WIAA state team wrestling preview: Six area teams head to Madison in search of titles
The basics
What: The 33rd annual WIAA state team wrestling tournament
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: University of Wisconsin Field House
Tickets: Ticket prices for the tourney are $16 plus online fees for the Friday session and $11 plus fees for the Saturday sessions via the GoFan app.
Broadcasts: The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis.
Schedule
Division 1
Quarterfinals: 5:30 p.m. Friday
Match 1: No. 1 Kaukauna (17-0) vs. No. 8 Homestead (11-1)
Match 2: No. 4 Menomonie (19-3) vs. No. 5 Mukwonago (25-8)
Match 3: No. 3 Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln (18-3) vs. No. 6 Hartford (15-1)
Match 4: No. 2 Muskego (23-7) vs. No. 7 Arrowhead (12-3)
Semifinals: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
Championship: 3 p.m. Saturday
Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
Division 2
Semifinals: 10 a.m. Saturday
Match 1: No. 1 Luxemburg-Casco (19-0) vs. No. 4 Kewaskum (8-2)
Match 2: No. 2 Prairie du Chien (27-4) vs. No. 3 Saint Croix Falls (15-1)
Championship: 3 p.m. Saturday
Match 3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Division 3
Semifinals: 10 a.m. Saturday
Match 1: No. 1 Fennimore (15-1) vs. No. 4 Cumberland (19-5)
Match 2: No. 2 Weyauwega-Fremont (19-1) vs. No. 3 Coleman (15-4)
Championship: 3 p.m. Saturday
Match 3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
WIAA state wrestling: Nine area individual titles highlighted by Connor Mirasola's four-peat
Area athletes to watch
Arrowhead
The Warhawks will be making their 12th appearance at the team state wrestling tournament and fifth in the last seven postseasons as the No. 7 seed in Division 1. They sent seven qualifiers to the individual state tournaments last weekend with senior Wyatt Duchateau winning his third straight state title in a third different division at 150 pounds. Ramon Gulmatico took the runner-up spot on the podium at 157 and Collin McDowell finished fourth at 138.
Hartford
For the first time since the 2012 season, the Hartford Orioles are at the team state tournament. The No. 6 seed arrives for the ninth time in program history after sending four grapplers to the individual state tournaments, highlighted by junior Lincoln Flayter’s third-place finish at 120. Gavin Wolters finished fourth at 106 and Ayden Grulke finished fifth at 215 to cap their sophomore seasons. The Orioles are in search of their first team title since 1990, two years before the current dual competition format was put into place.
Homestead
It’s been a season of firsts for the Highlanders. The No. 8 seed qualified for the team state tournament for the first time in school history after winning the North Shore Conference tournament for the first time in program history. They sent eight wrestlers to individual state with Charlie Millard winning back-to-back titles with the 157-pound crown. George Jones also went from the No. 11 seed to a sixth-place finish at 120 for the Highlanders.
Kewaskum
The second program making its first appearance at team state from the Milwaukee area is Kewaskum. The East Central Conference dual champions won the Whitewater Sectional to qualify as the No. 4 seed in Division 2. Kewaskum sent eight qualifiers to individual state and had a pair of third-place finishers in sophomore Ethan Immel at 132 and freshman Bryston Scoles at 138. Brent Krejcarek finished his junior season with a sixth-place finish at 113.
Muskego
For the third straight season and for the 12th time in school history, Muskego will attempt to win the Division 1 state team title on the mats for the first time since 1994. The Warriors won their quarterfinal matchup in a tight 36-33 affair with No. 5 seed Germantown before bowing out to top-seeded Kaukauna in last year’s semifinals. They sent seven to individual state last weekend, highlighted by a duo of fifth-place finishers in juniors Cael Zelinski at 120 and Cole Reid at 150.
Mukwonago
A third program making its 12th appearance at the team state tournament from the Milwaukee area is Mukwonago. The No. 4 seed lost in last year’s quarterfinals to Marshfield in the 3-6 matchup, but return to state for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. Mukwonago sent seven to individual state last weekend with Grant Stromberg as its highest finisher with a third-place finish at 285. Gavin Meinecke and Hayden Chitwood each finished sixth at 106 and 175, respectively. A potential name to watch is Josie Stachowski from the girls side. Stachowski was the No. 2 seed at 132 and finished third this past weekend.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Six area teams vying for WIAA team state wrestling titles this weekend
