A new championship city and venue hasn’t changed the ultimate goal for the Kaukauna wrestling team.
La Crosse will welcome 24 teams for the 35th annual WIAA team state wrestling tournament with Kaukauna, the five-time defending Division 1 state champion, seeking its sixth consecutive state title.
Kaukauna (23-2) takes on Milton (9-4) in a quarterfinal match Friday, March 6. The semifinal and championship matches are March 7.
Kaukauna is making its WIAA-leading 24th appearance and 17th in the last 19 seasons. It’s the 14th consecutive state appearance for the Ghosts, but first at the La Crosse Center.
Kaukauna coach Jeff Matczak said the new location – the state team tournament had been at the UW Field House in Madison since 2005 – won’t have any impact on his team.
“We go to new venues all the time,” he said. “We went down to DeKalb, Illinois, for a tournament and any time the kids go to a new place, our kids perform well. It’s a 30-foot circle, three points for a takedown and two shoulders for a pin, so we don’t look too much at that. It’s any time, any place.”
Liam Crook won the 175-pound weight class title last weekend to highlight eight Kaukauna wrestlers competing at the individual state tournament. Seven wrestlers reached the podium: Crook, Nehemiah Lendobeja (285, third), Kolin DeGroot (165, fourth), Andrew DiPiazza (120, fifth), Brady Sprangers (190, fifth), Zach Winnekens (215, fifth) and Jacksyn Thorpe (150, sixth).
The hunger that has driven them in their other championship runs is still there, according to Matczak and Crook.
“They’ve been here before but we don’t ride on that,” Matczak said. “It’s like a wolf with a full belly. He’s still staring at the forest. He doesn’t get satisfied with that. He’s going to stay hungry, looking for something to eat, and for this team I think our kids have really kept that focus all year long.”
Crook added this version of the Ghosts has yet to win anything, and that’s their mentality going into the team tournament.
“This group of guys hasn’t won anything – a team state title. So we’re really doing it for the first time and in a new venue,” Crook said while on Varsity Roundtable this week. “So there’s a lot of moving pieces there. I think we’ve put all the work in and we’re trying to stay hungry still, stay relentless and aggressive in our approach. I think it’ll be fun.”
Other Division 1 quarterfinals: Waunakee (11-4) vs. Brown Deer/Messmer/Shorewood (9-6), Slinger (22-2) vs. Bay Port (18-5), Holmen (14-0) vs. Muskego (16-5).
Weyauwega-Fremont, Shiocton among top Division 3 contenders
The Division 2 and Division 3 fields were expanded to eight teams each this season, with Weyauwega-Fremont and Shiocton top contenders in D3.
Top-seeded Weyauwega-Fremont (20-1) is making its third consecutive appearance at team state and the Warhawks were state runners-up last season to Mineral Point. Weyauwega-Fremont blasted Omro, 58-9, in the Valders Sectional final and the Warhawks will take on eighth-seeded Glenwood City (20-2).
Shiocton is the No. 3 seed and making its second appearance. The Chiefs (25-4) beat Crandon 58-19 to advance and will face sixth-seeded Auburndale (19-1).
Weyauwega-Fremont had nine wrestlers reach the individual state tournament, with Collin Hamm winning the state title at 157. Jaydon LeNoble (113, third) and Carter Birdyshaw (144, third) also placed among the top six.
Shiocton advanced eight wrestlers to the individual tournament, with Tucker Keberlein and Izaiah Sanchez the highest finishers. Keberlein was second at 106 and Sanchez placed second at 138. Mason Demerath (132, fifth), Brent Collar (285, fifth) and Holdyn Volkman (126, sixth) also reached the podium.
Division 2 quarterfinals: Evansville (29-1) vs. East Troy (8-6), St. Croix Falls (14-1) vs. Osceola (22-5), Coleman (19-0) vs. Port Washington (9-4), Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro (17-2) vs. Denmark (18-3).
Other Division 3 quarterfinals: Marathon (16-5) vs. La Crosse Aquinas (14-3), Cedar Grove-Belgium (13-1) vs. Mineral Point (17-2).
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kaukauna wrestlers ‘hungry’ for sixth consecutive state team title
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
