Wrestler Dewey Krueger lost only three matches this year.
The two that hurt the Oconto Falls High School junior the most came in his most important matches and at the hands of the same person: Southern Door senior Jacob Englebert.
Krueger (41-3), who won a state title a year ago at 138, fell to Englebert (49-1) 2-1 in the WIAA Division 2 145-pound state championship match Saturday night in Madison.
It was a rematch of the sectional championship won by Englebert, 3-0, Feb. 22 in Seymour.
Both wrestlers were cautious through a scoreless first period Saturday in the Kohl Center. In the second period, Englebert took a 1-0 lead when the referee called Krueger for stalling, a call that was questioned by the side judges and the Oconto Falls coaches, but was ultimately applied.
“When you wrestle a wrestler that good, there’s no room for error,” Oconto Falls tri-head coach Marc Kinziger said. “We gave up the point on stalling and it kind of takes away the strategy we had.”
Krueger managed an escape with just 3 seconds left in the second period to tie the match.
In the third period, Krueger gave up an escape with just 9 seconds to go, then laid on his back in disbelief after the clock ran out.
Kinziger said they were trying to ride out the third period and have Krueger wrestle Englebert on his feet in overtime.
“That’s to Dewey’s advantage; that’s his strength,” Kinziger said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t get to that point.”
Kinziger said the loss is disappointing, but Krueger will be back.
“He’ll rebound, he’s wrestled so much, he’s prepared so much,” Kinziger said. “Certainly it hurts. It’s always hard when you lose on your sport’s biggest stage, and I’m sure his goal was, after winning as a sophomore, to repeat once or twice more.”
Kinziger said he was impressed with how Krueger stayed focused after giving up the stalling point.
“It was very controversial,” he said. “I was proud that it didn’t take Dewey out of the match, which can often times happen.”
Kinziger said he disagreed with call.
“It always is a judgment call,” Kinziger said. “I don’t want to take anything away from Englebert, certainly. It probably wasn’t the appropriate call. It could have been left the way it was and let the two wrestlers decide it.”
Because of his loss to Englebert in the sectional, Krueger had to take the long way to the state finals, winning an opening round match against Sparta senior Dylan Winchel (26-17) by pin in 1:50 on Thursday, then dispatching Luck/Frederick/Granstburg junior Tristan Brewer (43-5) by a 12-1 major decision in the quarterfinals Friday morning.
In Friday night’s semifinal, Krueger defeated Luxemburg-Casco senior Austin Worachek (40-9), getting the pin in 1:13. Krueger got a takedown 47 seconds into that match and then was able to put Worachek on his back.
Krueger was the only Oconto Falls wrestler to make it to the state tournament this year.
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