Eight local teams are sending a combined 13 boys to the WIAA State Individual Wrestling Championships, set for Feb. 26-28 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
That list is expected to grow later this week as several area girls are moving on after placing first or second at their respective regional competitions. They will compete Feb. 20 at a sectional meet at D.C. Everest High School in Weston.
Boys
Wrestlers advancing to state after placing first or second Feb. 14 at regional competitions are:
Division 1: Pulaski wrestlers moving on from the Green Bay Preble Sectional are Jack Falk (first, 113 pounds) and Wes Olson (second, 120).
The Red Raiders placed third as a team.
Division 2: Shawano and Oconto Falls qualified five wrestlers out of the Antigo Regional. Heading to state are Shawano’s Drew Chelberg (first, 190), Dane Hodkiewicz (second, 126) and Marcus Brezgel (second, 165). Oconto Falls wrestlers moving on are Isaiah Holtz (first, 120) and Levi Mommaerts (second, 132).
Shawano, Oconto Falls, and Menominee Nation placed sixth, seventh and 15th, respectively, in the team standings.
Division 3: Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Bonduel, Lena and Gillett/Suring competed at the Peshtigo Regional. Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s state qualifiers are Benjamin Davis (first, 150), Dalton Fletcher (second, 132), Devin Wudtke (second, 138) and Bo Davis (second, 144).
Max Peterson won the 175-pound weight class for Lena, while teammate Collin Vanark placed second at 165.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood placed fourth in the team standings, followed by Lena (fifth), Gillett/Suring (13th) and Bonduel (14th).
Girls
Bonduel had a big day at the Wausau West Regional on Feb. 13, as the Bears won the overall team championship and qualified nine wrestlers for the D.C. Everest Sectional.
Those wrestlers are Amelia Wilcox (first, 114), Kiara Johnson (first, 126), Lizzy Delzer (first, 145), Alisha Berg (first, 165), Brynn Walenta (first, 235), Kaitlyn Kroening (second, 100), Payten Birhals (second, 107), Maddie Hart (second, 152) and Brianna Berg (second, 185).
Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Shawano, Menominee Nation, Pulaski and Gillett/Suring also competed at Wausau West and qualified a total of seven wrestlers for the sectional meet.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s qualifiers are Brooke Huffman (first, 185), Izabell Schulist (second, 114) and Brenna Marsh (second, 120).
Shawano’s Jenna Moede won the 120-pound championship, and teammate Lauren Seehafer placed second at 126.
RaeAnn Summers won the 132-pound championship for Menominee Nation, and Pulaski’s Leah Kapla placed second at 138.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood placed third in the team standings, followed by Shawano (fifth), Pulaski (sixth), Menominee Nation (seventh) and Gillett/Suring (10th).
Lena and Oconto Falls are sending one and two wrestlers, respectively, out of the Lena Regional to D.C. Everest.
Lena’s Taylor Whiting won the 114-pound championship, and Oconto Falls is sending a pair of second-place finishers in London LeSage (100) and Emmalynn Stankevitz (165).
Oconto Falls placed fourth in the team standings, and Lena placed 10th.
Wrestlers competing at sectionals will have to place first or second to advance to the state individual championships.
