Nine Place at Bi-State

The holiday tourney featured 69 teams and 763 wrestlers.   County wrestling squads LARP and Chatfield took on the two-day Bi-State Wrestling Classic in La Crosse.  With more than 50 wresters per weight class, placing at all made quite an accomplishment.  Nine guys from the Screamin’ Eagles and Gophers were able to do so (finish top 12).   Team-wise, LARP tied for fifth (122.5) among 24 Division 2 teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Chatfield took seventh among 20 Division 3 schools, finishing behind Goodhue (third), Caledonia/Houston (fourth), and Z-M (fifth).  LARP’s top placer was Noah Herber at 182.  The senior advanced to the quarters with three wins (pin, 7-3 D, pin).   After a loss (pinned by eventual third place, #3 in D-3, Troy Klein of Lancaster), Herber went 2-1 in the consolation bracket (W pin, loss pin, W pin).  He claimed seventh place (of 49).  Noah (10-3) is ranked #3 at 182 in Class A.  From there, the Screamin’ Eagles were busy from 120 through 145 (placer at every weight save 138).  Junior Ross Herber took ninth (of 53) at 120, going 6-2 overall (W pin, W pin, L 12-5 D, W 6-2 D, W 4-2 D, L 6-2 D, W 4-2 D, W 4-2 D).  In his final match, Herber (14-4, ranked #6 at 113) avenged his winner’s bracket loss.  Carter Jonsgaard took 11th (of 58) at 126, going 5-3 (W pin, W 7-4 D, L 8-1 D, W pin, W pin, L 12-4 MD, L 4-1 D, W FF).  Ranked #5 at 120, the sophomore is 14-5.  At 132, Gable Speltz took eighth (of 57).  After a bye and a loss (7-3 D), the sophomore won five straight in the consolation bracket, including three narrow decisions (pin, 8-4 D, 5-3 D in SV-1, 7-6 D, 3-2 D).  Speltz (12-5) dropped his last two (pin, 8-0 MD).  At 145, Dominic Jenkins took 11th (of 59), going 4-3.  Jenkins made the quarters with three straight wins (pin, pin, 9-0 MD).   He then dropped three straight (10-6 D, 11-4 D, 3-1 D).  The first losses were to Kyle Cavanaugh (#1 at 145 in Class A) of Caledonia, who took first, and Luke Mechler (#2 at 145 in D-1) of Stoughton, who took third.  Jenkins (13-4) won his last (10-5 D) match.   Ten Screamin’ Eagles competed.  Chatfield’s top guy was A.J. Karver.  The sophomore 220-pounder went bye, win (pin), and loss (pin) in the winner’s bracket.  He then ran off four straight wins (pin, 13-11 D, 4-2 D, 5-4 D) to make the consolation semis.  Back-to-back losses (9-7 D in SV-1, pin) had Karver (10-4) finish sixth (of 53), the highest of any county wrestler.   Two of Karver’s losses came to Connor Westfall of Athens (#3 at 220 in D-3).  Sophomore Seth Goetzinger made the 126-pound quarters with three straight wins (6-2 D, 13-5 MD, 10-6 D).  He then lost to runner-up Jessie Tijerina (Portage) by 13-2 MD.  Goetzinger went 1-2 in the consolation bracket (L 4-2 D, W 4-1 D, L 6-3 D) to take 10th (of 58).  Seth (8-3) is ranked #4 at 126.  At 120, Cael Bartels went 5-3 (W 16-5 MD, W pin, L 6-3 D, W pin, W 4-2 D, L 16-0 TF, L 4-2 D, W 4-1 D) to take 11th place (of 53).  The junior is 9-4.  Finally, Davontae Goldsmith (170) went 3-4 (bye, W 7-3 D, L 6-0 D, W 6-2 D, W 5-1 D, L pin, L 6-2 D, L 6-2 D) to take 12th place (of 57).  Ranked #9 at 182, the senior is 8-5.  Twelve Gophers wrestled.  LARP’s five placers combined to go 25-13.  Chatfield’s four went 17-13.  At least 17 of those 26 total losses were to kids ranked in the top ten (MN or WI).