Wiwrestling.com WIAA Individual Season Preview

By Brad Baker, wiwrestling.com featured writer

In order to better inform the Wisconsin Wrestler fans, we at wiwrestling.com sent out a request for coaches, wrestlers, and fans to help us develop a season preview. We gathered ten people from different areas all over the state to help compile information from their respective areas to better improve the rankings. We would like to thank the many coaches and fans that sent in information and would like to encourage more to do so in the future. The Individual rankings are based on a number of criteria that includes: previous results, off season wrestling, and recommendations. All weights are projected. Please send ranking suggestions or comments to the ranking committee.

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DIVISION 1

103
This weight class will be led by seven-time kid national champ Josh Chappa. Since placing sixth in the state last year, Chappa has put on 14 pounds of body mass and will enjoy a lot more success this season wrestling guys his own size. Returning state qualifiers Tyler Hoehn and Tony Madigan should have outstanding seasons. Hayden Silvers is coming off a very successful summer in which he earned all-American honors with his sixth place finish at the Cadet Greco National Championships.



112
Last year’s 103-pound runner-up Brad Blersch leads this weight class followed by a pair of Milwaukee area wrestlers. Brian Ciszewski, Tucker Pope, and Wade Lorenz placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively in the state last year at 103-pounds.



119
This weight class could be one of the toughest weight classes in any division. Two-time state champ Josh Hansen is obviously very tough and always peaks at the right time. Andy Livingston, Tim Costigan, and Cody Zimmerman placed third, fourth, and fifth at 112 pounds last year. Justin Wickersham placed sixth at 119 pounds last year. One wrestler that should not be overlooked is 2003 state runner-up Justin Teppo. If Teppo uses his sectional loss last year as motivation, he should be very dangerous this season. A pair of Fox Valley Association wrestlers, Nate VanSchyndel and Andy Miller qualified for state last year with VanSchyndel placing sixth.



125
Sergio Mireles will try and earn his first state championship after transferring from Madison East to Deforest. While at East, Mireles was a two-time state qualifier and placed second last year. Casey Schmitz was the 112-pound runner-up last year. Matt Staads placed third at 119, and Craig Becker placed fourth at 103 in 2002. Pechacek, Casper, and Bellville all qualified for state last year at 119 pounds.



130
Scott Sigmund placed fourth last season at 125 a year after winning the 112-pound state championship. Tyler Lorenz placed fourth at 119 last year and Tyler Madigan had a great season while qualifying for state. Derrick Koenig is out to redeem himself this year. Koenig did not qualify for the state tournament last year after qualifying in 2003.



135
Jordan Granum will be one of Wisconsin’s best wrestlers in all of the weight classes combined. Granum fell just short of a state championship last year placing second in a loaded 130-pound weight class. Granum defeated Jerimiah Reffke in the Semifinals of state last year. Reffke wound up taking third after placing fourth in 2003. Kevin Barber placed sixth last season in the same bracket. Josh Kyle and Andy Simmons were both one match away from placing at state last year. Kyle Hazelwood was a conference and regional champ who put a lot of time in the off-season and should surprise a lot of people. Matt Redepenning is a two-time state qualifier and placed fifth in 2002 at 103. Nick Tadeo placed sixth last year at 125.



140
Two-time state qualifier and defending state champion Dustin Perry looks to be one of the states most dominating wrestlers this season. Anthony Azarian, last year’s runner-up to Perry, has made the move to Waterford where he will be very tough. Tom Reamer placed third behind Perry and Azarian last year. Marcis, a 140-pound state qualifier last year, had an impressive freshman campaign and a return-trip to state could field better results. Jacob Wagner, Jordan Gerady, and Clint Weiler all qualified for state as well.



145
Kevin Tritz returns after placing second last year and sixth in 2003. Aaron Mittelstaedt, David Hoy, and Ben Haines all qualified for state last year. Although Ben Sarbacker just missed the state tournament, he had a very impressive season as a freshman last year at 125.



152
Evan Peissig placed fourth the last two years at 140 and 145 respectively. Zach Lepoidiven placed fourth also last year at 152. Both A.J. Phillips and Travis Fonder lost in the state consolation semi-finals at 145 last year. Brock Wetenkamp qualified for state in 2003. Andy Rochon and Ben Stollberg were both state qualifiers last year.



160
Kevin Nolan will be going for his second straight state championship this year. Nolan also took third in 2003. Tom Cruetz should have a great year after a very impressive summer in which he placed sixth at the Cadet National Freestyle championships. Ross Wingert took fifth last year. Ben Engelland, Kyle Howard, David Leonard, and Shannon Conat were all state qualifiers.



171
Trevor Brandvold made a big name for himself after his big win of the number one ranked Ben Pero of Watertown in the state semi-finals last year. He would go on to place second. James Barker is a two-time state qualifier and placed fifth last year after losing to eventual state champion Eddie Blumenthal in the quarterfinals. Tyler Deurst placed fifth last year. Billy Dragonetti is a two-time state qualifier. Jake Lisowski and Rick Nelson placed fourth and sixth respectively last year at 160. Rob Schoner fell one win shy of placing at state last year at 171.



189
Though Max Askren has not won a state championship yet, he has always gone where the toughest competition is. Askren placed third last year and fifth in 2003. He recently committed to the University of Missouri where he will join his brother Ben. Marshall Witkowski defeated Jon Schmidt in the fifth place match last year. Xavier Marquez and Ryan Nyhus were both state qualifiers. Blaine Hornes was one match shy of qualifying for state.



215
Dane Thompson had a great off-season and was a state qualifier last year. Charlie Fish, Dan Laurent, Kyle Bertling, Jake Benedict, and Greg Burton were all state qualifiers with Bertling being the lone place winner placing sixth at 215.



275
Jordan Hein is the front-runner to take this weight class this year now that Chase Wetenkamp is out of his way. Hein is a two-time state qualifier and was the runner-up last season. Tim Wollak placed third last year behind Wetenkamp and Hein. Jake Stebnitz could have most likely placed at state last year if he was at a different school. Stebnitz spent the last three years on junior varsity behind Wetenkamp and has had a good off-season. Anthony Loew and Jon Otto qualified for state last year while Nick Ryan placed third at sectionals.

 

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103 -Division Two
Jake Madigan had a great freshman year taking third place. Though he lost to the eventual state champion Brian Barbiaux in the semifinals at state, he beat him in a dual at the team state championships. Brandon Kircher lost to Madigan in the third place match. Johnny August had 35 plus wins last year and fell short of qualifying for state in a tough sectional. In that same sectional was Kevin Crass who also had a great year last year. Bobby Wunnicke is a multiple time kids state champion. Grant Sutter had a great summer earning All-American honors at the cadet national championships. Alyssa Lampe was one win shy of placing at state last year.



112 -Division Two
Brain Barbiaux will be going for his third state championship this season. Brian took fifth this summer at the Junior National Freestyle championships, which was not the first time he has been an all-American. T.J. Wunnicke is going for his second title in a second division. Joe Steffen lost in the 103-pound championship last year to Barbiaux. Jared Kern placed fifth. Ryan Vosters and Zach Elliot were state qualifiers last year.



119 -Division Two
Kyle Reeve is going for his second straight state championship. Reeve also placed third in 2003 at 112. Michael Young was the state-runner up behind Reeve last year. Zac Bartlett placed third in the same bracket. Max Sevald is a three-time state qualifier. Kevin Steffen was a state qualifier last season. Matt Thiesen has had an impressive off-season winning the Greco and Freestyle state championships. He was one match shy of qualifying for state.



125 -Division Two
Eric Metzler could be one of the states most dominant wrestlers this season. Metzler placed second as a freshman, third as a sophomore, and was a state champion last season as a junior. Nick Ziegler is a two-time state qualifier. Ziegler placed third in 2003 and was a runner-up last season. Matt Sisbach and Travis Fischer placed fifth and sixth respectively last year at 119. Nate Nechuta, Josh Dummann, and Kendall Vogel were all state qualifiers.



130 -Division Two
Joey Cuarenta was a runner-up last year and place fifth in 2003. Ed Stephens and Travis Droessler placed third and fifth respectively last year. Les Cornette will try and get back to state after not qualifying last season. Cornette placed sixth as a freshman in 2003 at 112 pounds. Jake Gedatus placed fifth the last two seasons. Zac Cibula will be one of the states best freshmen this year. Cibula was named the 2004 WWF Schoolboy of the Year, an award that is given to the most outstanding 13-14 year old in the state. Dan Akright was a state qualifier.



135 -Division Two
Jake Lewis is a three time state qualifier and a 2003 state champ. He placed second last year after injury defaulting in the finals. Tony Kazik was a runner-up at 130 last season. Brad Zellner is a two-time state qualifier. Zellner and Jeff Soppa placed third and fourth respectively at 130 last season. Austin Lechnir was forced to sit out last season because of an injury. Lechnir had a great sophomore season in 2003 including a win over Eric Metzler at the Oshkosh on the Water tournament. Eric Schilling and Orry Hanson were both one match from placing at state last year.



140 -Division Two
Joe Clothier won a state championship last year at 135 pounds. He also qualified as a freshman in 2003. Eric Enderby is also a two-time state qualifier. He placed fifth last season at 135 pounds. Ben Lehman placed sixth last season, also at 135 pounds. Andy Jatczak is a two-time state qualifier as well. Kyle Friemoth and Jeremy Pingel qualified for state last year.



145 -Division Two
Jon Lechleitner went 39-3 on his way to winning the 140-pound state championship last year. Nick Bartley and Travis Puig placed third and fifth respectively behind Lechleitner. Both Garrett Stevens and Tom Gehin lost in the consolation semi-finals last year. Kevin Fabian was a state qualifier also.



152 -Division Two
Justin Schmidt will be going for his third state championship this season. Schmidt placed third last season at 152 pounds after winning state his freshman and sophomore years. Mark Theim also placed third last season, he did it at 145 pounds. Rob Stoner, Jake Wozniak, Dennis Reckelberg, and Jake Zutz were all state qualifiers.



160 -Division Two
Andy Geving won a state championship last season at 160 pounds. He also placed third in 2003 at 145 pounds. Adam Brager was the state runner-up at 145 pounds last season. Brandon McAuly placed fifth the last two years at state. Lance Olson was a state qualifier in 2003. Ryan Alfson qualified for state last year.



171 -Division Two
Nathan Clements and Jordan Pinney placed fourth and fifth respectively last year at 160 pounds. David Casper placed sixth at 171 pounds last season. Adam Bonikowski and Andrew Lang qualified for state last season.



189 -Division Two
Josh Schumacher returns in a weight class that not a single place winner at state will return in. He had 36 wins last year and was one match away from placing at state. Brad Ruh, Noah Sprague, and Jake Turowski are the only other state qualifiers that return from the 189-pound bracket.



215 -Division Two
Joe Poehls was the state runner-up last year at 215 pounds. Mike Kudick and Tyler Figueroa were state qualifiers. Figueroa placed fifth at the Cadet Greco National Championships this summer.



275 -Division Two
Mike Lenzendorf is the lone returning state place winner from a year ago at this weight class. State qualifiers Sean Pruitt, Brad VandenBerg, Brandon Boe, and Cody Byrns return as well. Kevin Laack was a state qualifier in 2003.

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103 -Division Three
Drew Hammen is a two-time state qualifier and place third last year. Drew had a very good off-season and was one match away from becoming an all-American at the national championships this summer. Chales Withington was one win shy of placing at state last year. Stephen Sang, Brandon Karl, Robert Daggett, and Ben Lehman all qualified for state last season as well.



112 -Division Three
Greg Sonnentag was the state runner-up last year at 103-pounds. Tyler Freund, Eric Holzem, and Devon Kansier placed fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively at 103. Matt Gille is a freshman that has had an outstanding career at the kids level that includes many national championships. Cyle Schneider was a state qualifier last season. Andrew Dahl should have a great season and could surprise some people.



119 -Division Three
Chris Klister will be going for his second state championship this season. He is a three time state qualifier including placing third in 2003. Cade Sarbacker had a great freshman season last year placing third. Aaron Kersten, Troy Clements, and Michael Connor placed fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. David Copp was a state qualifier.



125 -Division Three
Cory Sokol was a state champion in 2003 before missing the state tournament last season. Casey Klister is a three-time state qualifier and a runner-up twice. Alex Dahl placed fourth last season as a freshman. Mo Malone is a three time state qualifier. He placed fifth in 2003 and was the 112-pound runner-up last season. Loren Ruzic and Chase Norby were both state qualifiers at 119 pounds last season.



130 -Division Three
Curtis Feidler was a runner-up last season at 125. Both Brandon Heifner and Joel Messick were a match away from placing last season. Phillip Brown, Shawn Fink, and Justin VanderBloeman were all state qualifiers. Brandon Arentz is making the jump from 103 after a great season that was cut short at sectionals when he didn’t make weight.



135 -Division Three
Reilly Brigham and Lance Hougdahl placed third and fourth respectively at 130 last season. Both Greg Lapinski and Cody Johnvin were two-time state qualifiers that were one match from placing last year. Johnvin placed sixth in 2003 at 125 pounds while Lapinski was just shy of placing then also. Mike Borchardt and Cody Klopp were state qualifiers as well last season. Klopp was also a qualifier in 2003 at 125 pounds.



140 -Division Three
Joe Mabry was the 135-pound runner-up last year. Kurt Bloemer placed third at 125 pounds. Brandon Schaaf and Craig Watry were both state qualifiers as well.



145 -Division Three
Andrew Lukasko went 37-1 and placed third as a freshman at 135 pounds last season. Brock Miller is a two-time state qualifier and placed fifth last season. Mitch Nooyen placed fourth the last two seasons. Patrick Peterson placed sixth while Paul Nelson and Reid Beimling were state qualifiers.



152 -Division Three
A.J. Kissel was 42-2 last season as a freshman at 145 pounds on his way to a runner-up finish. Brandon Paulson was a runner-up as well at 152 pounds. Gabe Stoppelmoor was a state champion at 135 pounds last season. He was also a state qualifier in 2003. T.J. Burke, Anthony Spies, and Cody Dean placed fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Joey Wingel was a match away from placing last season.



160 -Division Three
Travis Halverson placed third last season as a sophomore at 152 pounds last season. Clint Schuett placed sixth. Jerimiah Adrian, Max Smith, Jason Champagne, and Jon Erickson were all state qualifiers last season.



171 -Division Three
Matt Gevelinger was the 160-pound runner-up last season. Darren Drewek placed fourth at 171 pounds last season. Dustin Skaya placed fifth at 160 while Johnny Jensen and Spenser Nickelatti were state qualifiers.



189 -Division Three
Rory Edge went 36-3 as a freshman at 171 last season and qualified for state. Dustin Bauman only wrestled five matches before his season was ended due to an injury last year. Jeremy Doro and Luke Fitzsimmons placed fourth and sixth respectively last season at 189 pounds. Jordan Seufzer was a state qualifier and Andy Moore placed third last season. Justin Hartwig had a great off-season and should have a great year.



215 -Division Three
Tyler Terrill placed fourth last year while will Miron placed fifth. Tom Wetor and Brandon Lucas were state qualifiers.



275 -Division Three
Andy Schoonover is a two-time state qualifier and placed fourth last season. He placed sixth in 2003. Clint Moen is also a two-time state qualifier and placed sixth last season. Casey Bailey, William McCormick, and Eric Allen were all state qualifiers last season. Rene Vargas was a state qualifier in 2003.

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