The Weyauwega-Fremont wrestling team opened the season over the weekend with a fourth-place finish at a tournament and a Central Wisconsin Conference win over Menominee Indian.
The Indians placed fourth of nine teams Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Little Chute Invitational and handed Menominee Indian a 44-24 defeat Friday, Dec. 2.
Little Chute Invitational
LITTLE CHUTE – W-F was short a couple kids for this tournament, but wrestled well and stayed in the team race until the final round of the tournament, according to coach Tim Potratz.
Wrightstown won the tournament, Little Chute finished second and Kimberly finished third, just ahead of Weyauwega-Fremont. Every wrestler on the team won at least one match.
Jared Gruetzmacher and Trevor Potratz each placed second. Gruetzmacher lost a close 5-4 decision in the 138-pound finals to a Wrightstown wrestler, while Potratz fell to a Little Chute wrestler at 145.
Junior Isaac Danke (106) and freshman Oliver Radtke (113) placed third and won their bronze medal matches by pins, while junior Nick Thomas (126) and senior Jackson Stearns (195) placed fourth. Also winning matches for the team and placing sixth were Tre Blohm (132), Casey Lenz (152), Brandon Loehrke (160), Allen Bentle (220) and Mike Howe (285).
“We wrestled pretty well until the final round of the tournament,” Potratz said. “If we would have wrestled better and finished the day strong, we would feel real good about our effort. The team knows they can do better and we will keep working to improve.”
W-F 44, MI 24
KESHENA – The season opener for both teams was a typical sloppy first match.
“The timing and conditioning was not there yet, but both teams were aggressive and ready to battle,” Potratz said.
The Indians won nine of the 14 matches wrestled and came up just short in two other overtime matches.
Winners included Danke (106), Radtke (113), Tyler Hart (132), Blohm (138), Gruetzmacher (145), Potratz (152), Lenz (160), Loehrke (170) and Stearns (195). Danke, Potratz and Stearns won by pin.
“It was good first match of the season for us,” Potratz said. “We competed well and got that first match under our belts with a win.”
Six Weyauwega-Fremont junior varsity wrestlers posted an 8-7 match record Dec. 3 at the Appleton East Tournament. Sophomore Norberto Leyva (106) placed first with a 3-0 record, while Tyler Hart (126) and Jared Radtke (132) placed second with a 2-1 record and freshman Andy Bork won one match at 220.
The Indians will wrestle at Bonduel at 7 tonight (Thursday, Dec. 8) before hosting Waupaca, Chilton, Fox Valley Lutheran, Ripon and Stratford Saturday, Dec. 10, for the Akey Duals. Matches will begin at 9:30 a.m.