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There are two MVC teams ranked in the top five of their respective divisions. Holmen moved up from eigth in division one to fourth after they defeated previously top-ranked Wausau West 27-24. The Vikings also defeated 12th ranked Wisconsin Rapids 46-18. No slight to Holmen, but this might be the weakest Rapids wrestling team in over a decade.
Holmen also defeated Freedom 49-19 (ranked 12th in D2) and Pewaukee 53-14 (honorable mention in D2). Holmen is pretty tough and they have defeated som great teams this year. I think the scores are a little misleading. Wisconsin Rapids and Wausau West were ranked as high as they are based on past performance as there is little to judge a team on early in the season. After their close loss to the Vikings, Wausau West drops from third to fifth in the rankings. West started the year as the top ranked team in the state.
So where are the comparables? How does Sparta stack up against Holmen? It’s hard to tell at this point. Sparta has wrestled without Dylan Winchel and Tristan Zurfluh this year so they are certainly not at full strength yet. The only common dual between Holmen and Sparta is Onalaska. The Vikings defeated Onalaska 57-12 a week ago. Sparta defeated Onalaska 56-21 without Murnane, Winchel or Zurfluh. While it’s still early, my guess is that the dual between the Spartans and Vikings in January is going to be close and bonus points will determine the winner. I’d give the slight edge to Holmen now based on their health and recent dual victories, but a lot can change between now and January 17th when the Vikings will wrestle in Sparta.
So while we only have one dual to compare, let’s get at it. Here is how Sparta did against Onalaska…
126 – Steven Kelly defeated Konrad Ernst (Onalaska) 8-1
132 – Brock Polhamus pins Andy Achenreiner (Onalaska) in 1:06
138 – Austin Feltner pins Andrew Levandoski (Onalaska) in 5:06
145 – Grant Parker (Onalaska) pinned Brady Hansen in 1:39
152 – Joe Culligan (Onalaska) defeated Dillon Erickson 3-0
160 – Andrew Ernst (Onalaska) pinned Walker Polhamus in 5:25
170 – Greg Skon pinned Cameron Robbert (Onalaska)
182 – Kyle Burkhalter won by forfeit
195 – Daniel Dawley won by forfeit
220 – Chase Bernett won by forfeit
285 – Joseph Benish won by forfeit
106 – Corey Zimmerman won by forfeit
113 – Tyler Wood (Onalaska) won by forfeit
120 – John Roddick won by technical fall against Morgan Mueller (Onalaska) 19-4
FINAL: Sparta 56 – Onalaska 21
And here’s how Holmen did…
126 – Jonah Rieber (Holmen) defeated Konrad Ernst (Onalaska) 5-2
132 – Darius Wright (Holmen) pinned Any Achenreiner (Onalaska) in 1:44
138 – Ryan Stalsberg (Holmen) pinned Andrew Levandoski (Onalaska) in 1:16
145 – Avery Hacket (Holmen) defeated Grant Parker (Onalaska) 2-0
152 – Joe Culligan (Onalaska) pinned Derick Armstrong (Holmen) in 2:16
160 – Andrew Ernst (Onalaska) defeated Logan Lasack (Holmen) 5-2
170 – Caleb Corcoran (Holmen) pinned Cameron Robbert (Onalaska) in 4:54
182 – Duncan McKinney (Holmen) won by forfeit
195 – Jacob Wiemerslage (Holmen) won by forfeit
220 – Noah Risch (Holmen) won by forfeit
285 – Charles Serauskas (Holmen) won by forfeit
106 – Ryan Bennett (Holmen) won by forfeit
113 – Fue Yang (Holmen) defeated Tyler Wood (Onalaska) 4-3
120 – Morgan Mueller (Onalaska) defeated Nong Xiong (Holmen) 9-1
FINAL: Holmen 57 – Onalaska 12
There you have it. Let’s get back to the rankings. Not much has changed in D2. The top five teams remain unchanged. Luxemburg-Casco remains the top team in D2 followed by Ellsworth, Two Rivers, Oconto Falls and then Sparta. Lodi dropped one spot from 8th to 9th while Wittenberg-Birnamwood made the biggest jump moving up from 11th to 6th. Section foe Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal dropped one spot to 12th and just down I-90, West Salem moved up from the top honorable mention spot to 10th.
On the individual side, five Spartans are ranked. Here they are…
- John Roddick, 3rd at 120
- Brock Polhamus, Honorable Mention at 132
- Michael Murnane, 7th at 145
- Kyle Burkhalter, 5th at 182
- Daniel Dawley, 9th at 195
To see the full team rankings, click here. If you want to see how the rest of the state looks on the individual side, click here.
With today’s dual against Weston being cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday, January 22, the Spartans will next see action this Saturday at the Badger State Invite. Go Spartans!!!
