The Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School wrestling team earned its third consecutive championship, Bonduel placed second and Menominee Indian third Saturday at the Central Wisconsin Conference tournament in Wittenberg.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood, which wiwrestling.com has ranked as the No. 2 team in Division 2, finished with seven champions. Bonduel, ranked seventh in Division 3, had four champions.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood was led by Ben Vosters, who capped his senior year with his fourth conference championship. Vosters beat Bonduel’s Austin Siolka with 13-2 major decision at 120 pounds.
“It’s been fun,” Vosters said. “Four-time conference champ, that was one of my smaller goals coming in freshman year. I just kept getting closer and closer every year, and I finally accomplished it. It feels good.”
Vosters was voted the most valuable wrestler of the tournament by the conference coaches.
“It’s not easy to do it four times,” Wittenberg-Birnamwood coach Troy Ostrowski said. “I think the coaches respect that. We know how tough it is.”
The coaches also voted Ostrowski the coach of the year.
Freshman Stetson Potrykus got the Chargers going with a pin of Bonduel’s Scott Gunderson in 22 seconds of the first championship match of the day.
One of the Chargers’ toughest tests came at 138 pounds where Brenden Randall upset Shiocton’s Austin Riehl, a two-time conference champion and the weight class’s top-ranked wrestler in Division 3, 9-7.
The Chargers’ other champions were Bobby Uttecht (132), who pinned Manawa’s Daryn Claussen in 1:29; Braxton Potrykus (152), who beat Bonduel’s Dan Tauchen 11-8; Alex Peplinski (160), who defeated Bonduel’s Mitch Sokolski with a 17-2 technical fall; and August Peplinski (195), who won a 3-1 decision over Shiocton’s Dominic Gunderson.
Doug Ostrowski and John White Wing finished second at 182 and 285, respectively, for the Chargers.
Bonduel senior Jacob Wudtke (170) won his first CWC title with a 7-5 decision over Weyauwega-Fremont’s Brandon Loehrke.
“It feels great,” Wutdke said. “The first one is always the best. Especially with it being my last year to get it. Nothing feels better than right there. I’ve been working really hard for this.”
Wudtke lost to Loehrke the last time the two met, but had no trouble getting a lead and hanging on Saturday.
Other Bears bringing home CWC titles were Garrett Siolka (113), who defeated Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Zach Urquhart 10-0; Travis Wollenberg (126), who beat Witt-Birn’s Gavin Czerwonka 3-1; and Sam Kroening (145), who pinned Witt-Birn’s Griffin Magee in 2:45.
Bennett Gunderson (195) finished third for the Bears.
No Menominee Indian wrestlers made the finals, but eight reached the podium by winning third-place matches.
“We had a real hard time in the semifinals,” Menominee Indian coach Kirk Bahr said. “I’m pretty proud of how they bounced back from that semifinal beating we took.”
MIHS wrestlers placing third were Vel Hawkins (106), Blake Stoehr (120), Kyle Winker (126), Patrick White (132), Antonio Mahkimetas (145), Forrest Webster (152), James Pecore (182) and Keenan Richmond (220).
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