Wrestlers take down sectionals
The River Valley High School varsity boys wrestling team took five boys to the sectional meet in Richland Center this past weekend in hopes of sending someone to state. In the past the top three competitors from each weight class would go on to state. This year only the top two went on.
“We had a solid tournament overall,” said River Valley co-head coach Dan Machovec. “Four of the five wrestlers placed and in a normal year, we have two state qualifiers. It’s heartbreaking knowing that our two seniors, Jimmy and Keeghan, didn’t get a chance to represent us at state like they should have been able to. We had chances in their semi final matches and unfortunately, it just didn’t end in our favor. I still am extremely proud of their careers and the young men they are. They will be successful in life no matter what because of all the adversity they overcame. I know for sure that Cole, Landon, and Brett learned a lot from this experience and will bounce back next year.”
132 Cole White (10-8) placed sixth and scored 6.0 team points. Quarterfinal - Cole White (River Valley) 10-8 won by major decision over Zair Palacios (Watertown Luther Prep) 8-5 (MD 11-3). Semifinal - Ethan Dobbs (Viroqua) 17-5 won by fall over Cole White (River Valley) 10-8 (Fall 1:09). Cons. Semi - Joe Quaglia (Belleville/Mont./N. Gl.) 12-2 won by fall over Cole White (River Valley) 10-8 (Fall 1:28). Fifth Place Match - Riley Schmidt (Lakeside Lutheran) 14-5 won by decision over Cole White (River Valley) 10-8 (Dec 11-8).
138 Jimmy Jennings (15-4) placed 3rd and scored 12.0 team points. Quarterfinal - Jimmy Jennings (River Valley) 15-4 won by decision over Dylan Taber (Belmont/Platteville) 8-4 (Dec 4-2). Semifinal - Brady Schuh (Monroe) 11-1 won by decision over Jimmy Jennings (River Valley) 15-4 (Dec 7-4). Cons. Semi - Jimmy Jennings (River Valley) 15-4 won by decision over Kurt Wall (Prairie du Chien) 8-4 (Dec 9-5). Third Place Match - Jimmy Jennings (River Valley) 15-4 won by no contest over Dylan Taber (Belmont/Platteville) 8-4 (NC). Second Place Match - Brady Schuh (Monroe) 11-1 won by no contest over Jimmy Jennings (River Valley) 15-4 (NC).
145 Landon Radtke (15-5) placed 5th and scored 8.0 team points. Quarterfinal - Austin Scofield (Evansville) 10-3 won by decision over Landon Radtke (River Valley) 15-5 (Dec 7-5). Cons. Round 1 - Landon Radtke (River Valley) 15-5 won by fall over Matthew Hillmer (Watertown Luther Prep) 8-5 (Fall 1:31). Cons. Semi - Luke Kramer (Prairie du Chien) 14-5 won by decision over Landon Radtke (River Valley) 15-5 (Dec 5-2). Fifth Place Match - Landon Radtke (River Valley) 15-5 won by decision over Austin Winker (Viroqua) 15-6 (Dec 6-0).
152 Keeghan Kjos (15-3) placed 3rd and scored 15.5 team points. Quarterfinal - Keeghan Kjos (River Valley) 15-3 won by fall over Josh Kehren (Watertown Luther Prep) 6-5 (Fall 0:36). Semifinal - Matt Rogge (Prairie du Chien) 15-2 won by decision over Keeghan Kjos (River Valley) 15-3 (Dec 7-4). Cons. Semi - Keeghan Kjos (River Valley) 15-3 won by tech fall over Jon Torsini (Turner) 10-5 (TF-1.5 2:44 (15-0)). Third Place Match - Keeghan Kjos (River Valley) 15-3 won by decision over David Cushman (Whitewater) 11-3 (Dec 6-4). Second Place Match - Matt Rogge (Prairie du Chien) 15-2 won by no contest over Keeghan Kjos (River Valley) 15-3 (NC).
285 Brett Bindl (7-7) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Quarterfinal - Tyler Theder (Lake Mills) 9-5 won by fall over Brett Bindl (River Valley) 7-7 (Fall 0:28). Cons. Round 1 - Isaac Bunker (Monroe) 8-5 won by fall over Brett Bindl (River Valley) 7-7 (Fall 0:42).
Looking ahead to next year Machovec said, “It will come down to the off season. We need to continue to capitalize on our off season training program and work on the skills that need to be improved. A quote I always leave them with is, ‘everyone wants to work on things they’re good at, but champions work on things they aren’t good at.’ To be a state champion you have to be a complete wrestler.”
