2013-2014 SEASON OUTLOOK | PREP WRESTLING
2012-2013 | IN REVIEW
CONFERENCE TEAM CHAMPIONS
Badger — Tournament: Sauk Prairie. Duals: North, Mount Horeb/Barneveld (6-0); South, Fort Atkinson (5-0). WIAA team state: Sauk Prairie, Division 1 semifinalist.
Big Eight — Tournament: Middleton. Dual co-champions: Sun Prairie (8-1), Middleton (8-1), Janesville Craig (8-1).
Capitol — Tournament: Lodi. Duals: North, Lodi (4-0); South, Marshall (3-0).
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Rock Valley — Tournament: Brodhead/Juda. Duals: North, Evansville/Albany (4-0); South, Brodhead/Juda (5-0).
South Central — Tournament: Mauston. Duals: Mauston (5-0). WIAA team state: Mauston, Division 2 runner-up.
SWAL/SWC — Tournament: Lancaster. Duals: SWAL, Mineral Point (6-0); SWC, Lancaster (5-0). WIAA team state: Lancaster, Division 3 champion.
Trailways — Tournament: Johnson Creek. Duals: North, Oshkosh Lourdes (4-0); South, Johnson Creek (5-0).
RETURNING INDIVIDUAL STATE PLACEWINNERS
DIVISION 1
106 pounds — 1st: Nolan Shea, jr., Milton; 6th: Preston Ernst, so., Waunakee.
113 — 3rd: Collin Kraus, so., Stoughton; 6th: Eddie Smith, so., Sauk Prairie.
132 — 5th: Austin Fjoser, sr., Sauk Prairie.
145 — 1st: Jared Scharenbrock, sr., Sun Prairie; 2nd: Eric Schmid, jr., Verona.
170 — 3rd: Wesley Schultz, Sun Prairie, senior.
182 — 6th: Brock Allen, DeForest, senior.
DIVISION 2
106 — 2nd: Taylor Elliott, sr., Prairie du Chien/Wauzeka-Steuben; 4th: Jason Clapper, sr., Lodi; 6th: Trenton McManus, so., Adams-Friendship.
113 — 6th: Clayton Beers, so., Prairie du Chien/Wauzeka-Steuben.
126 — 3rd: Spencer Davies, sr., Mauston.
132 — 6th: Jordan Meyer, so., Evansville-Albany.
145 — 6th: Joe Crook, sr., River Valley.
152 — 6th: Bryce Bennot, sr., Wild Rose/Wautoma.
195 — 6th: Zach Koch, sr., River Valley.
DIVISION 3
106 — 1st: Hunter Dischler, so., Weston/Ithaca; 2nd: Riley Lull, so., Riverdale.
113 — 5th: Jared Gilbertson, sr., Deerfield.
120 — 1st: Cole Martin, jr., Lancaster.
126 — 3rd, Wilder Wichman, Johnson Creek; 5th: Kyle Mezera, Lancaster.
138 — 5th: Jared Roen, jr., Riverdale.
145 — 1st: Trenton Cornell, sr., Lancaster.
152 — 6th: Cody Willis, sr., Weston/Ithaca.
160 — 1st: Ethan Soderstrom, sr., Lancaster.
170 — 3rd: David Chadd, jr., Lancaster; 6th: Kyle Kemmerling, sr., Johnson Creek.
2013-14 | RANKINGS
AREA TEAMS
1, Lancaster: Defending WIAA Division 3 state team champion. The Flying Arrows return nine starters, seven state qualifiers, five state placewinners and three state champions. They struggled at the Holmen Duals last weekend, but are not at full strength because junior Cole Martin, one of the three returning champs, is expected to miss at least the first six weeks while recovering from a football injury.
2, Sauk Prairie: Returns 12 starters, four state qualifiers and two state placewinners. The Eagles reached the WIAA Division 1 state team tournament for the first time last season and defeated Mukwonago, 49-15, in a quarterfinal before falling to Kaukauna in a semifinal. The Eagles opened the season with a 51-22 victory over Sun Prairie and won the 11-team Campbellsport Cougar Invitational on Saturday.
3, Mineral Point: Senior Reid Suddeth, a state qualifier a year ago, is one of eight returning starters. Mineral Point has the most overall individual champions in state history with 50 and has won 11 state team titles. The Pointers opened with a 45-30 victory over River Valley.
4, Mauston: Led by senior Spencer Davies, the Golden Eagles return seven starters from last year, when they reached the WIAA Division 2 state team final, losing to Luxemburg-Casco, 45-21. The Golden Eagles defeated Tomah on criteria in their season-opening dual before finishingsecond in the 13-team Royall Invite.
5, Lodi: Senior Jason Clapper, a state qualifier last year, leads a group of four returning starters. Lodi lost to Mauston by a point in a team sectional semifinal last year. The Blue Devils have won seven consecutive Capitol Conference titles. Lodi opened the season with a 42-31 dual victory over Baraboo.
STATE TEAMS
(Crossface Magazine pre-season team rankings)
Division 1
1, Kaukauna; 2, Merrill; 3, Bay Port; 4, Wausau West; 5, Sauk Prairie; 6, Holmen; 7, Menomonie; 8, Pulaski; 9, Burlington; 10, Lake Geneva Badger. Others: Wisconsin Rapids, Menomonee Falls, Hartford, Port Washington, Hudson, Stevens Point, Mukwonago, Oconomowoc, Stoughton.
Division 2
1, Luxemburg-Casco; 2, Ellsworth; 3. Amery; 4. Oconto Falls; 5, Two Rivers; 6, Sparta; 7, Lodi; 8, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; 9, Mauston; 10, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal. Others: East Troy, Freedom, River Valley, Rice Lake, Brodhead/Juda, Arcadia, Campbellsport, St. Croix Central, West Salem/Bangor, Nekoosa, Chilton/Hilbert, Little Chute.
Division 3
1, Lancaster; 2, Coleman; 3, Random Lake; 4, Edgar; 5, Stratford; 6, Spring Valley; 7, Mineral Point; 8, Weston/Ithaca; 9, Clear Lake; 10, Boyceville. Others: Bonduel, Cumberland, Cadott, Cameron, Johnson Creek, Oostburg, Glenwood City, Riverdale, Ozaukee.
2013-2014 | CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
BADGER
Team: Sauk Prairie is the favorite in the North, but Reedsburg also figures to be in the mix. Fort Atkinson and Milton will battle it out in the South, with Stoughton also lurking.
Individual: Baraboo junior Trevor Hanson was a conference champion, regional and sectional runner-up and state qualifier a year ago. … Sauk Prairie senior Brandon Sprecher and sophomore Austin Powell both were state qualifiers a year ago. … Also keep an eye on DeForest senior Wyatt Davidson, Reedsburg senior Nate Erbs, Stoughton junior Joe Nelson and Fort Atkinson junior Keegan Foerster.
BIG EIGHT
Team: Sun Prairie, Middleton and Janesville Craig all return strong teams, and Madison West and Verona have the potential to make some noise.
Individual: Middleton junior Shay Haase finished third at the conference tournament, second at both regional and sectional tournaments and was a state qualifier a year ago. … Madison West junior Moziah Clark was a sectional qualifier in each of his first two seasons. … Also keep an eye on Sun Prairie junior Travis Bouzek and Beloit Memorial senior Nick Simmers.Â
CAPITOL
Team: Lodi remains the one to beat, as usual. The Blue Devils have won 21 consecutive conference championships (16 in the Capitol and five in the South Central). The South race appears to be wide open.
Individual: Sugar River senior Young-Chul Vetterli was a conference and regional champion before just missing out on a trip to state, finishing fourth at the sectional tournament. … Columbus sophomore Brenden Lillo and Marshall sophomore Jensen Langer are each returning conference and regional champions … Also keep an eye on Waterloo junior Ben Lincks and Columbus senior Mitchell Hasey.
ROCK VALLEY
Team: Evansville/Albany and East Troy appear to be the teams to beat in the North, and Brodhead/Juda looks to be the clear pick in the South.
Individual: Brodhead/Juda junior heavyweight Logan Maurer claimed conference, regional and sectional championships and was a state qualifier a year ago. Junior teammates Brady Colden and Gavin Baade each finished as runners-up at the conference tournament before rebounding to claim regional championships. … Also keep an eye on Whitewater juniors Irving Sedano and James Ehlen, Walworth Big Foot/Williams Bay junior Will Utesch and Evansville-Albany junior Brandon Robinson.
SOUTH CENTRAL
Team: Mauston will be the favorite, but upstarts Adams-Friendship and Wisconsin Dells could play pivotal roles in determining the conference race.
Individual: Wisconsin Dells senior Max Obois was a runner-up in the conference tournament and regional tournament and placed third at the sectional tournament to qualify for state. … Mauston senior Justin Dolata just missed a state berth after placing fourth at the sectional. … Also keep an eye on Adams-Friendship sophomore Cole Clark, Mauston sophomore John Maki and Wisconsin Dells sophomore Willie Vandenlangenberg.
SWAL/SWC
Team: Lancaster will be the team to beat in the SWC, but Prairie du Chien/Wauzeka-Steuben  also could compete. In the SWAL, Mineral Point, Iowa-Grant and Riverdale will lead the race. The two leagues hold a joint conference tournament.
Individual: Seniors J.J. Donar (Cuba City-Southwestern), Daniel Rice (Lancaster) and Reid Suddeth (Mineral Point), juniors Tyson Wolf (Lancaster) and Shania Sarbacker (Iowa-Grant/Highland) and sophomore Brady Wetter (Dodgeville) all were state qualifiers a year ago. … Wolf, Donar, Rice and Suddeth each won regional championships.Â
TRAILWAYS
Team: Johnson Creek figures to lead the way in the South, and Oshkosh Lourdes and Princeton will lead the way in the North.
Individual: Johnson Creek seniors Clayton Uselman and Kyle Kemmerling, along with sophomores Adam Becker and Wilder Wichman, each were state qualifiers a year ago. Kemmerling was the only one of the four to claim conference, regional and sectional championships. … Also keep an eye on Deerfield freshman Cal Hansen.
2013-2014 | KEY DATES
Dec. 14: Sun Prairie Bob Downing Scramble.
Dec. 21: Badger State Invitational (Madison).
Dec. 28:Â Final days of Bi-State Classic (La Crosse) and Northern Exposure (Merrill).
Jan. 24: Reedsburg at Sauk Prairie dual.
Jan. 30: Lancaster at River Valley dual.
Jan. 31: Mineral Point at Iowa-Grant dual.
Feb. 8: Area conference meets — Badger at Baraboo; Big Eight at Verona; Capitol at Columbus; Ridge and Valley at Black Hawk; Rock Valley at Clinton; Scenic Bluffs at Brookwood; South Central at Nekoosa; Southwest Wisconsin/SWAL at Mineral Point; Trailways at Oakfield; Wisconsin Little Ten at Hartford.
Feb. 15: WIAA regionals.
Feb. 18: WIAA team sectionals.
Feb. 22: WIAA individual sectionals.
Feb. 27-March 1:Â WIAA individual state.
March 7-8:Â WIAA team state.