Team Sectional Updates

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Sparta 28 –  Lodi 34

Final

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9:36 pm —  Kyle Burkhalter major decisioned Ben Kealty 10-2 in the final match of the night for the Spartans.  Check back to Spartanwrestling.com later for a recap on the night’s happenings.  The final score was Sparta 28 – Lodi 34.

9:27 pm —  That’s it for Sparta.  Lodi’s Jesse Ziegler pinned Xavier Lopez in 3:15 to put Lodi up 34-24 against Sparta.  Sparta could end up winning more matches than Lodi tonight, but Lodi’s ability to pick up bonus points will be the difference here.  Now up is Kyle Burkhalter and Lodi’s Ben Kealty (7-6) in what will be the final match of Sparta’s 2010-11 dual season.

9:24 pm —  Morgan Leis defeated Lodi’s Jordan Worthing 3-0 to bring the Spartans to within four points at 24-28 with two matches to go.  Sparta’s Xavier Lopez will have his hands full with Lodi’s Jesse Ziegler (32-4).  A win by Ziegler here would clinch the match for Lodi despite Sparta winning seven matches so far to Lodi’s five.

9:12 pm —  Justin Miller picked up Lodi’s fourth pin of the night in 1:11 over Toby Mosley to extend Lodi’s lead to 21-28 with three matches to go.  Now up for Sparta is Morgan Leis and for Lodi Jordan Worthing (13-9).  It’s not must-win territory for the Spartans.

9:10 pm —  Lodi’s Clint Heimbecker picked up an 11-2 major decision victory against Michael Murnane to put Lodi back on top by one at 21-22.  Bonus points are big tonight!  Sparta has won six matches to Lodi’s four, but Lodi has picked up bonus point in every single match.  Now wrestling is Toby Mosley and Lodi’s Justin Miller (29-5).  This is a big match for the Spartans and Lodi.

8:59 pm —  Paul Vantassel picked up a big win at 135 pounds against Caleb Latham (24-13) to give the Spartans their first lead of the night at 21-18.  In the 10-7 victory, Vantassel was penalized for four points for full-nelsons.  Now up is Michael Murnane and Lodi’s Clint Heimbecker (27-9).  These next two matches will be critical for Sparta’s hopes tonight against Lodi.

8:51 pm —  All square again.  Nick Winchel defeated Lodi’s Alex Ibinger 10-6 to to bring the score to 18-18 heading into the 135-pound bout between Paul Vantassel and Caleb Latham (24-12).  That’s five victories for Sparta and three for Lodi.  Bonus points are big in this match through eight matches.

8:41 pm —  Derek VonRuden picked up the 6-2 victory over Getasew Shimshak.  The win cuts Lodi’s lead to 15-18.  Now up is Nick Winchel and Lodi’s Alex Ibinger (17-16).  This is a match Sparta needs to pick up bonus points in.

8:30 pm —  Another pin for Lodi.  Michael Clapper pinned Bryce Nowaczyk in 2:42 to give Lodi an 18-12 lead over the Spartans.  That’s three pins in three wins for Lodi.  Sparta has to stop this if they want to hang around in the dual.  Now up is Lodi’s Getasew Shimshak (21-13) and Derek VonRuden.  Shimshak is better than his record indicates so this could be a good match.

8:26 pm —  All square again.  Tristan Zurfluh picked up a 4-0 victory over Lodi’s Grant Robertson (19-17) to even everything up at 12 apiece.  Now up is Bryce Nowaczyk and Michael Clapper.

8:19 pm —  Lodi’s John Joutras used a cradle to pick up a quick 36-second pin over Dylan Winchel.  The win puts Lodi on top 12-9 through four matches.

8:17 pm —  Chris Beeler sure knows how to win the close ones.  Beeler just eeked out a 3-0 decision over Lodi’s Ben Steuch with two of those points coming in the final five seconds.  Going into the 103-pound match pitting Dylan Winchel against Lodi’s John Joutras, the Spartans lead 9-6.

8:10 pm —  Tom Tourdot returned the favor with a pin of Nathan Maerz in 1:48.  The pin, Tourdot’s second of the night, evens the score at six apiece.  Now up is Chris Beeler and Ben Steuck (18-19).

8:08 pm —  Lodi’s Michael Watters (33-5) pinned Ben Schaitel in 3:17.  Now up is Tom Tourdot for the Spartans.  Lodi leads 6-0.

8:01 pm —  The dual with Lodi is underway.  On a side note, Cadott lost 42-36 to Ladysmith in the first round of their team sectional.  My condolences Cadott Guy.

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7:43 pm —  With Sparta’s 41-31 victory over Cuba City/Southwestern, they advanced to the team sectional finals and will wrestle Lodi–winners of a 43-23 dual against Clinton.  Dual should be starting in the next 15 minutes.

7:25 pm —  Sparta has won the dual, but not without a little drama.  Xavier Lopez stepped onto the mat for the 160-pound match knowing a win would secure the dual for the Spartans, but he fell by pin in 3:48.  The loss cut the Spartans lead to 35-31 with Kyle Burkhalter coming to the mat.  It would be the perfect man for the occasion.  Burkhalter, with experience from Saturday in matches with clinching implications, promptly pinned his opponent in 18 seconds to secure the 41-31 victory for the Spartans.  On the other side of the gym, it looks like it’s going to be Lodi again as they lead 34-17 with two matches to go.

7:18 pm —  Morgan Leis just pinned Tyler Bass in 3:37 in what Mike Montgomery described as a “brutal pounding.”  Near the end of the match, Leis gave Bass a shove and one team point was deducted.  As such, the Spartans lead 35-25 heading into the 16o pound bout.  If the Spartans can win this match, they will clinch the victory.

7:07 pm –  Toby Mosley just won his match 6-2 over CCS’ Scott Digman (27-9).  It was a critical victory in what was probably the most difficult match remaining for the Spartans–at least on paper.

7:05 pm —  Through the dual’s first 10 matches, bonus points have been key.  Sparta and Cuba City have each won five matches, but four of the Spartans wins have come via pin (3) or forfeit (1).  The other was a last-second win by Chris Beeler.  Cuba City, on the other hand, have converted three of their five wins into bonus points and that is the difference right now.  On the other side of the gym, Lodi leads Clinton 25-13 after a critical win by Lodi in overtime at 130 pounds.

6:58 pm –  Jarod Donar just pinned Mike Murnane in 1:55 to cut the Spartans lead to 27-25.  The Spartans have a great shot to win all the remaining matches with the most difficult up now with Toby Mosley wrestling Scott Digman.  With the conclusion of Murnane’s match, Sparta’s diet of Donar brothers is over.

6:55 pm —  Two quick pins at 130 and 135.  Nick Winchel picked up a pin over CCS’ Marcus Theill in 5:10.  Theill is CCS’ usual 119-pounder.  At 135 pounds, CCS’ Dillon Schmeider pinned Paul Vantassel in 1:16.  The score is now 27-19 Spartans.

6:46 pm —  At 125 pounds, Bob Donar pinned Derek VonRuden in 1:47 to cut the Spartans’ lead to 21-13.

6:41 pm —  At 119, Bryce Nowaczyk just pinned Cuba City/Southwestern’s usual 112-pounder Zach Guerin in 3:19 to put the Spartans up 21-7.  On the other side of the gym, Lodi leads Clinton 18-13 through six matches.

6:35 pm —  At 112 pounds, Tristan Zurfluh picks up the victory by forfeit.  Sparta leads 15-7.

6:34 pm —  At 103 pounds, Cuba City/Southwestern picked up a 4-point major decision victory as JJ Donar defeated Nick Winchel 16-6.  Sparta is still up 9-7.

6:30 pm —  Sparta currently leads Cuba City/Southwestern 9-3.  The match started at 189 with Ben Schaitel losing 8-5.  Down 6-5 with 20 seconds to go, Schaitel was forced to shoot, but didn’t get the takedown.  At 215 pounds, Tom Tourdot picked up a pin in 1:22.  At 285, Chris Beeler was tied in his match with 15 seconds to go before picking up a takedown and three near-fall to earn the 6-1 victory.  The match is currently at 103 pounds with Dylan Winchel wrestling JJ Donar.