The Tomahawk wrestler is already the first girl to qualify for the WIAA state tournament. This year, in her third straight trip to the Kohl Center, Lampe also wants to become the first in Wisconsin to win a state title.

"It's my senior year. I have nothing to lose," said Lampe. "I'm just going to go out and hopefully get a state championship."

Lampe (43-4) will wrestle in Division 2 at 103 pounds after winning her first match and then dropping the second in each of the last two years at that weight. As a sectional champion this year, she has a bye in the opening round and will face either Sheboygan Falls freshman Josh Hammen (30-5) or Freedom senior Kyle Kleuskins (34-9) in the quarterfinals.

"I've never wrestled any of those kids," Lampe said. "I'll act like they're all ranked No. 1, but that's how I treat every match."

Said Tomahawk coach Bob Skubal: "We're not afraid of anyone. . . . I'm not saying she's better than any of them - she's as good as anyone."

If Lampe is able to capture the crown, she would become the second girl in the U.S. to win a state title while competing against boys. Earlier this month in Alaska, Skyview High sophomore Michaela Hutchinson won the large-school championship at 103.

"It motivates me more, when you look at that and know that it's not impossible," said Lampe, who has seen Hutchinson at female wrestling tournaments around the country, but has never faced her.

Skubal believes Lampe has had a tougher road to get where she is again.

"Everybody automatically qualifies for state (in Alaska)," he said. "You don't have regionals or sectionals. I'm not taking anything away from (Hutchinson), but Alyssa has had more obstacles than that young lady."

As a sophomore, when Lampe became the first girl to qualify for state, she received plenty of attention and was the only wrestler to have a news conference in the Kohl Center media room after her matches.

"I think they think of me as just a wrestler now," Lampe said. "I think that's why there was less media attention last year and I'll probably get less attention this year."

Said Skubal: "I think the state of Wisconsin, they've got to get over this male vs. female thing. She's an athlete."

Lampe's success also has drawn more girls into wrestling in Tomahawk, in the elementary and middle school programs, Skubal said.

"She's changed the face of Wisconsin wrestling forever," he said.

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Dennis Semrau: Tomahawk's Lampe a trailblazer for girls wrestling

By Dennis Semrau 2/23/06

Alyssa Lampe has changed the face of Wisconsin wrestling forever.

And it doesn't even matter if Lampe, a three-time state qualifier, becomes the first girl to win a WIAA state wrestling title this weekend at the Kohl Center.

Nevertheless, Tomahawk wrestling co-head coach Bob Skubal said Lampe, the first girl to qualify for the WIAA state tournament, is determined to make her third and final trip to the Division 2 state meet more memorable this year.

"She's not afraid of anyone," Skubal said. "She feels she has something left to prove."

Like becoming the first girl to stand atop the podium as a WIAA state wrestling champion.

"I've proved I belong there," she said. "I've won matches there. All that's left is to win a state title."

For the first time, Lampe (43-4) will have a first-round bye at 103 pounds after winning her first sectional title. She has won her first match and then lost her next two in each of her two previous state tournament appearances.

Lampe will meet the winner of a match between Sheboygan Falls freshman Josh Hammen (30-5) and Freedom senior Kyle Kleuskens (34-9) in the quarterfinals early Friday afternoon.

"Some people still don't believe she's for real," Skubal said. "But she's proven she's as good as anyone."

Lampe long has dreamed of becoming the first girl in the country to win a state title while competing against boys. She was beaten to the punch earlier this month when sophomore Michaela Hutchinson won the Alaska large-school championship at 103 pounds.

But that doesn't matter, Lampe said.

"I'm still motivated to reach my goal," said Lampe, who is ranked third in the country in girls wrestling at 102 pounds. "I know it's not impossible. It's just never been done."

The difference, Skubal said, is that Lampe has a tougher road to follow.

"Alyssa is a conference champion. She is a regional champion. She is a sectional champion. In Alaska, everybody automatically qualifies for state," he said. "We applaud (Hutchinson), but Alyssa has more obstacles so winning a title here would mean so much more."

Skubal said the most rewarding experience coaching Lampe - whose brother, Anthony, was fourth at state at 119 a year ago and earned a first-round bye at 112 - is the impact she has had on attracting more girls to compete in the sport.

"To watch the little girls flock to her shows the impact she's having," he said. "She's a trailblazer, no doubt."

And Wisconsin wrestling will indeed never be the same.

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Wrestling: Kissel could join exclusive company

Oostburg junior A.J. Kissel may be about to join some impressive company this weekend.

Multiple wrestling champions don't come around too often in our area.

According to The Sheboygan Press records, there have only been two — Kissel's uncle, Peter Rogers, who won three state titles for Oostburg from 1993-95, and Cedar Grove's Eric Justus, who won titles in 1988 and 1991. You would have an easier time finding someone who says the Packers will win the Super Bowl next season than a person who doesn't think Kissel will win that second championship this weekend (he won at 160 pounds in Division 3 last year).

In addition to the Internet cred Kissel has on wiwrestling.com, where posters have made him an overwhelming favorite at 171 pounds in Division 3, consider the following:

He hasn't lost since the state title match his freshman year in 2004— a win streak that's currently at 77 and counting.

His matches are done early. Twenty-seven of his 39 wins are by pin. Many of them, like two at the sectional, rarely get out of the first period.

Kissel has played it cool during his career, clinging to the one-match-at-a-time mantra that doesn't make for great quotes, but usually gets results.

But that doesn't mean we can't look ahead at the tantalizing possibilities that lay ahead for this dominant athlete.

Other statistics

According to Press records, 27 individuals from local schools have won state wrestling championships. Those wrestlers account for 30.

Fourteen of those state championships were accomplished with undefeated seasons.

Oostburg has had the most state titles in the area, with six (Rogers three, Nathaniel Muckerheide in 1999, Ross Schladweiler in 2004 and Kissel.

Ozaukee and Cedar Grove each have had four state title winning seasons (see chart accompanying this story).

In case you're wondering, there have been seven four-time champions, 40 three-timers and 157 two-time titlists.

Differing opinion

If you asked 100 wrestlers what tournament is the most important of the season, 99 of them would likely say State.

Ozaukee senior Tom Wetor, a three-time State qualifier, might be the lone dissenter.

The Warriors' 215-pounder said the sectional meet might is No. 1 for him.

"Sectional is the top one, because you've got to get to (State) first," said Wetor (15-2), who will compete in Division 3.

Wetor, who has yet to win a medal in Madison, moved one step closer to that goal when he won the sectional championship at Cedar Grove on Saturday.

Instead of wrestling his opening match on Friday morning in the preliminaries, Wetor received the bye that Division 2 and 3 sectional champions earn.

"If you lose in the first match (as a sectional champ), you still get a shot at coming back," said Wetor.

Division 2 and 3 wrestlers who lose their preliminary bouts are immediately eliminated.

Lampe looms

There are six mats on the Kohl Center floor during the quarterfinal round of action on Friday morning for Divisions 2 and 3.

And if Sheboygan Falls freshman Josh Hammen (30-5) wins his opening match at 103, most of the eyes in the Kohl Center will be on his Division 2 quarterfinal match.

Hammen would draw the only girl ever to qualify for the state tournament, Alyssa Lampe (43-4) of Tomahawk.

She's not a novelty act; Lampe is a three-time qualifier who won her sectional and has a first-round bye. She also won the prestigious Oshkosh on the Water tournament during the holiday break this year.

Back for more

The following local area athletes are making return trips to State:

Third trip: Craig Watry (36-12 at 145) of Ozaukee, Wetor and Kissel.

Second trip: Ryan Valleskey (31-7 at 112) of Sheboygan Falls; Trevin Popp (32-1 at 130) of New Holstein); J.J. Froelich (34-7 at 103) of Oostburg; Mitch Lubner (38-7 at 152) and Kyle Thurow (30-17 at 140) of Ozaukee.

Rookies

These athletes are making their debuts at State:

Kale Rortvedt (38-5 at 119) and Brandon Vreeke (27-16 at 171) of Plymouth; Hammen, Tony Johnson (31-4 at 125) and Josh Olson (24-7 at 215) of Sheboygan Falls; Zach Groeschl (10-4 at 152) of Chilton; Ben Gries (36-5 at 171 of Kiel); Jon Walvoord (39-5 at 112) and Brandon Garcia (40-8 at 130) of Cedar Grove; Tony Montemayor (32-7 at 130) and Kyle Alft (33-7 at 135) of Oostburg; and Jeremy Depies (32-8 at 140) of Random Lake.

Reach Dave Lubach at dlubach@sheboygan-press.com

State wrestling pairings

DIVISION 1

119 — Kale Rortvedt (38-5), so., Plymouth vs. Jonny August (40-2), jr., Pulaski

171 — Brandon Vreeke (27-16), sr., Plymouth vs. Joel Krasselt (37-3), sr., Marshfield

DIVISION 2

103 — Josh Hammen (30-5), fr., Sheboygan Falls vs. Kyle Kleuskens (34-9), sr., Freedom

112 — Ryan Valleskey (31-7), sr., Sheboygan Falls vs. Blake Cifaldi (35-4), jr., Cumberland

125 — Tony Johnson (31-4), jr., Sheboygan Falls vs. Nick Hagar (45-3), fr., Tomahawk or Travis Prohaska (33-14), sr., Belmont-Platteville

130 — Trevin Popp (32-1), sr., New Holstein vs. Joe Poehnelt (39-2), jr., Loyal-Greenwood

152 — Zach Groeschl (10-4), so., Chilton vs. Phil Blasco (36-8), jr., Cuba City-Southwestern

171 — Ben Gries (36-5), jr., Kiel vs. Kyle Thorpe (22-3), so., Stanley-Boyd-Thorp

215 — Josh Olson (24-7), sr., Sheboygan Falls vs. Nick Lloyd (29-16), so., Luxemburg-Casco

DIVISION 3

103 — J.J. Froelich (34-7), jr., Oostburg vs. Tyler Plamann (33-7), jr., Bonduel

112 — Jon Walvoord (39-5), jr., Cedar Grove vs. P.C. Halvorson (33-9), sr., Darlington or Jon Binning (29-4), sr., Oshkosh Valley Christian

130 — Tony Montemayor (32-7), jr., Oostburg vs. Sean Olson (32-15), so., Iowa-Grant or Scot Nemmetz (32-12), so., Manawa

130 — Brandon Garcia (40-8), fr., Cedar Grove vs. Brent Kaczmarski (24-2), sr., Clear Lake

135 — Kyle Alft (33-7), sr., Oostburg vs. Virgil Pope (39-2), jr., Clinton

140 — Jeremy Depies (32-8), sr., Random Lake vs. Lucas Rank (39-9), sr., Bonduel

140 — Kyle Thurow (30-17), jr., Ozaukee vs. David Frahm (36-4), so., Edgar

145 — Craig Watry (36-12), sr., Ozaukee vs. Dustin Raygor (43-3), jr., St. Croix Falls

152 — Mitch Lubner (38-7), jr., Ozaukee vs. Danny Sullivan (31-7), jr., Mineral Point

171 — A.J. Kissel (39-0), jr., Oostburg vs. Jeremiah Hatfield (28-7), jr., Cashton or Todd Guyette (35-6), sr., Shiocton

215 — Tom Wetor (15-2), sr., Ozaukee vs. Mike Lamirande (33-11), jr., St. Croix Falls or Max Brandt (37-6), sr., Weston

Area state wrestling champions

Here's a list of the state individual wrestling champions from The Sheboygan Press coverage area.

Cedar Grove: Eric Justus (112, 1988; 152, 1991); Scott Watry (160, 1991); Kurt Mattek (119, 1996).

Chilton: Wayne Hoerth (155, 1983); Kevin Schmitz (160, 1990); Jeremie Ott (160, 1993).

Howards Grove: Jason Knuth (119, 1988).

Kiel: Jason Lulloff (171, 2002); Brad Ruh (189, 2005).

New Holstein: Jesse Buechel (152, 1995).

Oostburg: Peter Rogers (125, 1993; 140, 1994; 145, 1995); Nathaniel Muckerheide (189, 1999); Ross Schladweiler (215, 2004); A.J. Kissel (160, 2005).

Ozaukee: James Gundrum (145 pounds, 1986); Ron Schimberg (140, 1989); Tim Miller (189, 1991); Bill Bonlender (275, 1992).

Plymouth: Mark Beebe (130, 1992); Russell Fuerst (160, 1997); Ben Chapman (140, 2004).

Random Lake: Arthur Demerath (112, 1985); Garret Depies (171, 1992); Zach Kurtz (160, 1996).

Sheboygan Falls: Jerry Michael (119, 1986).

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Practice over, now on to states for Sacco, Dake

By BRIAN DELANEY
Journal Staff 2/23/06

ITHACA — With the completion of Wednesday's joint workout at Ithaca High School, Little Red junior Nick Sacco and Lansing freshman Kyle Dake put the finishing touches on their respective training regimens for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association wrestling championships, which begin Friday at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on Long Island.

It's been 12 intense, practice-filled days since the pair last wrestled a meaningful match, when both emerged from the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena as Section 4 champions.

Finally, the seemingly insufferable wait is nearing an end.

“It's been long,” said Dake, who took Division II's 96-pound title to improve to 32-0 this season. “I just want to wrestle.”
“It's been an experience,” Sacco admitted.

Despite winning Division I's 215-crown, Sacco (28-6) enters the state meet looking to make a name for himself. The junior doesn't wrestle flashy, and he doesn't often win by fall — but he isn't your average 215-pounder, either.

“You're average 215-pounder isn't as active on his feet as the middleweights or lightweights,” Ithaca coach Tom Hall said. “But Nick is more like a lightweight in how he wrestles. He's got some good shots. He's very workmanlike; he doesn't have a ton of pins, but he gets a lot of wins by decision and a lot of third-period wins.”

For his longevity and stamina, Sacco credits Hall's intense conditioning demands. During the third period of tight matches, when his opponents are losing steam, Sacco capitalizes.

“We break them down in the third. ... and that's what I've prided myself on,” he said.

The preliminary-round matches at states are picked at random, and each weight class consists of 12 sectional champions from across the state.

Sacco's preliminary opponent is Pioneer sophomore Randy Colling (39-2), the Section 6 champion and seventh-ranked wrestler by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

The winner faces Valley Central's Jimmy Dollaway, who drew one of the four opening-round byes.

Unlike Colling, Sacco is not ranked. But with numerous quality wins this season, including one over No. 4 Ed Smith (33-2) of Colonie, Hall doesn't really care.

“It's hard to measure kids from different sections,” the fourth-year coach said. “I think the biggest thing, because it is a really exciting place to be, is that that place is going to be packed. It is a little intimidating, but I keep telling Nick to focus on each individual match, each individual takedown instead of looking at the entire scene because it can really (get to you).”

The credibility of the rankings aside, Dake's potential first two matches could be the most captivating story of opening day.

In the first round, Dake, ranked No. 1 by the NYSSA, faces second-ranked Jamie Carpenter (42-3), the Section 5 champion from Attica. If the Bobcats' freshman wins, he'll square off with Duanesburg sophomore Amy Whitbeck.

During the Section 2 state qualifier, Whitbeck (25-4) became the first female to ever reach a state qualifying final, let alone win it. On Friday, she'll be the first female to ever compete in the NYSPHSAA wrestling championships.

Dake's first trip to states will be an interesting one — but Dake's coach and father, Doug, said the pair shouldn't be distracted by the bracket's added spotlight.

“I don't think there's anything that (Carpenter) can throw at him that he hasn't handled before,” Doug Dake said. “As for (Whitbeck), he's wrestled girls before. I don't think he'll have an issue with it.”

Since the sectional championship on Feb. 11, both Sacco and Dake have made two trips to Johnson City High for practice sessions with the other Section 4 winners.

Sacco worked with Waverly's Scott Mincer (275) and A.J. Aaronstam (215), and Deposit-Hancock's Bryant Deinhardt (275), while Dake tested himself against Chenango Forks' Casey LaNave (96) and Kiefer Snyder (103) and Greene's Nick Wilcox (103).

“They were tough,” Kyle Dake said. “The first one, I thought I was going to puke. It was good because I could wrestle a kid my size, and then I could wrestle bigger kids too if I wanted.”

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Lack of medal disappoints Brownfield

BY JAMES WEBER | COMMUNITY RECORDER SPORTS EDITOR 2/23/06

STAFF Campbell County senior Priscilla Brownfield flips Scott Deschamp of Dupont Manual during her consolation-round victory at 103 Feb. 17.

FRANKFORT -- Priscilla Brownfield was more concerned with making the medal stand than making history.

The Campbell County senior accomplished the latter last week by becoming the first female to participate in the Kentucky state wrestling tournament. But Brownfield was disappointed about not being one of the eight wrestlers in her class who won state medals last weekend.

"I sucked," she said. "I didn't do as good as I wanted. The lowest I wanted to finish was third, and the highest I wanted to finish was first."

Brownfield went 3-2 at the 103-pound weight class, ending her senior season with a 42-17 record.

She developed a following at the Frankfort Convention Center, and not just from the Camel zone in the southeast corner of the arena, which per usual was loaded with loud Campbell County fans.

Every time she scored a takedown or made any sort of positive wrestling move, cheers seemed to thunder out from every section of the arena.

"I didn't pay attention," she said. "I just wrestled, but I kept hearing cheers, which was great. They all loved me, I guess. It was mostly women cheering, I think."

There was a lot for them to cheer about on Friday, Feb. 17, when Brownfield won three matches in the consolation bracket.

But first, there was the first-round loss to 11th-ranked D.C. Evans of Whitley County, 10-1, in the first round of the tournament Thursday.

"I was a little unprepared," she said. "I should have gone out a bit harder. After that, I won the three matches and I had a lot more confidence."

She started Friday by pinning Jared Smith of Fort Campbell in the second period, setting up a rematch with T.J. Bates of Conner, the regional champion.

Brownfield took an early lead in that one and held on for a 6-5 win.

She had the same modus operandi for her next match, getting an early takedown and keeping steady for a 4-2 win over Scott Deschamp of Dupont Manual.

"She wrestled well," said Campbell County head coach Mike Bankemper. "She had been so defensive earlier. I think she controlled the matches. She went after them."

With one match left to earn a medal, Brownfield ran out of wins, as John Voth of Paul Dunbar pinned her in the second period. Voth finished fourth in the state.

Now Brownfield will turn her attention to college, awaiting an offer from the women's wrestling program at University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky.

A torn ligament in her right elbow needs surgery, and Brownfield said she would have it immediately if the college offer was right.

Meanwhile, she'll take some lessons from her history-making week.

"I just know you have to work hard to get what you want," she said. "Even if it doesn't work out the way you wanted, you know you did your best."

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NMU Olympic Challenge: Event showcases USOEC

By MATTHEW HANSON, Journal Sports Writer 2/21/06

MARQUETTE - Marquette was host to an Olympic-style event of its own Monday, as the United States Olympic Education Center hosted the second annual NMU Olympic Challenge at the Superior Dome.

Unlike the first NMU Olympic Challenge last year - essentially an intrasquad meet - this year's event featured USOEC teams matching up with elite competition from around the globe.

USOEC boxers squared off in the ring against Canada. The women's freestyle wrestling team met the Czech Republic on the mat, and the Greco-Roman wrestlers faced the U.S. Army's elite team.

USOEC weightlifters offered an exhibition of their skills during the competition.

Ticket revenue from the 2006 NMU Challenge will go to the families of former USOEC wrestler Toni Copeland and NMU student Cass Huckabee, who drowned in Lake Superior near Picnic Rocks this past Oct. 2. Copeland and Huckabee were swept away from shore by lake currents while swimming.

The athletes competed on one side of the Dome, whose floor was divided in half by large curtains. The weightlifters performed immediately in front of the crowd, as the boxers and wrestlers competed behind them simultaneously.

When house lights came up at the end of the night, the boxers edged Canada in bouts, 4-2; the Czech Republic was bested by the USOEC, 4-1, and the Army pinned the USOEC Greco-Roman squad, 5-1.

Despite the loss, Czech Republic wrestlers Martina Zylkova and Eva Kreysova, both from Prague, said they benefitted from the chance to compete against the United States and enjoyed their weeklong stay in Marquette.

"Marquette is beautiful," Zylkova said. "We experience great training here."

USOEC freestyle coach Shannyn Gillespie said competing and training with wrestlers from a different country is a win-win situation regardless of the outcome.

"Any time we can rub shoulders with some of the best wrestlers in the world, it's good for the program," said Gillespie.

Marquette resident Howard Becker attended the event with his wife and two children.

"We like sports, and this is chance to help support our Olympic program," Becker said while his 3-year-old son Eric peered through the grandstand railing at the happenings on the floor in front of him.

One of the highlights of the evening was a hotly contested undercard bout between 6-1 USOEC boxer Dennis Hasson of Philadelphia and 6-5 Canadian Justin Bonhomme of Sudbury, Ont.

Hasson ducked and weaved around the long arms of Bonhomme, bloodying him before being declared the winner on points.

"Dennis is going to be a good fighter," USOEC coach Al Mitchell said. "He listens to the coaches, and gets better all the time."

Hasson said Bonhomme's height was not a disadvantage, but played well to his style of leaning back and avoiding blows.

"He's real tall, and has a different style," Hasson said of Bonhomme.

"But I Iistened to the coaches, and that made it easy. I was catching him with a lot of shots towards the end using what Larry (Nicholson) and Al have been teaching me in the gym, and everything came together.

"The double jab sealed the deal. They told me to be aggressive, and once I start becoming an aggressive fighter, things start coming together."

Hasson appreciated a chance to box in front of the home crowd.

"My friends in class are always asking me when they'll get to see us fight, so this was the best."

USOEC assistant director Mike Fields said he thought the change in format this year offered spectators an interesting twist.

"The crowds were excited, and the events were very competitive."

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Greenon's Christenson chases state berth

Springfield News Sun (subscription), OH
Feb. 23, 2006
Kermit Rowe

In case you missed it, this country’s first girl state champion
wrestling against boys was crowned on Feb. 11. Michaela Hutchison won the Alaska
103-pound state title with a 1-0 victory in the finals, thanks to an
escape with 16 second left.

Girls are making noise nationwide, too, as the U.S. Girls Wresting
Association estimates 4,000 to 5,000 girls wrestle in high schools
nationwide and said 17 girls made their respective state tournaments
last season. Blanchester’s Amanda Breezley is the best bet to do so in Ohio
this season.

2004 article on Amanda Breezley is here:

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