Led by champions Jon Bailey and Hayden Krein, eight Spartan wrestlers will be traveling to Tomah Saturday after Sparta finished second to Holmen at this past weekend’s regional tournament in Holmen.
Joining Bailey and Krein in Tomah will be Blake Brooks (3rd), Kyle Erickson (3rd), David Hayes (2nd), Jaden Winchel (2nd), Brett Von Ruden (2nd) and Matt Fahning (3rd). Bailey, Winchel, Von Ruden and Krein will be looking to make return trips to the state tournament after qualifying last season.
Holmen won the regional tournament to advance to team sectionals where they narrowly defeated Sauk Prairie for a trip to the state team tournament. It was the third tournament that Sparta and Holmen competed in together this year and the first time that Holmen’s full team competed and in a smaller tournament, that made all the difference for a Holmen team that was simply deeper than Sparta. Holmen finished with 234.5 points to Sparta’s 180 points.
Summarized individual results are below…
106 – Blake Brooks, 3rd Place, 1-1
113 – Jon Bailey, 1st Place, 3-0 with a major decision and a technical fall
120 – Jakob Larson, 5th Place, 0-2
126 – Thomas True, 6th Place, 1-2
132 – Kyle Erickson, 3rd Place, 2-2 with a major decision
138 – David Hayes, 2nd Place, 2-1 with two pins
145 – Jaden Winchel, 2nd Place, 2-1 with a pin and a major decision
152 – Brett Von Ruden, 2nd Place, 2-1 with a pin
160 – Hayden Krein, 1st Place, 3-0 with a pin
170 – Matt Fahning, 3rd Place, 2-1 with a pin and a technical fall
182 – Austin Zwiefel, 5th Place, 1-3 with a pin
195 – James Gann, 6th Place, 1-2 with a pin
220 – Garet Pfaff, 5th Place, 1-2 with a pin
285 – Gabe Dearman, 6th Place, 1-2 with a pin
Team scores…
- Holmen 234.5
- Sparta 180
- Tomah 174
- Reedsburg 145
- Baraboo 129
- La Crosse Central 104
- La Crosse Logan 86
- Onalaska/Luther 61
Winchel fell for just the second time this season with both losses coming at the hands of Central’s Jaden Van Maanen. The two are likely heading for their third meeting this year Saturday in Tomah.
Sectional Preview
Sparta will travel just down the road to Tomah for sectionals. The top two finishers at each weight class will advance to the state individual tournament in Madison. Spartan wrestlers need to win their first match if they hope to advance. A first-match loss is a season-ender.
At 106 pounds, Blake Brooks has been wrestling well all year and has the ability to beat anyone in his bracket. Brooks’ first match at sectionals is against Madison Memorial’s Guillermo Tellez (10-2). If he wins , he’ll likely have Tomah’s Dawson Lambert. On the other end of the bracket, the favorites should be Reedsburg’s Caden Fry and Sauk Prairie’s Zeke Smith.
Jon Bailey will enter sectionals coming off his second tournament championship of the season. That is hard to believe when you have a 32-5 record, but for much of the year, Bailey was wrestling up one or even two weight classes and finding himself against a slew of state champions, state finalists and other very highly regarded wrestlers from all three divisions. His other title was at Bi-State when he also wrestled at 113. Right off the bat, Bailey will have Middleton’s Jesus Quechol Ramirez (10-17). If he beats Ramirez, Bailey will face either Holmen’s Rylee Rensberry (23-8) or Waunakee’s Nick Schweitzer (27-12). On the other side of the bracket, the favorites are Sauk Prairie’s Dylan Herbrand (36-6), Tomah’s Cody Zimmerman (19-4) and Baraboo’s Eli Davidson (26-9).
Kyle Erickson will have to defeat some guys who have given him fits throughout the year if he wants to make his first trip to the Kohl Center. His first match is against Sauk Prairie’s Kyle Johnson (23-15). If he wins that, he will likely face Holmen’s Tanner Schulz. On the other end of the bracket, Middleton’s Christopher Rogers (33-6), Central’s Jacob Obert (23-9), Madison Memorial’s Kaden Reetz (28-6) and Tomah’s Bobby Bemis (17-7) await. Schultz should be viewed as the favorite here, but it is wide open after that.
At 138 pounds, David Hayes will have one of the toughest opening matches despite finishing second at his regionals. He will face off against Sauk Prairie’s Drew Fjoser (30-4) who racked up half his season’s losses at regionals the week before. The weight class is arguably the toughest one at this sectional with the second-ranked wrestler in the state in Fjoser and the third-ranked wrestler and defending state champion Kevin Meicher from Middleton. Hayes has a knack for coming up big in important matches. He is not someone you want to underestimate at a tournament like this.
At 145 pounds, Jaden Winchel will attempt to make it back to state for the fourth time with an opening round match against Middleton’s Damian Benitez (11-8). If he wins that, he will likely have Sauk Prairie’s Miguel Elizondo (10-4). This weight class is expected to come down to a battle between Winchel and Central’s Jaden Van Maanen. Van Maanen has won the first two meetings by scores of 5-3 and 7-3. Van Maanen is the top-ranked wrestler in the state while Winchel is ranked third. This could be a state finals preview depending on how the brackets shake out if both were to qualify. Gotta qualify first.
Brett Von Ruden will have his hands full making his third state tournament, but BVR is a guy you never want to underestimate There are 4-5 guys who could win this bracket.
He opens up against Madison La Follette’s Jacob Hendrix (25-17) and if he wins will likely face 12th-ranked Nate Lorenz of Waunakee (39-2) for a spot in the finals. On the other end of the bracket is Tomah’s Casey Curran (29-9) and Holmen’s Reed Williams (30-12). BVR fell to Curran in the regional finals and has defeated Williams multiple times this season. Von Ruden can beat anyone in his bracket.
At 160 pounds, Hayden Krein takes his 29-1 record into Tomah looking for his third trip to the state tournament. He will face off against Madison West’s Harrison Schreiber (16-24) in his opening match and will have either Portage’s Cohl Routson (24-15) or Reedsburg’s Brady Fry (28-15). Krein pinned Fry in 28 seconds at regionals. On the other end of the bracket, it’s likely to be Holmen’s Kaylyn Jahn advancing to the finals. If Krein and Jahn both win their first two matches, it will be the third finals match between these two this season. Krein defeated Jahn at Bi-State and Regionals.
Matt Fahning heads to sectionals in search of his 30th victory of the year. He takes his 29-11 record against Waunakee’s Preston Webster (30-9) in the opening round match and will likely have Central’s Connor Williams (41-1) if he wins. On the other side of the bracket is Holmen’s Isaac Lahr who is likely to advance to the finals. Like Hayes and Erickson, Fahning will have to overcome MVC opponents that have been thorns on their sides this year.
We will have updates on our Facebook page throughout the day Saturday. Good luck Spartan wrestlers!
Holmen regional individual results…
106 – Blake Brooks (28-12) placed 3rd and scored 10.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Blake Brooks (Sparta) 28-12 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal – Caden Fry (Reedsburg Area) 41-5 won by decision over Blake Brooks (Sparta) 28-12 (Dec 5-3)
3rd Place Match – Blake Brooks (Sparta) 28-12 won by decision over Alex Pellowski (Holmen) 27-14 (Dec 4-1)
2nd Place Match – Caden Fry (Reedsburg Area) 41-5 won by rule over Blake Brooks (Sparta) 28-12 (RULE)
113 – Jon Bailey (32-5) placed 1st and scored 24.50 team points.
Quarterfinal – Jon Bailey (Sparta) 32-5 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal – Jon Bailey (Sparta) 32-5 won by tech fall over Eli Davidson (Baraboo) 26-9 (TF-1.5 4:58 (15-0))
1st Place Match – Jon Bailey (Sparta) 32-5 won by major decision over Rylee Rensberry (Holmen) 23-7 (MD 13-1)
120 – Jakob Larson (20-14) placed 5th and scored 5.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Johnathan Schieber (Baraboo) 18-21 won by decision over Jakob Larson (Sparta) 20-14 (Dec 10-4)
Cons. Semi – Jakob Larson (Sparta) 20-14 received a bye () (Bye)
5th Place Match – Jakob Larson (Sparta) 20-14 received a bye () (Bye)
4th Place Match – Johnathan Schieber (Baraboo) 18-21 won by rule over Jakob Larson (Sparta) 20-14 (RULE)
126 – Thomas Treu (8-16) placed 6th and scored 3.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Aaron Raabe (Onalaska/Luther) 29-6 won by fall over Thomas Treu (Sparta) 8-16 (Fall 1:55)
Cons. Semi – Thomas Treu (Sparta) 8-16 won by decision over Paul Bartle (La Crosse Logan) 10-17 (Dec 3-1)
5th Place Match – Logan West (Holmen) 21-13 won by fall over Thomas Treu (Sparta) 8-16 (Fall 3:30)
132 – Kyle Erickson (24-15) placed 3rd and scored 13.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Kyle Erickson (Sparta) 24-15 won by major decision over Damond Butler (La Crosse Logan) 22-10 (MD 9-0)
Semifinal – Tanner Schultz (Holmen) 31-5 won by fall over Kyle Erickson (Sparta) 24-15 (Fall 1:05)
3rd Place Match – Kyle Erickson (Sparta) 24-15 won by decision over Bobby Bemis (Tomah) 17-7 (Dec 7-4)
2nd Place Match – Jacob Obert (La Crosse Central) 23-9 won by decision over Kyle Erickson (Sparta) 24-15 (Dec 3-1)
138 – David Hayes (24-11) placed 2nd and scored 20.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – David Hayes (Sparta) 24-11 won by fall over Nick Pfaff (Baraboo) 11-20 (Fall 1:12)
Semifinal – David Hayes (Sparta) 24-11 won by fall over Dallas Kapanke (La Crosse Logan) 15-6 (Fall 2:49)
1st Place Match – Hunter Pierce (Tomah) 33-8 won by decision over David Hayes (Sparta) 24-11 (Dec 9-3)
2nd Place Match – David Hayes (Sparta) 24-11 won by rule over Dallas Kapanke (La Crosse Logan) 15-6 (RULE)
145 – Jaden Winchel (35-2) placed 2nd and scored 19.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Jaden Winchel (Sparta) 35-2 won by major decision over Bryce Bierman (Reedsburg Area) 16-16 (MD 11-0)
Semifinal – Jaden Winchel (Sparta) 35-2 won by fall over Zach Gordon (Holmen) 13-5 (Fall 1:17)
1st Place Match – Jaden Van Maanen (La Crosse Central) 42-0 won by decision over Jaden Winchel (Sparta) 35-2 (Dec 7-3)
2nd Place Match – Jaden Winchel (Sparta) 35-2 won by rule over Zach Gordon (Holmen) 13-5 (RULE)
152 – Brett Von Ruden (26-11) placed 2nd and scored 18.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Brett Von Ruden (Sparta) 26-11 won by fall over Caleb Porter (Baraboo) 10-11 (Fall 1:02)
Semifinal – Brett Von Ruden (Sparta) 26-11 won by decision over Reed Williams (Holmen) 30-11 (Dec 9-7)
1st Place Match – Casey Curran (Tomah) 29-9 won by decision over Brett Von Ruden (Sparta) 26-11 (Dec 2-1)
2nd Place Match – Brett Von Ruden (Sparta) 26-11 won by rule over Reed Williams (Holmen) 30-11 (RULE)
160 – Hayden Krein (29-1) placed 1st and scored 24.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Hayden Krein (Sparta) 29-1 received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal – Hayden Krein (Sparta) 29-1 won by fall over Brady Fry (Reedsburg Area) 28-15 (Fall 0:28)
1st Place Match – Hayden Krein (Sparta) 29-1 won by decision over Kalyn Jahn (Holmen) 36-7 (Dec 6-4)
170 – Matt Fahning (29-11) placed 3rd and scored 15.50 team points.
Quarterfinal – Matt Fahning (Sparta) 29-11 won by fall over Alex Statz (Baraboo) 4-5 (Fall 1:54)
Semifinal – Isaac Lahr (Holmen) 28-7 won by fall over Matt Fahning (Sparta) 29-11 (Fall 1:08)
3rd Place Match – Matt Fahning (Sparta) 29-11 won by tech fall over Nick Mihalovic (La Crosse Logan) 17-19 (TF-1.5 6:00 (15-0))
2nd Place Match – Isaac Lahr (Holmen) 28-7 won by rule over Matt Fahning (Sparta) 29-11 (RULE)
182 – Austin Zwiefel (28-13) placed 5th and scored 9.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Austin Zwiefel (Sparta) 28-13 won by fall over Brandyn Nelson (La Crosse Central) 9-23 (Fall 1:11)
Semifinal – Zach Udermann (Onalaska/Luther) 25-12 won by injury default over Austin Zwiefel (Sparta) 28-13 (Inj. 4:52)
3rd Place Match – Noah Steinhoff (Holmen) 6-2 won by medical forfeit over Austin Zwiefel (Sparta) 28-13 (M. For.)
4th Place Match – Justice Blackhawk (Tomah) 27-15 won by medical forfeit over Austin Zwiefel (Sparta) 28-13 (M. For.)
195 – James Gann (18-15) placed 6th and scored 5.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Ambrose Metz-Beard (La Crosse Logan) 10-11 won by fall over James Gann (Sparta) 18-15 (Fall 3:43)
Cons. Semi – James Gann (Sparta) 18-15 won by fall over Jonah Parral (La Crosse Central) 4-14 (Fall 0:41)
5th Place Match – Tyson Fry (Baraboo) 15-15 won by fall over James Gann (Sparta) 18-15 (Fall 5:35)
220 – Garet Pfaff (12-16) placed 5th and scored 9.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Avery Estes (Baraboo) 29-13 won by fall over Garet Pfaff (Sparta) 12-16 (Fall 5:01)
Cons. Semi – Garet Pfaff (Sparta) 12-16 received a bye () (Bye)
5th Place Match – Garet Pfaff (Sparta) 12-16 won by fall over Jake Tahtiten (Tomah) 19-20 (Fall 5:23)
4th Place Match – Avery Estes (Baraboo) 29-13 won by rule over Garet Pfaff (Sparta) 12-16 (RULE)
285 – Gabe Dearman (9-10) placed 6th and scored 5.00 team points.
Quarterfinal – Colin Marquardt (Baraboo) 27-17 won by fall over Gabe Dearman (Sparta) 9-10 (Fall 0:52)
Cons. Semi – Gabe Dearman (Sparta) 9-10 won by fall over Christopher Trammel (La Crosse Central) 6-20 (Fall 1:43)
5th Place Match – Kaden Hericks (Tomah) 19-19 won by fall over Gabe Dearman (Sparta) 9-10 (Fall 2:52)
